Get cracking on traffic nightmare

Alex de Vos
A community group has urged Vicroads to start work on plans to fix the Bellarine Peninsula’s worst traffic snarl after last week’s Independent revealed another 1500 houses would be built at Clifton Springs.
But Vicroads said yesterday that improvements to the intersection of Geelong-Portarlington, Jetty and Grubb roads were on hold for “the foreseeable future”.
Drysdale and Clifton Springs Community Association’s Graeme Allison said the peninsula’s infrastructure would struggle to cope with extra residents in the new subdivision.
The allotments would provide enough homes for up to 4000 residents.
“I’ve experienced that roundabout at the wrong time of the day and it’s just silly,” Mr Allison said.
He demanded Vicroads move the project up its priority list.
“As far as the community association is concerned, it’s certainly a high priority and it needs to be fixed,” he said.
The Independent revealed earlier this year that Vicroads and City of Greater Geelong planned to improve a roundabout at the intersection with duplication of the eastern approach.
But yesterday Vicroads south-western regional director Duncan Elliott said authorities had no plans to start the duplication in the “foreseeable future”.
Earlier this year he said the roundabout work would vie for priority with other projects around Victoria.
“Any long term projects for this area will be considered and evaluated alongside other state proposals,” Mr Elliott said.
The Independent reported in March that motorists had labelled the roundabout “the worst traffic bottleneck on the Bellarine Peninsula”.
Between 8am and 9am on weekdays cars, trucks, school buses and bikes congest the roads leading to the roundabout, with motorists often banked up for kilometres.
They must negotiate the intersection to reach Geelong from Clifton Springs, Drysdale, Portarlington, Indented Head and St Leonards.
A planning scheme amendment to create the new subdivision is set to go before Planning Minister Justin Madden for approval.