July 14, 2017

Safety improvements for calder freeway

The Andrews Labor Government is boosting safety on the Calder Freeway, installing nearly 60 kilometres of flexible safety barriers.

Member for Macedon, Mary-Anne Thomas, recently inspected the work taking place on the Calder Freeway between Faraday and Woodend that will reduce the risk of run-off-road crashes.

Works are being fast-tracked on the Calder Freeway to deliver immediate road safety improvements without major disruptions. The use of flexible roadside safety barriers, or wire rope barriers, has been identified as an effective safety measure to prevent vehicles from crossing the centre of the road and from veering off the side of the road.

The flexible barriers, made up of tensioned wire rope and steel pillars, stretch and absorb the force of a crash. They are the most forgiving roadside safety system, with people more likely to walk away after their car crashes than other available road barriers.

The Calder Freeway is one of the highest risk roads in Victoria, having seen 92 crashes in the last five years alone. Tragically, four people lost their lives as a result of these crashes; while a further 46 people received serious injuries.

The majority of these crashes were the result of vehicles crossing the centre-line of the road.

The Labor Government is investing $1 billion to help make Victorian roads safer, with a number of centre line flexible barriers being installed on high risk rural roads.

Improving the Calder Freeway’s safety by installing infrastructure such as flexible safety barriers is a vital part of the Victorian Government’s Towards Zero road safety vision – which is to have a 15 per cent reduction in serious injuries and less than 200 deaths on Victorian roads by 2020.



Quotes attributable to Member for Macedon, Mary- Anne Thomas
"We’re investing in this upgrade because we know that wire rope barriers save lives. They prevent some of the most common types of crashes occurring, including loss of control and run-off road type crashes.

“This is one of the state’s busiest regional routes connecting freight, tourism, industry and growing urban centres like Kyneton and Bendigo to Melbourne. That’s why these safety upgrades are so important."


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