NATIONALS LOOK AT LOCAL TRAFFIC CONCERNS

The Nationals' Member for Gippsland Province, Peter Hall will approach VicRoads and the Cardinia Council on behalf of local store owners in a bid to get permission to build an access road to a shopping precinct located on the corner of one of Pakenham's busiest intersections.

Mr Hall said he and Candidate for Bass, Jacky Abbott, recently met with the proprietors of Pakenham Paint Right, Darren Jaeger and Chris Hawkins, who have been seeking the access road for some time but have not yet been rewarded for their efforts.

"Paint Right is situated next to KFC, Mc Donald's and the Pakenham Pub on the corner of the Princess Freeway and Avenue Road in Pakenham and currently shares one exit road with over ten different shops," said Mr Hall.

"The existing road infrastructure is clearly dangerous and I support local traders' case for the construction of an access road."

The proprietors of Pakenham Paint Right, Darren Jaeger and Chris Hawkins, told Mr Hall and Ms Abbott of the ongoing battle they have had with Cardinia Shire to secure a road that was present in initial plans for the site but has never eventuated.

According to Darren Jaeger, "When Chris and I were first shown the plans to this development, there was an access road coming off Avenue Road which would allow our trucks and suppliers to get in and out without any hassles.

"We signed the lease and agreed to those terms, however, when the area was built, they didn't put in the access road. So now we, along with eight or nine other shops, have to share one entry and exit point with Mc Donald's, KFC, Pakenham Pub, La Porchetta and Rivers."

Mr Hall said road works were clearly necessary to improve access to the shops.

"I will take it upon myself to contact VicRoads and Council to seek solutions, for at present the situation is far from satisfactory," he said.

Mr Jaeger has set up a petition for Easier and Safer Access to the Shopping Precinct and has already amassed over 70 pages of signatures. Disgruntled customers and angry suppliers are something that Mr Jaeger has become use to in the two years he has owned the business and says that although it reflects badly on his business, it's more the safety issue that has him worried.

"What is it going to take before somebody does something about it? We have semi trailers trying to exit out of a road that is blocked with buses, boats, cars, caravans and other small vehicles all trying to get out of the same place".

"Someone will get killed trying to get across that intersection, people get impatient and take risks they normally wouldn't and that's when tragedies happen, it's a huge safety issue in our community."