LETTER TO THE EDITOR:
I BELIEVE centre road barriers and roadside barriers have contributed to accidents along the Princes Highway between Sale and Stratford in the past few months.
The worst of these was from a Coles truck with semi-trailer which hit and demolished a centre barrier before it veered onto the wrong side of the road, finishing in a drainage ditch.
Luckily the driver didn’t sustain significant injuries.
A motorcyclist grazed a barrier, and the following vehicle ran over the motorcycle causing significant damage.
Luckily the rider had not remained with his bike and avoided more serious injuries.
When will VicRoads get the message about these barriers?
The centreline barriers are akin to planting a tree in the middle of a highway — sooner or later someone’s going to hit them.
No wonder that in Europe they are taking these barriers out because of safety concerns.
Another problem with these barriers is the conflicting information issued.
I was told there would be no side barrier in front of my house, but now my house has lost its driveway that has been there more than 100 years.
Neighbouring farmers have also lost access to their gates, making it extremely difficult to distribute feed to their livestock.
This is likely to affect many farmers all the way to Bairnsdale.
These barriers are affecting local families, blocking farms and business access and making traffic chaos for months on end.
I’ve had many machines parked directly in front of my work shed entrance to the business for months, making it impossible to trade.
On so many other occasions the driveways have been blocked.
It’s about time that VicRoads and the Victorian Transport Minister Luke Donnellan hears our voices in an organised campaign against these barriers.
