Helen Haines (Indi, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

Last Friday, the town of Rutherglen in my electorate of Indi experienced a shocking accident right in the centre of town. A B-double truck ploughed into a parked car and knocked down a power pole and the veranda of a cafe. This accident demonstrates the serious concerns of the Rutherglen community where hundreds of trucks drive through the narrow, heritage main street of this bustling, beautiful tourist town every single day. It's a miracle that no-one was injured. Local resident Herb Ellerbock had only stepped out of his car five minutes earlier.

The people of Rutherglen have long called for a truck bypass but this issue has been at a standstill for decades. This government dumped plans for the Rutherglen heavy vehicle bypass route from the infrastructure pipeline last year after the Victorian government sat on their hands and failed to take the concerns of local people seriously. In fact, the Victorian government has unspent funds that were meant to be used on this bypass. A petition started by Indigo Shire Councillor Roberta Horne calls for the unspent funds to be urgently spent on traffic calming measures to increase safety for pedestrians. This government must also act to increase funding for rural and regional roads—our safety depends on it. Rutherglen residents have been rattled by trucks rolling through their beautiful town for long enough. No community member should live in fear of their life when simply walking down their main street.

See this speech in context