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On two separate occasions, cars heading down Heygarth St towards the Campaspe Shire Council chambers narrowly avoided being struck by vehicles that had failed to give way at the Hare St stop sign, cutting across towards the port.
Thankfully, both incidents avoided collision as drivers heading down Heygarth St slammed their brakes.
Catching the eye of a passenger in one of the cars forced to brake sharply – the look on their face said it all.
Local business owners operating on the corners of the Hare and Heygarth Sts intersection say the dangerous behaviour witnessed there is anything but unusual.
Mighty Mattresses owner Cameron Greg has seen all outcomes, crashes and near misses, of the poor layout of the intersection.
“Since I’ve been here, there’s been lots of crashes – just silly, silly sort of people in the wrong spot doing the wrong thing,” he said.
While waiting for the upgrades since funding got allocated, Mr Greg said he had seen four to six crashes and countless close-calls.
He has mostly observed close calls from impatient drivers wanting to get across the intersection without properly looking, but also a few people ignoring the ‘only left’ road signs from opposite Hare St onto Heygarth St.
A representative from the American Hotel Echuca, diagonally across from Mr Greg’s store, had similar concerns with the intersection.
“I think all the staff have seen a bit of everything – crashes, near misses, it’s just a sh*t intersection,” they said.
“It’s just terrible, and I feel like people don’t realise how back that corner is.”
They said even a roundabout would work better than the system in place at the moment.
“There absolutely has to be something done,” the representative said.
The upgrades would include the installation of wombat crossings on both legs of Hare St, with the southern leg to be converted to left-turn only, preventing vehicles from crossing the intersection.
The intersection is heavily used by pedestrians and motorists heading to the historic precinct and central roads, and was flagged for funding after drivers were repeatedly seen struggling to find a safe gap to cross or turn.
Yet, that funding — the responsibility of the Department of Transport and Planning — is now approaching its deadline, with no meaningful intersection upgrades delivered.
State Member for Northern Victoria Wendy Lovell has called on roads and road safety minister Ros Spence to take action and upgrade the Hare and Heygarth St intersection immediately.
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The lack of progress at the intersection caught the eye of State Member for Northern Victoria Wendy Lovell, who called on Roads and Road Safety Minister Ros Spence to take action immediately at the Tuesday, July 28 sitting legislative council session.
“Program guidelines require that works are physically completed within the two financial years after the funding approval,” she said.
“It is now two years since the funding was awarded, but nothing has been done other than the installation of new street lights.
“The state Labor government’s delay in getting work started means funding is now at risk of being withdrawn, leaving pedestrians to face heightened risk at this black spot.“
Ms Spence is expected to provide a reply to Ms Lovell by August 27.
With the funding clock winding down, locals are left hoping that action comes before the intersection claims more than just a crumpled bumper.
“Honestly, I don't think it's a perfect intersection upgrade ... but anything's got to be better than what's there,“ Mr Greg said.
