Rail Crossing Upgrades

The Hon. F. PANGALLO (14:43): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking a question of the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport about rail crossing upgrades.

Leave granted.

The Hon. F. PANGALLO: I have been contacted by many angry residents about the need to spend $3 million on a safety upgrade of the level crossing on Grange Road at Lower Mitcham in the electorate of Waite—the government calls it notorious. In what has been described as a pork-barrelling exercise for the seats of Waite and Unley, residents argue that the department's reasoning isn't justified, with just 51 incidents reported over the past four years of minor boom gate strikes on vehicles that encroached into the 'keep clear' zone. With 7,000 vehicle crossings each day, or 10.2 million in that time, it represents just 0.0005 per cent of total use.

They are concerned that the redesign, which includes regrading Grange Road, installing traffic signals, removing a stop sign and imposing turning restrictions, will create far more safety incidents and traffic congestions than it was intended to fix and pose a flooding risk to low-lying Verco Avenue nearby.

Furthermore, residents are extremely critical of the department's consultation and engagement process, which they described as a formality to achieve a predetermined outcome. They say more practical and much cheaper options arising from their lived experience and knowledge in the area have been ignored or dismissed by DIT.

Many met with the minister last weekend but left disappointed in that they couldn't get a straight answer from her because she said she depended on the advice of her bureaucrats. They are demanding the works, scheduled to start next week, be halted pending further discussions. My questions to the minister are:

1. Did your department formally assess the options put to them by residents during the so-called investigation process started in May, and can you provide that response?

2. What formal assessments of potential safety and accident risks because of the upgrade have been done, and can you provide them?

3. As part of the road is controlled by Mitcham council, why did your department only seek to fully brief the council as recently as just over a week ago?

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE (Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Minister for Autism) (14:46): This is going to be fun. We have our first question from the candidate for Waite. Congratulations, it's taken a while. I would suggest that the member of this chamber who has decided to raise his head about Waite, it would have been great to see him at the consultation that was open on the weekend. I don't know if you had time to pop in to your electorate and come along to this consultation period that was open to the community. I was there. I don't know if you were there. I didn't see you while I was there, that is for sure.

If you want to stand over there and lecture me and this government about one of the most notorious intersections and rattle off some most ludicrous statistics, you should be ashamed of yourself. You should actually be ashamed, because what you have just done is irresponsible. This is an intersection that is seen as one of the worst intersections we have in our state. I rely on the facts and that is what I have been advised.

I have been to the street-corner meeting, and I heard the same data. What we need to look at is the number of people who travel through that intersection in comparison to others when we have an integration between rail and road, and the risk they are being put at. I have seen the images. I have seen the buses caught under that boom gate because they got too close, left too late, because this intersection has not been upgraded.

You have stepped into the wrong argument. You are on the wrong side here because I did rock up. I did talk to the community. I have taken on the feedback of the community, and I want them to be safe. I absolutely want them to be safe. I was there with the member for Waite, Catherine Hutchesson, who advocates tirelessly for her community. I spent the day with her, and it could not be made clearer about the advocacy that she has done for that community. I will work with that community to take on their feedback to ensure what is deemed one of the most dangerous intersections for our rail and road crossings coming together, where they integrate, can be made as safe as possible.

We do not want local residents exiting in the morning when it's busy, or coming home in the evening when it's busy, and coming home to an unsafe intersection. We must take on the advice of the experts, but we also are listening to the locals. I will integrate as much of that feedback as I can, but I will not allow that to interfere with the safety of the community.