By Gladys Barreta
A protest was held at Rockbank on Tuesday February 25, 2025 in an attempt to lobby government for traffic lights on Leakes Road.
The protest garnered both community and Council support, but residents said more needs to be done to find immediate solutions for the accident-prone intersection between Leakes Road and Western Highway.
At the February 24, 2025 Council meeting, held just a day before the protest, residents had the opportunity to ask Councillors questions regarding road safety measures.
Just under 50 questions were asked during the meeting in which Leakes Needs Lights facilitator, Donna Southern said was a testament to the advocacy of the community action group.
Ms Southern said the protest was planned to highlight the urgency of implementing safety measures, rather than waiting several years.
“It was a great turnout at the protest with about 30 people in total. It was a very successful day, with lots of supporting beeps and thumbs-up from cars passing by,” she said.
Ms. Southern said that residents involved in the February Council meeting demonstrated to Councillors just how critical the much-needed traffic lights are.
“All my advocacy and encouragement worked. I asked people to submit questions about road safety in that area, and it was unprecedented how many questions came through on the day,” she said.
The Council meeting included a letter from the Minister for Roads and Road Safety, The Hon. Melissa Horne MP, addressed to the City of Melton Mayor, Cr. Steve Abboushi who said traffic lights in the area would not work due to technical issues.
“Temporary traffic lights cannot be connected to the traffic light control system that allows for remote adjustments. This could lead to driver frustration, poor compliance, and safety issues,” the letter stated.
Ms. Southern expressed her frustration with the letter, saying that the State Government is deferring responsibility to the “Victoria’s Big Build” project, which has already been funded.
“It’s a cop-out because there are other things they can do,” she said.
“People are playing chicken crossing to get to the station. All they need to do is send someone out to sit there and see what’s really going on.”
“There’s no budget allocated or time frame committed to the road safety measures we’re asking for and it could be years before anything happens.”
Cr. Abboushi said the Council has been advocating for the Victorian Government to upgrade and signalise the Leakes Road interchange.
“The Westcott Parade section of Leakes Road falls under the Council’s responsibility, and we are commissioning an independent Road Safety Audit to assess road safety issues in this area and determine whether any further safety improvements are required,” he said.
“With the business case for the Western Highway upgrade now complete, we look to the Victorian Government to prioritise this project, and for both the Australian and Victorian governments to jointly fund this critical upgrade.”
