Improvements to be made to notorious corner of Warburton Highway in Seville after petition

A NOTORIOUS part of Warburton Highway will be upgraded after a local resident petitioned for changes.

A notorious bend in Seville will be upgraded thanks to campaigners Senior Constable Scott Lardner, resi

HARD work and persistence have proved successful for Seville resident Helen Gunn.

Ms Gunn began petitioning for changes to be made to the Warburton Highway corner near Russell Rd, Seville, in March.

Ms Gunn collected 1200 signatures before giving the petition to Evelyn state Liberal MP Christine ­Fyffe.

A Seville resident for at least eight years, Ms Gunn said she had seen first-hand several distressing car accidents at the site and was often one of the first people on the scene.

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Mrs Fyffe announced last month the corner would receive $244,000 in funding that aimed to reduce the number of run-off-road incidents.

Ms Gunn said she was pleased something was finally being done.

Recently, Ms Gunn attended four accidents at the corner in one day.

"In the short term, the money funded to us will be great to help cars that lose control," she said.

"Our long-term strategy is to change the whole ­corner."

Ms Gunn praised the Seville CFA for its work as it regularly attended car accidents at the site.

Yarra Ranges highway patrol Acting Sergeant Graeme Rust said even though road improvements would make the bend safer, drivers still needed to be cautious of their speed.

"Our plea is obviously for people to slow down and travel below the speed so they can avoid being in a collision," Sgt Rust said.

He said all 70km/h and 90km/h speed limits were under review by Vic­Roads.

Ms Gunn wanted to thank everybody who participated in the petition and Mrs Fyffe and Casey federal Liberal MP Tony Smith for their work.

The funding is part of almost $1 million of safety upgrades to the Warburton Highway between Lilydale and Seville.