THE Hampton Park car crash that took the lives of three local teens last Sunday week has placed renewed pressure on the State Government to make Hallam Road safer.
A march along Hallam Road calling for road duplication is being planned with organisers estimating several thousand protesters may attend.
South Eastern Metropolitan MP Gordon Rich-Phillips and Casey Council said their calls for the Government to take action had gone unheeded for several years.
But as the fingerpointing began, others held fears that the road toll would not be reduced until drivers modify their behaviour.
Joel Brimble, 19, and Riyani Lowen, 16, both of Narre Warren South, and Anja Miler, 15, of Hampton Park, died after the car they were in collided with another about 1.20am at the intersection of Hallam and Ormond roads.
A Frankston man also died and five others were injured, some seriously. Police, who are investigating the exact cause of the carnage, say speed and possibly alcohol played a role in the tragedy.
Although these were the first lives lost at the busy intersection, there have been 15 crashes there in the five years to December 2008 - seven resulting in serious injury.
Reacting to the latest incident, Mr Rich-Phillips said: "I am aware that there may have been factors other than the state of the road that contributed towards the tragic accident; however, the need to duplicate this section of road remains an underlying factor."
"I have raised the need to duplicate Hallam Road, especially the section between the South Gippsland Highway and Pound Road, twice in Parliament, the first time as far back as September 2005."
Mayor Geoff Ablett said the City of Casey wrote to the minister for transport in November 2002 requesting a number of intersection upgrades, including traffic lights at the intersection of Hallam and Ormond Roads.
"Since that time, council has continued to advocate for the installation of traffic lights at the intersection at regular briefings with VicRoads - the most recent being in March 2009."
Hallam Road falls under the auspices of VicRoads, which manages the state's arterial road network.
Acting regional director of VicRoads metropolitan south east, Praveen Reddy, said the organisation was committed to improving safety at the intersection.
"Safety improvements such as traffic lights have been earmarked for this intersection and VicRoads is investigating the best option for the site," Mr Reddy said.
While traffic lights are high on the agenda, the Government last week ruled out duplication works, setting the scene for further unrest by residents.
"The Government has no current plans to duplicate Hallam Road. Any upgrade proposals would be considered and evaluated on a region-wide and state-wide basis," a spokesman said.
Email a friend