POINT Cook Road has been named one of Melbourne’s three most-congested routes in part of a statewide poll, confirming the views of the thousands of fed-up drivers who battle the daily gridlock.
More than 2600 sites in 61 municipalities across Victoria were nominated as part of this year’s RACV Redspot Survey.
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The railway crossing at Murrumbeena and Neerim roads in Murrumbeena came out on top, followed by the Chandler Highway through Alphington and Kew, then Point Cook Road between Dunnings Road and the Princes Freeway. The Forsyth and Old Geelong roads intersection in Hoppers Crossing was sixth.
According to public responses, the worst delays on Point Cook Road are during the morning peak, when commuter traffic and school drop-offs coincide, with right turns and the two-lane carriageway among major concerns.
The RACV said continued development along the stretch without road and public transport upgrades had resulted in “tortuous traffic conditions”. Although works under way include new turning lanes, the state’s peak motoring advocacy body recommended the duplication of Point Cook, Dunnings and Palmers roads to improve traffic flow.
Point Cook resident Cheree Robinson said the nomination of the notorious bottleneck came as little surprise. She said traffic volumes had increased significantly in the past year and it was now often difficult to get through in off-peak times.
RACV roads and traffic manager Dave Jones said the same roads continued to appear on the list with not enough being done to rectify the problems. “We need an ongoing program of works to reduce congestion,” he said.
A 2011 Wyndham Council traffic report recorded 22,170 vehicles a day on Point Cook Road, up from 16,850 in 2007. It said the stretch was in urgent need of duplication. However, as reported by the Weekly in April, VicRoads acting regional director Damien Axfentis said there were no plans to upgrade the road.
