MINYIP people are worried about a dangerous roundabout in the town centre.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Yarriambiack Shire councillor Terry Grange said the roundabout at the corner of Donald-Murtoa Road and the Stawell-Warracknabeal Road had been a problem for years.
He is worried it will take a death or a serious injury to motivate change.
He said the centre of the roundabout was too wide for B-doubles, and there had been incidents where trucks had run over the kerb, snagged verandahs of nearby shops or become stuck in the intersection.
"The main concern is that sooner or later someone is going to be killed, whether it be a truck driver or someone standing on the street,'' he said.
"It is an accident waiting to happen and VicRoads is not doing anything about it.
"It's only a matter of time before someone is hurt."
He said the community had lobbied VicRoads to fix the hazard for about 10 years.
"We've been calling for several years and nothing's changed, nothing's happened," Cr Grange said.
VicRoads regional director Ewen Nevett said he appreciated the safety concerns of residents but previous investigations had seen the intersection meet all safety standards.
"We investigated the geometric design of the roundabout last year and are satisfied that vehicles can safely manoeuvre through the roundabout without needing to mount the kerb, however we will continue to monitor the operation of the site," he said.
Mr Nevett maintained the intersection was safer than an alternative traffic management solution.
"A roundabout is the safest form of intersection and by its inherent nature acts as a traffic calming device, reducing speeds and minimising crash risk," he said.
"Where a crash does occur, it will generally be a lower speed, oblique-angle crash with reduced severity."
Mr Nevett said based on police crash statistics, the roundabout had a good safety record.
"We have also reviewed crash statistics for the roundabout and found that in the past 15 years to the end of June 2013, there were no recorded casualty crashes involving cars or trucks at the intersection," he said.
But Cr Grange said his main concern was preventing a death rather than letting an accident create the impetus for change.