31st of March 2025, 2:47pm
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Legalise Cannabis MP David Ettershank has welcomed a $300 million federal commitment to fix the dangerous Calder Park Drive interchange.
“The Fix the Calder campaign was launched in 2021,” Mr Ettershank said.
“Since then, we have seen countless accidents on the approach to the Calder Park Drive interchange, including crashes causing serious injuries.
“Today Federal Infrastructure Minister Catherine King is talking about a decade of neglect and needing to play catch up on Victoria’s roads, but her own 2023 review did not prioritise the Calder Freeway.
“Legalise Cannabis Victoria has been working hard to amplify the voices of western residents who have real concerns about dangerous roads and highways.
“With the federal election here, the major parties have finally realised that the outer west of Melbourne is one of the country’s fastest growing regions and that its residents are not happy and are eligible to vote.”
Mr Ettershank said that according to the Victorian Department of Transport, the Calder Freeway was one of the top 10 most dangerous roads in the state.
“Yes, roads will be critical as the west continues to expand and so while we welcome the funding commitment, we are also aware that these upgrades will take years to complete,” he said.
“In light of this funding announcement, I again to call on government to deliver quality public transport – only this will provide long-term relief to traffic congestion and improve service access in the west.
“The Northwest transport corridor has seen little improvement in service levels in decades.
“It’s not uncommon to see three, four or even five cars in driveways in Sunbury. Let’s give people reliable public transport by improving the bus network and fully unlocking the benefits of Melbourne Metro when it opens later this year.
“Major road upgrades take many years to complete whereas reconfiguring bus routes can be measured in months.
“Public transport improvements will also mean a significant cost of living improvement for residents in the west and northwest of Melbourne.”
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