FOR THE ATTENTION OF THE MOORABOOL SHIRE MAYOR AND COUNCILLORS:

Lal Lal Residents are seeking change from the Moorabool Shire Council.

We, the undersigned request that the Moorabool Shire Council:

1) Take the necessary action to stop/discourage heavy vehicles from using Clarendon-Lal Lal road in Lal Lal, due to this road being narrow, unsuitable and unsafe for the amount of large trucks using this road. This road is not heavy vehicle compliant.

2) Reduce the speed limit from 80km/ph to 60km/ph for the entire length of Clarendon-Lal Lal road, Lal Lal, to ensure safety of the local community and all road users. Particularly to locals who cannot access their properties safely due to current speed limits and no signage on crests along Clarendon-Lal Lal road. Change to also include new clear signage of new speed limit along Clarendon-Lal Lal road.

With what was once a quiet country town road, Clarendon-Lal Lal Road in Lal Lal has seen a large increase of traffic along our main road, where road uses are now using our road as a back way to the Midland Highway as they head to and from Geelong. The Lal Lal community has also seen a large increase in the disregard to locals who live and use this road daily to get to the local primary school and those who are just trying to get to work and home safely, along with recreation along the shared footpath along Clarendon-Lal Lal road.

There has been numerous incidents lately where truck and car drivers refuse to slow down to a safe speed to allow local residents to pull into their driveways safely, an incident where a local was forced off the road whilst trying to pull into their driveway as a driver behind them refused to slow down and continued to push them along at 80km/ph. Plus several incidents where locals have slowed down to pull into their properties, but then cars and trucks refusing to slow down and rather dangerously  overtake on the several crests along Clarendon-Lal Lal road at 80km/ph without being able to see what traffic is coming up over the hills. It is only a matter of time before someone is killed along this road with the current speed limit in place. 

The Moorabool Council built the shared footpath, but are still refusing to install any barriers between the path and the road, despite some areas of the shared path being less than 50cm from cars and trucks roaring past at 80+ km/ph. Traffic is dangerously close to young primary school students, parents with prams, elderly residents, teenagers, horse riders and every other community member who wish to use the shared footpath during their recreation time.

There is no Duty of Care coming from the Council for our daily primary and secondary school buses which have stops along this road which require school students to navigate their way across the road between trucks and cars going 80km/ph.

The Lal Lal local community members are fed up of having these trucks on our roads for a few reasons:

- The trucks make our local shared path along Clarendon-Lal Lal road too dangerous for not only our local school children to use, but dangerous to anyone wanting to go walking, riding and horse riding on this track.

- The trucks go too fast! Locals have seen many truck drivers exceeding the current  80km/ph speed limit.

- Parts of the shared footpath is approximately 50cm from the actual road! Yes ONLY 50cm! It is far too dangerous to let our school children walk or ride to school.

- From mum's with prams to the elderly, it can be very unpleasant simply going for a walk with trucks and cars passing you at a very close distance and going 80+ km/ph.

- Our roads are also being ripped up by these trucks causing dangerous potholes, which cars hit as they pass people using the shared path.

We need your help! Lets make our local road safe again.

Please sign this petition and give your support in getting the heavy trucks back off our local road, changing the speed limit to 60km/ph along Clarendon-Lal Lal Road, Lal Lal, and new signage to make the change obvious and clear to all road users.

Thank you

Lal Lal Community