Hume councillor invites Victorian politicians on peak-hour commute along Mickleham Rd

Traffic on this stretch of road in Melbourne’s north gets so bad in morning peak-hour that a councillor says his commute is an “unnerving stop-and-start journey of frustration and anger”. And now he’s calling for action to get the arterial route upgraded.

A Hume councillor has invited Victoria’s roads and planning ministers on his “nightmare” morning commute through Greenvale as he pushes for extra lanes on two arterial routes.

Councillor Joseph Haweil has offered ministers Jaala Pulford and Richard Wynne a spot in his car on his “frustrating” drive to work down Mickleham Rd, a journey he said takes 30 minutes to travel just 8km.

Traffic volumes on Mickleham Rd north of Somerton Rd have grown by 167 per cent since 2004 with almost 30,000 cars using the road last year, Cr Haweil said.

He said his experience was one shared by thousands of Hume commuters travelling to school or work each morning.

“Leaving home from the Greenvale Gardens estate any time after 7am can mean a journey of up to 30 minutes just to travel the 8km from Greenvale Gardens Blvd to the Tullamarine Freeway entry ramp,” he said.

Cr Haweil has called on the State Government to fund and prioritise the duplication of Somerton Rd and Mickleham Rd, north of Somerton Rd.

Hume Mayor Carly Moore and Cr Joseph Haweil at Mickleham Rd. Picture: Rob Leeson

Ms Pulford and Mr Wynne didn’t respond to the Leader’s question on whether they would be open to accepting the invitation, but a government spokeswoman acknowledged the pressure unprecedented growth was putting on the two roads.

“We are working with Hume Council and developers to explore ways we can keep traffic moving while Melbourne’s outer north continues to grow,” she said.

Traffic banked up on Mickleham Rd during the morning peak. Picture: Rob Leeson

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“(It’s) a slow, unnerving stop-and-start journey of frustration and anger.”

Greenvale Residents Association roads subcommittee chair Tamara Nolan said they would also offer Mr Wynne an invite to one of their bimonthly meetings.

“Everyday residents are suffering from significant time delays, connectivity issues to local services and the ability to get public transport on time,” she said.

Hume Council will write to both ministers to ask why the road had been overlooked for duplication, especially given the traffic expected to be generated by new estates in Lindum Vale and Craigieburn West.

The government has invested $2.2 billion to upgrade suburban roads across Melbourne’s north, including adding lanes and improving intersections on Craigieburn, Epping, Childs and Sunbury roads.

Yan Yean and Plenty roads will also be upgraded.

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