THE opening of a $224,000 signalised pedestrian crossing in Bittern has made crossing Frankston-Flinders Rd a safer proposition for pedestrians.
About 50 pedestrians an hour cross the road between the train station and shops, and in peak hour around 1000 vehicles an hour drive past at 60kph.
“Without a pedestrian-operated crossing, local residents have been taking risks when crossing the busy road in between traffic breaks,” Eastern Victoria MP Daniel Mulino said.
“Bittern residents will now be able to cross Frankston-Flinders Rd safely.”
Hastings MP Neale Burgess last month called on Roads Minister Luke Donnellan “to get on with the job” of installing the pedestrian crossing.
“The Bittern community had called for the installation of a pedestrian crossing [there] for many years and I was pleased to have obtained funding of $224,000 for it last October,” he said.
“Work began in March, but was abruptly stopped a short time later. I wrote to the minister asking for an explanation and was told that work had ceased because an electrical contractor had withdrawn and had to be replaced.”
Mr Burgess said he had “again written to the minister, this time asking that he personally intervene to ensure that installation of the Bittern pedestrian crossing was completed as a matter of urgency”.
