Residents say they are imperilled by the removal of bollards on a funded ‘black spot’ intersection at Browns Road in Noble Park.
Four bollards on a nature strip stood between the roundabout and an adjacent house, serving some protection from trucks, semi-trailers and other vehicles regularly leaving the road.
They were removed by the City of Greater Dandenong after one of them was damaged by a heavy vehicle mounting the kerb, which residents say is a common occurrence.
The council says it’s consulting with residents over safety improvement options in the area.
Pat Jordan and Judi have lived 50 years adjacent to the roundabout. One of their bedrooms faces the street corner just 30 metres away without any protection.
“Occasionally we have the grandkids stay over and they sleep in that bedroom.
“There’s one remaining bollard to protect the lamp pole but it’s not protecting my house.”
Mr Jordan says unless they put the bollard back, “nothing’s going to work.”
“I’m not asking for gold-plated ones, I’m just asking them to replace what’s already there.
“The council put in the ones that were pulled out of the ground. They’ve been there for a number of years, they’ve stopped cars and trucks.
“Cars have mounted the kerbs, footpath and scrapped alongside the bollards but at least it stopped them coming them onto my fence.”
Mr Jordan says “all the problems started” few years ago when the roundabout was installed and when they started to have a “heck of heavy vans going down” the road.
“I was up to get brekky and take kids to school.
“There was a mighty bang – a delivery van had gone through my fence and ploughed through the bricks.
“He was delivering doughnuts, all the trays slid forward. He was very lucky he wasn’t decapitated – (the roundabout) was only there for two weeks, people are not used to it.”
He says the street is simply “not designed for big semi-trailers.”
His wife Judi found herself driving behind a trailer and thought this trailer can’t get around the roundabout.
“Of course, he didn’t, he went onto the footpath and ripped the bollard right out of the ground.
“A month later on Sunday morning, bang, another truck hit the other one and pulled it out of the ground and drove off.”
The issue was brought to a council meeting on Monday 23 June by councillor Lana Formoso, who urged the mayor to write a letter to the Roads Minister “to raise safety concerns.”
“We really need to prioritise public safety especially on this stretch of road and take any action we possibly can doing nothing is just not good enough.”
She questioned why the bollards were removed, which acted as a protection in the interim of roundabout modifications works.
Council’s executive director city futures Sanjay Manivasagasivam responded, sayingthe installation of concrete bollards is illegal – in which case council can be held liable “if something happens.”
“If someone hits that and is injured, that’s liable for council,” he said at the council meeting.
Now, council officers are working with residents to improve road safety in the area.
He says there are opportunities to amend the type of bollard used at the site alongside other minor works at the roundabout to improve road safety.
“The type of bollard which can safely be installed roadside depends on a number of factors including the speed of approaching vehicles.
“These options have been discussed in detail with residents from the adjacent property, and Council are currently consulting with other affected properties.
“Following this consultation, we anticipate making some safety improvements including installation of an appropriate type of bollard on the corner.”
The road is shared by residents and the trucks and semi-trailers from the nearby industrial zone.
A lack of vertical displacements and the size of the roundabout is said to have led to crashes and sometimes forced truck drivers to conduct illegal manoeuvres such as, driving over the roundabout.
As part of Federal Blackspot Program funding, council installed a number of traffic calming treatments on Browns Road last year which reduced traffic speeds.
Council has also unsuccessfully imposed a truck curfew previously from 8pm to 6am. Cr Formoso pointed out that is not being implemented as “no one is enforcing it.”
Council took on her plea to advocate to Victoria Police to increase patrols especially at peak time, morning and afternoon, and observe CCTV camera footage of traffic on the stretch of road.
