By Ethan Benedicto
A tragic incident on Belgrave-Hallam Road that resulted in the death of a runner has locals calling for more safety measures in the area.
The incident, on 15 January, occurred after a Ford ute had veered into the path of a Mazda 3 after overtaking two vehicles, with both subsequently losing control.
Unfortunately, a 33-year-old Endeavour Hills man was running along the path and was struck, resulting in his death.
Speaking generally about the past 20 years and not specifically about the most recent incident, local resident and former mayor of the City of Berwick, Tom Gyles, said that drivers’ habits on the road – such as speeding and dangerous driving – had remained relatively unchanged.
However, the most concerning factor was pedestrian safety, with Gyles’ concern laying more on the viability of pedestrian safety throughout the road.
“When this area was constructed 20-odd years ago, the footpath was put on the other side of the guard rail, it should have been the other way around.
“At the time, we (residents) said no, it should be the other way around, and then apparently there wasn’t enough room.”
Pointing down in the direction of Lysterfield South, Gyles said that the road thins out, with the footpath only veering off to the left into a much safer distance from the main road after roughly 230 metres, near Frog Hollow Reserve.
“The further it gets down, the cars get even closer, people have to walk down there and you can see how close the cars have gotten,” Gyles said.
“When there aren’t any people, the cars speed up, because when they see down the road that there aren’t any cars, they push their foot down the pedal.”
Kalora Ward Councillor and the City of Casey’s Deputy Mayor, Melinda Ambros, said that the incident was a “heartbreaking situation”, and had been the second fatality since she had begun her journey to run for council.
“Firstly, I send my thoughts and condolences to the family who are dealing with the devastating loss of a son, my heart goes out to them at this incredibly difficult time.”
Acknowledging that Belgrave-Hallam Road is an arterial passage, Ambros added that it is one of the council’s roles to “advocate to the State Government on behalf of the community”.
“This is something I take seriously as a councillor, I have been in contact with Belinda Wilson MP and we have had some productive conversations around how we can improve the safety of this location.
“In the days following this accident, I met with local community members at the site and have focused on listening to the voices of concerned residents,” she said.
Standing at the scene of the accident, Gyles is adamant that action should be taken; however, he understands that Belgrave-Hallam Road isn’t the only ‘hot spot’ in the municipality, but if certain actions were taken sooner, then incidents like most recently could have been prevented.
As a former mayor, he is aware of the limitations of the council’s ability when it comes to addressing State assets.
“Around the time when all these roads were showing the signs, you wouldn’t think that 30 years later nothing’s going to happen to them,” he said.
“You would think that as traffic builds up, things are going to happen to improve it, but nothing’s happened and it’s getting worse.
“It’s a horrible thing really, any of us could be walking down the path, and the amount of time we all used to go down there to look at the mowing and whatnot, we don’t do that anymore since the incident.”
The residents of the home facing Belgrave-Hallam Road, where the Ford landed just mere feet away from their fence, were on the same page, echoing both Gyles and Ambros’ calls for safety.
While they wished to not be named, they too have lived in the same home for over 30 years, and while this was the worst accident that they have seen, it’s still common for vehicles to reach dangerous speeds when travelling down the hill.
“The speed limit is too fast, it’s 80 kilometres per hour but people obviously go over that,” they said.
“The other problem is, the guard rail is on the wrong side of the footpath, while for this particular accident, it wouldn’t have mattered which side it was on because of the speed involved.
“Normally, if vehicles were going at a reasonable speed and they run off the road, they’d glance off the rail instead of hitting the pedestrian.”
While working further up north near Lysterfield Lake, primary school teacher, Mary (name has been changed for privacy reasons), is a frequent traveller of the road’s segment that cuts between Monash Freeway and Hallam North Road.
In summary, she too was surprised as to why the barrier was behind the sidewalk, and not the other way around.
“The safety barrier was behind, but the concrete to walk was outside of it, and it makes no sense,” she said.
“The barrier should be on the side nearer to the road, protecting pedestrians and everything else as well.
“For quite a long time, from when I lived in Endeavour Hills, it used to be a one-way road around 30 years ago, and with the freeway entries, and traffic flow, it hasn’t kept up.”
On a similar note, she added that from her experience, the act of speeding isn’t limited to that particular section of the road, and while the Monash Freeway offramps and the downhill slope prove to be key factors in the tendencies, drivers can be observed doing the same when travelling towards Narre Warren North.
A State Government spokesperson said that “any loss of life on our roads is a tragedy”.
“Our thoughts remain with everyone affected by this incident, especially family members and friends.
“The Department of Transport and Planning is supporting Victoria Police on their investigation – it would be inappropriate to comment while that investigation is ongoing,” they said.
For Ambros, she added that she and other councillors’ roles are about being available to support the community.
“Our role is to advocate where necessary to build productive relationships with the State government to bring about important community outcomes,” she said.
“The community has lost a remarkable individual, who had wonderful connections across and was a much-loved son and friend, I send my heart and prayers to his family.”
