Notorious Southbank intersection to be fixed at a cost of $2.5m

After a spate of dangerous incidents and near-misses, the state government has called in an “expert team” to fix a notorious Southbank intersection.

The Andrews government has committed that sum to a redesign of the Power St and City Rd intersection. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

The Southbank accident black spot that has seen two dangerous incidents in the past two months alone is to be fixed at a cost of $2.5m.

The Andrews government has committed that sum to a redesign of the Power St and City Rd intersection.

A truck hit and injured five pedestrians in May. Safety ­upgrades were installed after that, but a truck clipped a car on Tuesday and dragged it around the corner as it turned left into Power St.

The young woman driver was shaken but unhurt.

Big trucks turning left from City Rd to Power St to access the nearby West Gate Freeway have caused many near-misses of pedestrians waiting at the lights – and residents of nearby high-rise towers have long sought a safety ­solution.

Road Safety Minister Ben Carroll said the state government had invested in exploring long-term designs for the intersection.

“This work will allow us to explore upgrade options and how each could function at this complex intersection,” Mr Carroll said.

Warning signs at the intersection of Power St and City Rd. Picture: David Crosling

“Expert teams of engineers and road safety specialists have been working on this site since May, and they’re now at the stage where potential ­options can be carefully ­designed, in detail.

“We’ll continue to work with the City of Melbourne to improve pedestrian safety in this area.”

The Labor government initially invested $400,000 on short-term safety measures, which included concrete blocks, new signs and warnings and sensor technology at the lights to shorten wait times for pedestrians.

A witness who helped the young woman driver after Tuesday’s collision called it a “terrible intersection”.

“Lots of people were yelling, he (the truck driver) had no idea he had hit her.”

A truck clipped a car at the intersection this week. Picture: Josie Hayden

Southbank Residents Association president Tony Penna said he wasn’t surprised there had been another collision. He said the signage warning car drivers in the left lane that trucks can turn left into Power St from the straight-ahead lane next to them was confusing.

“To a car turning left, if the driver sees a straight-ahead lane next to them, it’s just not intuitive that a truck could cut in front of them and turn left as well,” Mr Penna said.

“They have to allow trucks that extra space to turn or they are going to keep coming up onto the footpath, but at the moment it’s another accident just waiting to happen.”

Truck driver Frank Rogers, 46, was charged and bailed over the smash that injured five people in May.

Mr Rogers is alleged to have smashed into the group of pedestrians as he turned left.