On the evening of May 6th a tragic accident occurred on the corner of City road and Power street Southbank VIC, when a large truck cut a corner and mowed down a group of pedestrians waiting to cross the road at the pedestrian crossing. Multiple casualties, 5 people were taken to hospital, 2 were deemed critical. The truck failed to stop and render assistance.

Fortunately the local community sprang into action and assisted the injured. I say community, as so many southbank residents are pedestrians, and many were making their way home when the accident occurred and ran to assist.

For too many years, local Southbank residents have had to run the gauntlet when crossing the road, as heavy vehicles, cattle trucks and double tankers use the densely populated area as a thoroughfare, it often at high speeds.

Over the years I have witnessed many accidents as well as near misses. I have seen cars flipped on their side after impact, nose to rear collisions and a cyclist knocked down at that very intersection also by a truck.

The current situation regarding pedestrian safety is very poor in Southbank and  simply must be addressed as a matter of urgency to avoid further carnage. 

One clear way to improve pedestrian safety in Southbank, is to remove all heavy vehicles from our residential roads, including Power street, and City road. As Southbank becomes more and more residential Melbourne City Council has a duty of care to ensure its residents safety. Melbourne City Council must push forward on its City road Master Plan in conjunction with Vic roads minister Ben Carroll and put in place a plan to have heavy vehicles removed from power street and city road wher local pedestrians congregate.

I implore  Melbourne City Council and Vic Roads Minister Ben Carroll to reflect upon this tragedy and see the urgency in improving pedestrian safety in Southbank.