Legalise Cannabis MP Rachel Payne is calling for a clean-up of the Frankston Freeway, where old mattresses and furniture have been dumped among the weeds.
Ms Payne, who lives locally and has her electorate office in Chelsea, said the worst stretches of the freeway are between Frankston-Dandenong Road and Cranbourne-Frankston Road.
“The people of Frankston, Dandenong and Cranbourne don’t want and don’t deserve to live among this literal ‘crap’,” Ms Payne said.
“It’s horrible that rather than pay tip fees, some people have dumped unwanted goods along the Frankston Freeway, and it is extremely disappointing that this trash is just left there,” she said.
“There are also overgrown weeds along the roadside, and we are coming into summer when the risk of wildfires increases. I have raised the appalling state of the Frankston Freeway in the Victorian Parliament and directed a question to the state’s Roads and Safety Minister Melissa Horne.
“This is a danger to public health, the environment and driver safety. A clean-up is urgently needed.”
Frankston residents waiting on action
Ms Payne said a resident of Frankston South contacted her to say she had informed VicRoads of the problem and was still waiting on action.
Another resident reached out to Ms Payne to say he had also contacted a government office about the state of local roads but still nothing has been done.
“I don’t think the freeway has had any maintenance for about three years,” he wrote.
“There are 17 damaged wire rope barriers damaged between Cranbourne Road and the Dingley Bypass, so obviously a dangerous situation.
“Heading south on the freeway just before Frankston Dandenong Road there are broken tree branches over the top of the Armco barrier and extending out to the gutter so if someone was driving on the outside white line they would come in contact with the branches, possibly hitting the windscreen and side window.
“This could be potentially hazardous or even deadly.”
Minister for Roads and Road Safety Melissa Horne has responded to Ms Payne’s question saying, “The next scheduled roadside mowing along the Frankston Freeway is programmed for December. This will be conducted in conjunction with litter removal prior to mowing.
“Additional maintenance issues will be addressed as part of our ongoing maintenance program, in alignment with other competing priorities.”
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