MS PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) (14:51:12) —
My constituency question is for the Minister for Roads and Road Safety. One of my constituents is a resident of Mill Park and is deeply concerned about traffic congestion in our northern suburbs.
Whittlesea, at the top of our electorate, has experienced rapid growth. The municipality is now bigger than Geelong, with 60 babies being born each week and 150 new residents moving into the suburb of South Morang itself each month. Point blank, transport infrastructure has failed to keep up with this rapid growth.
As much as sustainable public transport is desirable, the pragmatic reality is that residents of the outer north have no option but to commute by car. For many, it is a 4-kilometre car trip just to get to the supermarket. Plenty Road is bursting.
For around 30 years there has been an 11-kilometre land reserve allocated to the E6 freeway, which starts at the M80 ring-road and ends at Bridge Inn Road, Mernda. This reserve has been reflected in Melway maps for years. My constituents ask why the minister will not move immediately to reprioritise the building of the E6 freeway as a solution to this problem.
