IMPROVING PEDESTRIAN SAFETY OVER Bell Street BRIDGE

Over the past couple of years, I have been working hand in hand with residents and the Safe Access Over Bell Street for Everyone (SABBE) group to raise awareness of safety concerns in the Bell Street Bridge precinct and push for improvements.

This complex section of Bell Street encompasses two slip lane intersections at Elizabeth Street and Nicholson Street, the No: 1 tram terminus and the heritage Bell Street bridge, crossing the Merri Creek.

My commitment to working with residents towards a full safety review and long-term improvements remains unwavering.

I have consistently used my voice and platform to advocate for additional safety improvements to Bell Street Bridge.

When local residents first reached out to me with their concerns, I met with local advocates Dave Hall, Deb Wyatt and Jose Villadangos on site to understand their concerns. As we walked the footpaths together, the sense of risk was absolutely clear.

In September 2021, I was the first Member of Parliament to raise these concerns in the Parliament of Victoria and call for improvements.

You can read my full speech here.

Following this, I met personally with VicRoads to elevate this issue and explore both immediate and long term options to make this stretch safer for pedestrians, cyclists and road users.

As a direct result of these efforts, I was able to secure funding and implement tangible improvements at this site in early 2022.

This includes traffic calming treatments, road markings and signage to encouraging drivers to slow down and take care when travelling over the bridge. You can see more in these improvements here.

To date, I remain the only Member of Parliament who has delivered tangible funding for improvements at this location, by working constructively with locals, the department and government.

But we knew that more needs to be done.

That’s why in March 2022 I also personally bought the Minister for Roads, Ben Carroll, down to the site to show him first-hand the pressure points of the bridge and directly advocate for further changes.

More recently, I’ve been incredibly pleased to bring together other Labor Members and candidates in the area, to raise awareness and grow support for improvements.

I have always had an open door policy for locals impacted by this issue and have met with SABBE a number of times. I look forward to continuing this constructive relationship to build on our success.

My track record on this issue is clear and unmatched – and if I am re-elected I will work with the next Labor Government to seek funding for this project. This has always been my position and it hasn’t changed.

There are those who will talk and make empty promises. And there are those who will do the work to get things done.

I call on the local councils Merri-bek and Darebin to put action behind their words and let our community know what funds they will jointly commit to investigate and design safety improvements to both Bell Street Bridge and the broader risk zone in this area.

You can show your support for our community push for a full safety review of the Bell Street Bridge Precinct here.