Melton police want VicRoads to install a wire barrier along the middle of Hopkins Road, Truganina, and reduce the speed limit to 80 km/h following a recent double fatality.
Sergeant Chris Stuhldreier, of the Melton highway patrol, said that while VicRoads had plans to duplicate the road, he hoped barriers and a lower speed limit would help make it safer in the meantime.
Melton South couple Jesus, 43, and Alma Remo, 39, were killed when their Mazda 4WD and a truck collided head-on along Hopkins Road on March 10, leaving three teenage children orphaned.
“With the volume of traffic, it’s certainly a main arterial that feeds the Western Freeway and Wyndham,” Sergeant Stuhldreier said.
SERGEANT CHRIS STUHLDREIER
“I’ve no doubt it’s on the horizon [for VicRoads], but from a policing perspective we’d love to see upgrades along that road.
“Hopkins Road is certainly up there as a blackspot.”
He said that as part of Operation Impacted, which runs until the end of May, police were targeting roads known for road trauma, including Hopkins Road.
Melton and Wyndham councils, police and VicRoads were also working closely together to improve safety along the road, he said.
Melton council engineering services acting manager Voltaire David said the council would seek a briefing and report of the accident from VicRoads and work with it to implement any recommendations.
“It’s a tragedy that two lives were lost on Hopkins Road,” Mr David said.
He said the council was not responsible for upgrading the stretch of road but had taken part in VicRoads’ Hopkins Road Corridor study, which plans for an ultimate duplication of the road.
Senior Sergeant Damien Madden, of the Westgate highway patrol and a member of Roadsafe Westgate, would not be drawn on whether he thought the road was dangerous but conceded it was busy and needed to be duplicated.
“Melton and Wyndham are both experiencing population growth,” Senior Sergeant Madden said.
“The natural flow-on of that is increased traffic.”
VicRoads north-west metro acting regional director Bryan Sherritt said a number of improvement works along Derrimut and Hopkins roads had been carried out.
“We are constantly reviewing the safety of Derrimut Road and Hopkins Road and will continue to work with Victoria Police, Wyndham and Melton council to make further improvements as required,” he said.
Wyndham council was contacted for comment.
