Daily commuters have voiced their frustrations over traffic congestion at the recently signalised intersection of Caroline Springs Boulevard and Rockbank Middle Road, with some residents calling the delays “a disaster” during peak evening hours.
Brian Storrar, who lives just north of the intersection, said the change from a roundabout to traffic lights in July has significantly slowed the evening commute.
“I take it south every weekday around 7.15am. It’s always red when I arrive but I get through in one cycle, not too bad. The roundabout was much quicker,” he said.
But the issues intensify in the afternoon.
“In the evening it’s a disaster – usually six or seven cars get through per lane per cycle. I’m there just at 6pm. Sometimes it’s only three frustrating cycles, sometimes it’s six or seven. Green, red, inch forward six car spots, repeat.”
Mr Storrar said congestion can bank up past Brookside College, forcing some drivers into nearby residential streets as a workaround.
“That’s not what the backstreets are for. People live there and don’t want cars going past their house because traffic lights aren’t programmed correctly,” he said.
Attempts to raise the issue with Transport Victoria led to confusion for Mr Storrar.
He received two separate email responses indicating the traffic light sequencing on council-managed roads was a council responsibility, but that council must lodge requests through internal channels before the Department of Transport and Planning (DTP) would act.
A Melton council traffic engineer later confirmed to Mr Storrar by phone that the issue must be escalated by council, not residents, and that while the matter has now been submitted to DTP, it narrowly missed the agencies’ late-November bi-monthly review meeting.
The next meeting is set to take place in late January.
Mr Storrar said he sensed frustration from council staff “being stuck between a rock and a hard place” due to government processes which prevent residents from directly reporting issues to the department responsible for traffic signals.
In a statement, a council spokesperson said the intersection was upgraded due to high congestion and safety risks for pedestrians and cyclists, particularly students, and confirmed that it has requested DTP review the light sequencing “to ensure optimal traffic flow.”
“The Department of Transport and Planning (DTP) manages traffic signals across Victoria, and Council has requested that DTP review the sequencing at this intersection to ensure optimal traffic flow.”
