West End residents stopped peak hour traffic at the corner of Montague Road and Victoria Street on Tuesday 15 May to protest for the installation of traffic lights at the busy intersection. The event was supported by Greens councillor Jonathan Sri, who has since released a statement to say the protest was successful.
“We’re now waiting to see whether funding for lights will be included in the council’s next annual budget,” Cr Sri said. “Since being elected as councillor in March 2016, I’ve spent over two years trying to engage the LNP in constructive evidence-based conversations about the need to improve pedestrian safety, and the lack of results have been appalling and an embarrassment to the council.”
Approximately 60 protesters staged the “die in”, lying across the road for five minutes at a time with police approval. The pedestrians coloured the road in chalk, writing personal messages such as “keep our kids safe”. One resident Martin Knox said in his time living in the area, crossing the busy intersection was always a panic. “I’ve lived here for 20 years, and I think this intersection is very dangerous and I think the solution is to reduce speed limits on Montague Rd and adjacent areas,” Martin said.
The protest generated a lot of media coverage for the cause, with Cr Sri hopeful the Lord Mayor will take action at the next annual budget.
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