Labor commits to removing level crossing on Maroondah Highway in Lilydale if elected

LABOR has promised if it wins office an overpass or underpass will remove the level crossing on Maroondah Highway in Lilydale.

Labor candidate for Evelyn Peter Harris and opposition public transport spokeswoman Jill

LABOR has vowed to remove the level crossing on Maroondah Highway in Lilydale if it wins the state election.

Visiting the site on Tuesday, opposition public transport spokeswoman Jill Hennessy and Labor candidate for Evelyn Peter Harris said removing the crossing would reduce congestion and address significant safety issues.

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Ms Hennessy said they would consult with engineering experts, Yarra Ranges Council and the community before deciding whether to sink the line underground or build an overpass.

“But what’s really clear from a congestion perspective is that this level crossing needs to be removed,” Ms Hennessy said.

Mr Harris said the crossing was a big issue for locals, and during peak hour traffic banked up as drivers waited to get through it.

“And when a train comes through, it makes it really unsafe, people try to dash around the side roads to try and beat the train and beat the boom gates, that makes it a major safety issue,’ he said.

Mr Harris has also started a petition calling on the State Government to re-open and make safe the second pedestrian crossing at the far end of the Lilydale station. He said the entrance had been closed because of safety issues, but instead of fixing the problem and installing boom gates, the Government had simply closed the crossing.

Mr Harris said in the morning, people now had to walk in the pitch black down the middle of the road through the long carpark, to get to the first entrance.

“Instead of fixing a safety issue, they have created another safety issue.”