MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire mayor Cr Stephen Batty has joined forces with local psychologist, Danielle Jacobs, to call for urgent safety upgrades at three of Mt Eliza’s busiest intersections.
The pair have started a petition calling for safety upgrades at Volitans Avenue, Mount Eliza Way, and Baden Powell Drive.
They said the gaps in traffic at these intersections are short, and vehicles travel fast, with no traffic lights or proper intersection controls to help anyone get onto, off, or across the highway.
Batty said locals will be familiar with the problems experienced at the three intersections.
“It’s been too long – we need these intersections fixed, and it just can’t wait,” said Batty.
“Out of respect to our community members who have lost loved ones at these intersections and to the people whose lives have been forever altered through serious injuries here, we need these fixed.”
The petition to the Victorian Parliament asks for independent safety audits of all three intersections, as well as a review of speed limits, signage, line marking, lighting, vegetation, and sightlines.
It also asks for a clear timetable to deliver any audit recommendations.
Both Jacobs and Batty have spent most of their lives in Mt Eliza and use these intersections every day.
They said they have seen near misses, crashes, and the aftermath of crashes where people didn’t make it home.
“This isn’t about statistics for us. It’s about our neighbours,” said Jacobs.
“It’s the mum doing the school run, the tradie heading off to work, the older couple popping down to the shops, and the families who drive down every summer to enjoy the peninsula. We just want everyone to get home safely.”
The idea for the campaign came about at the shire’s recent Dying to Know Day, which was an event that encouraged people to talk openly about death and dying.
Jacobs was co-presenting a talk on Voluntary Assisted Dying at the event and got to chatting with Batty.
They said the conversation quickly turned to a topic they both felt strongly about: unnecessary road deaths.
Jacobs went to the local primary school, spent her teen years working behind the counter at local bakeries, and is often seen around Mt Eliza with her dogs, Ollie and Mia.
Ollie and Mia work alongside Jacobs as therapy dogs and visit patients through Peninsula Home Hospice and Peninsula Health’s Golf Links Rd Palliative Care Unit.
“I’ve spent a lot of time sitting with people at the end of their lives, and with the families who love them,” said Jacobs.
“When a death is sudden and could have been prevented, the grief is different. We don’t need to wait for another fatality, another serious accident or another near miss before we act. We already know these intersections aren’t safe.”
Jacobs mentioned the intersection at Forest Drive in Mt Martha, which received safety upgrades and traffic lights.
“Mount Martha got theirs sorted,” said Jacobs.
“Now it’s our turn.”
Jacobs said the intersections belong to anyone who has driven, ridden, or walked through Mt Eliza.
“Please sign it, share it with your friends and family, and let’s make sure everyone gets home safely,” said Jacobs.
You can sign the petition at: parliament.vic.gov.au/get-involved/petitions/commission-independent-road-safety-audits-in-nepean-highway-mount-eliza.
The petition closes on 6 April 2027.
First published in the Mornington News – 27 October 2026
