Melbourne’s outer suburbs are to receive a safety boost, with rumble strip line marking to be laid on about 400 kilometres of high-speed roads.
Minister for Roads and Road Safety, Ben Carroll said work had started on the $7 million rumble strip program, which was expected to help reduce serious crashes.
“The program will target selected high-speed roads across outer metropolitan Melbourne, including the Maroondah Highway, Warburton Highway and Plenty Road,” Mr Carroll said.
“Rumble strips will be installed on centreline markings to reduce the risk of head-on collisions and on outer lane markings to help prevent run-off road crashes,” he said.
“The audio tactile rumble strips alert drivers when they are moving out of their lane by making a ‘rumbling’ sound and causing the vehicle to vibrate when driven over.”
Mr Carroll said around one in three people who were seriously injured or killed on Victorian roads were involved in a crash caused by vehicles leaving their lane.
“Straight stretches of road will be predominantly targeted and the tactile strips will be at least 300 millimetres from the edge of the sealed road to ensure safe journeys for all road users, including cyclists,” the Minister said.
“To minimise noise impacts, the rumble strips will not be installed closer than 150 metres to residential properties,” he said.
Mr Carroll said to minimise disruption on busy roads, crews would work through the night to install the rumble strips, however daytime works may be required on some roads.
He said the roll out of the program was expected to be completed by August next year.
