Lights out for crossing

By Casey Neill
BAIRD Ward councillor Peter Cole is still hopeful traffic signals will soon be a reality at Tormore and Boronia roads, despite VicRoads again dismissing calls to light up the intersection.
Knox Council allocated $150,000 towards installing lights at the busy intersection in its 2009/10 draft budget and will ask VicRoads to fund the remaining $450,000.
“Once we put our money where our mouth is I hope the situation may change,” Cr Cole said.
But VicRoads acting metropolitan south-east director Praveen Reddy last week told the Mail traffic volume on Tormore Road and Narcissus Avenue did not meet the criteria for traffic lights.
Mr Reddy said daily traffic on Boronia Road had decreased by up to 13 per cent following EastLink’s opening.
“This will assist traffic turning out of the side streets in the area,” he said.
He said detector loops installed last December were ‘working quite well’.
The sensors detect a car waiting to exit Tormore Road or Narcissus Avenue and trigger nearby pedestrian signals on Boronia Road. “This creates gaps in the traffic on Boronia Road to provide easier and safer access from the side streets,” Mr Reddy said.
Cr Cole disagreed with the loops assessment.
“I’ve actually heard the opposite,” he said.
He also disputed the traffic reduction highlighted. He said the count was conducted four kilometres away near Mountain Highway.
“It’s irrelevant,” he said.
Cr Cole said traffic would increase when the Knox Leisureworks hydrotherapy pool was completed next year.
“And we’re going to be having a whole different demographic,” he said.
Knox engineering and infrastructure director Ian Bell said the lights remained one of the council’s top two road safety upgrade priorities.
He said it would continue to ask VicRoads for funding and approach key Tormore Road stakeholders Boronia West Primary School, Boronia football and cricket clubs and Knox Leisureworks manager YMCA to contribute cash to the $600,000 project.