Road risks warning over Potter shows Liz Bell liz@mpnews.com.au RECENT accidents on the Nepean Highway intersections near The Briars at Mount Martha have raised new concerns about the risks of using the property as a venue for large events. Opponents of the Harry Potter - Forbidden Forest experience scheduled in April and May say access to The Briars is already difficult and have warned of traffic chaos if improvements are not made before the shows start. The Harry Potter event is expected to attract around 3000 visitors a night for at least two months. An accident at the intersection of Nepean Highway and Uralla Drive on 9 January and one at Hopetoun Avenue days later highlighted community concerns about the need for traffic flow improvements. The intersections are the responsibility of the state government – as is the intersection with Forest Drive, another accident hot spot. The federal government has committed part of the money for traffic lights at the Forest Drive intersection, with work expected to start within the next few months. Work on Uralla Drive is expected to follow 12
to 18 months after the Forest Drive upgrades. But local residents say the roads intersecting with Nepean Highway will still be dangerous with the traffic increases from the Harry Potter event. One resident said turning out of or into Nepean Highway near The Briars was already “a game of Russian roulette”. “Impatient drivers make silly manoeuvres and risk everyone’s lives trying to get in or out onto Nepean Highway, so it’s going to take a lot more than road widening,” he said. A spokesperson for the Department of Transport and Planning said it welcomes “community feedback about ways we can improve transport connections along the Nepean Highway at Mount Martha”. “We will work closely with Harry Potter: A Forbidden Forrest event organisers to ensure proper traffic management is in place.” He said the DOT will work closely with local councils and event organisers to ensure proper traffic management is in place during events. In the five years to June 2023, there had been no fatal crashes along Nepean Highway at the Forest Drive, Hopetoun Avenue and Uralla Drive intersections.
Trackwork: Hastings MP Paul Mercurio, Melbourne Racing Club chairman Matthew Cain and Eastern Victoria MP Tom McIntosh on track at Mornington Racecourse. Picture: Supplied
Works planned for racecourse MORNINGTON Racecourse is getting a facelift thanks to a financial partnership to add a new sand track, veterinary room with swab boxes and upgraded track lighting. The state government has committed $478,000 towards the works, with Racing Victoria contributing $373,645, and Melbourne Racing Club $104,800. The work is expected to improve safety for veterinary staff, trainers and horses, and will help meet the growing demand and better support
training activities. Eastern Victoria MP Tom McIntosh said the sand track will create 10 new local jobs during construction and help Melbourne Racing Club meet growing demand for training facilities at the racecourse. The additional track will help to reduce wear on existing tracks. Twenty-nine new LED lights will be installed to improve the track lighting during training. The new veterinary room and swab boxes are aimed at improving animal
welfare and providing safer working conditions for veterinary staff. McIntosh said up to 20 jobs will be created during construction. The Melbourne Racing Club conducts 18 race meetings and 45 trial meetings at Mornington Racecourse, with 55 trainers and 400 horses operating out of the venue. Hastings MP Paul Mercurio said the racecourse had been an integral part of the community and the upgrades would help it have “a long and prosperous future”.
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23 January 2024
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