Turning lanes have been earmarked for a dangerous intersection on a busy Warrnambool road after residents raised safety concerns.
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VicRoads has confirmed its road safety experts had recently assessed a city council proposal for changes to the intersection of Mortlake Road and Turner Drive.
Regional Roads Victoria regional director for the south-west Vanessa Schernickau said it had decided that right and left turning lanes should be installed to make the journey safer and easier for those turning into Turner Drive.
"Keeping everyone safe on the roads is our highest priority which is why we work closely with local councils to ensure any potential changes to the arterial road network are safe for all road users," Ms Schernickau said.
Residents this week again raised safety concerns over extra traffic that would flow through the estate when a new subdivision next door got under way.
Access to the subdivision would be via Turner and Leo Francis drives, but residents suggested blocking Turner Driver and moving the access to the entire estate further along Mortlake Road to meet up with the new road within the new subdivision.
Residents, who want action on the dangerous intersection, said they felt they had been handballed between the council and VicRoads on the issue.
Regional Roads Victoria is responsible for Mortlake Road, which part of the state arterial road network, but the council is responsible for the management and planning of Turner Drive, Leo Francis Road, Balmoral Road and any associated service lanes.
"RRV assessed a Planning Scheme Permit proposal from City of Warrnambool related to a residential development near Turner Drive and determined the developer must install right and left turning lanes on Mortlake Road at Turner Drive," VicRoads said.
One resident said he had cleaned up broken glass from three crashes at the intersection in the space of two months.
However, those accidents don't appear to have been included in official data with VicRoads reporting that in the past five years there has been only one non-serious crash recorded at the intersection of Mortlake Road, Turner Drive and Balmoral Road.
Just when work was expected to start on the new subdivision is unclear, but trees and an old house have been removed in recent weeks.
The council was contacted for comment.
As part of a separate proposal, Rural Road Victoria last week extended a 60km/h speed zone on Mortlake Road to south of Crothers Road to better cater for increased traffic on Wangoom Road.
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