Ms THEOPHANOUS (Northcote): My adjournment is to the Minister for Roads and Road Safety. I ask the minister to join me in the Northcote electorate to see and discuss firsthand some of the key road infrastructure issues impacting my community. Northcote is on the move. Our inner-northern suburbs are densely populated and home to major arterial roads supporting movement in and across the electorate. We have High Street and Separation Street, St Georges Road and Bell Street, Normanby Road, Heidelberg Road and Station Street. Many of these arterials are impacted by complex surrounds. There are interactions with level crossings, our tram network, buses, cycling infrastructure, destination shopping strips, sports precincts and pedestrian routes for schoolchildren.
Improving safety for cyclists, motorists and pedestrians is a priority for me, and there are some pretty significant pressure points that I would like the minister to better understand. For example, the Station Street and Wingrove Street intersection in Fairfield has long been an area of concern for residents. Located immediately next to Fairfield Village, Fairfield railway station and a major level crossing, it is also a thoroughfare for key bus routes, shoppers, residents and students from two nearby schools. Since becoming the member for Northcote I have worked closely with the community to raise awareness of the risks here across all levels of government, securing some interim safety improvements from Darebin council in 2019. However, further road safety treatments here remain a priority for us.
Another notable issue of interest to my community is the pop-up bike lanes, part of our $15 million investment to deliver over 100 kilometres of new and improved cycling routes. Cycling plays an important role in Northcote, with almost one in 10 employed people cycling to work, not to mention all the kids, adults and seniors who cycle for health, to get around or just for fun. Pop-up bike lanes have been in place along Heidelberg Road for more than half a year now, and further improvements are rolling out along the Darebin and Yarra connectors as well as the St Georges Road off-road routes. Seeing how these are working for everyone and taking on board community feedback is incredibly important.
These are just a couple of examples of our road-related priorities. I know that residents and I will be able to cite quite a few more, which is why it would be of great benefit for the minister to visit the electorate and see firsthand some of the challenges we face. The minister will be aware that our suburbs have also benefited from exciting transport infrastructure projects, including the expanded Chandler Highway bridge and our ongoing work on linking Alphington to the Darebin-Yarra trail, as well as removing four level crossings on the Mernda line.
Each piece of the puzzle, each improvement, big and small, makes a difference to how our community moves around, how we live, how our suburbs connect with one another and how residents can travel safely and efficiently. I know my community would love to welcome the minister to the area, and I look forward to discussing some of our key road and transport issues with him in detail.
