By Jaidyn Kennedy
A busy Point Cook intersection is an “accident waiting to happen,” if permanent street lights are not switched on immediately, says one resident.
According to Dwayne Kelly, the Point Cook Road and Sneydes Road intersection is not adequately lit by current temporary lighting.
“There’s not much lighting considering I almost ran over the swans that live over there because I couldn’t see them,“ Mr Kelly said.
“If someone is crossing that road, you cannot see them in the early morning or night.”
He also said the intersection, which has recently undergone extensive upgrades including the installation of new traffic lights, is dangerous to turn into from nearby residential areas and businesses.
“The people turning left out of the retirement village are most at risk,” Mr Kelly said.
“If someone is driving without their high beams on that is a major collision waiting to happen or even people are turning left out of McDonald’s.
“There is a huge risk someone could easily be killed – it’s a major community concern just because of the safety.
“There is a lot of talk as to why they [the lights] can’t be switched on and we have been given no details.”
“How many state politicians does it take to flick a switch.”
Mr Kelly said that the issue persists 24 hours a day.
“I go to the gym at 5am in the morning every day and there are lots of cars on the road at that time, and that is outside of peak hour as well and still extremely busy,” he said.
“Make it a priority to turn on the switch. It should have been in planning so make it a priority to get the lights turned on.”
A Department of Transport and Planning spokesperson said that the state government was working with the power authority to have the permanent street lights operable.
“We are working with the power authority to have the lights connected as quickly as possible,” the spokesperson said.
“In the interim, we’ve installed temporary street lighting to make sure this section of road is well-lit at night and safe for everyone using this busy route.”
According to a Powercor spokesperson, the power authority responsible for connecting the lights, they have not received any requests to activate the lights.
“We have not received any request to connect these lights,” the spokesperson said.
“Powercor’s role in this DTP project is to connect the lights once the department’s contractors complete the electrical work at the site and pass the required safety audits.
“It’s important we have this information before we connect, because it will show that all the relevant checks and safety tests have been completed.”
