#FixVicRoads: Preston’s pothole-tram corridor ‘an accident waiting to happen’, commuter Harry Grech says
Drivers not only need to keep watch for trams on the “already dangerous” Gilbert Rd, but massive tyre-crunching potholes — and locals say it’s time for action before someone gets hurt.
Victoria
Don't miss out on the headlines from Victoria. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Gilbert Rd in Preston should be a prime example of the brilliance of Melbourne’s transport network: making built-up residential areas simple to commute with shared space for cars, trams, trucks and buses alike.
Instead, it’s a patchwork of multi-coloured asphalt and obstacle course of potholes, leaving commuters weaving across tram tracks.
Coffee technician Harry Grech drives on the road every day and called the strech “an accident waiting to happen”.
“This is one of the main roads that connects Preston, Reservoir and Northcote all together,” he said.
“It’s already dangerous enough as it is — shared by trams and cars, there are schools around the corner, kids are crossing.
“How are you meant to stop in time when people are swerving across the road trying to avoid a pothole?”
The long road, which runs thorugh several shopping strips, residential areas and servies a tram line in one section, is a shared responsibility between Darebin City Council and Yarra Trams.
“Yarra Trams manages the tram track reserve, which includes the area within 500mm of the outer rails and crib crossings, while the Council is responsible for the remaining road area,” a council spokesperson said.
After being contacted by the Herald Sun, Darebin council undertook a “high level inspection” of the road and concluded the road was overall in a “standard” condition “with no urgent repairs identified”.
“Some sections of the road have uneven patches which are a result of repairs to potholes, other sections have been more recently resurfaced and are smoother,” the spokesperson said.
“Even though parts of the road were in different condition, all sections are considered within normal and standard condition for a road and fit for purpose.”
Council said in the last 10 years, it had recieved just 37 reports about Gilbert Rd, and claimed any issues within its area of the road were “made safe and then scheduled for repair”.
Some sections of the road are scheduled for renewal over the next five years.
Council admitted it was managing “very tight budgets” and said it would be “challenging to continue to maintain all of council’s assets at the current level.”
“If council is to plan for more than the ‘bare bones’, it will need new funding sources,” a spokesperson said.
But Mr Grech said the road was in desperate need of major repairs — mostly within Yarra Trams’ area of the road.
“If you’re just going to temporarily fix it every couple of months, why don’t we just permanently fix it?,” he said.
“(Patches) break down after a couple of days … just give it a little bit more love and care.”
A Yarra Trams spokesperson said: “We continuously inspect the network to ensure tram infrastructure and roads remain in a condition that is reliable for everyone using the network.”
“Our crews monitor the network to complete any repairs that may be needed to keep everyone sharing the road safe.”
Join the Herald Sun’s Fix Victorian Roads movement by using the hashtag #FixVicRoads on social media.
Originally published as #FixVicRoads: Preston’s pothole-tram corridor ‘an accident waiting to happen’, commuter Harry Grech says
Accused teen killer’s alleged final words to slain Melbourne doctor
A teenager accused of killing Ash Gordon feared the Melbourne doctor was about to “bash him” moments before the fatal stabbing, a court has heard.
Freed immigration detainee accused of brutal Footscray bashing
A former immigration detainee freed under a High Court decision has been charged over an alleged brutal Footscray assault which has left a man fighting for life and “unlikely to survive”.