Ms SPENCE (Yuroke) — (11 888) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Roads and Road Safety, and I ask: can the minister visit the Yuroke electorate to update local residents on any plans the minister has to improve the local road infrastructure in the area? I am very pleased that the minister is in the chamber tonight, because he knows that there are a number of major arterial roads in the Yuroke electorate, many of which serve as gateways to employment, education and community facilities. I know the minister shares my commitment to ensuring that these roads continue to be suitable for use and are able to handle the increased capacity due to population growth.

It was terrific early this year to host a public forum with the minister. Hundreds of residents made their voices heard and spoke directly about their own experiences and the need for improvement. I am sure the residents who attended the forum and all Yuroke residents would be grateful for an update from the minister on this matter.

Response:

Earlier this year I was with the member for Yuroke, and it was a great opportunity to meet with the community. Obviously there was substantial passion in the community in relation to the pressure on their arterial roads, and that is substantial, whether it be Craigieburn Road, Somerton Road or the like. These roads are single-lane roads and accommodate somewhere between 30 000 and 35 000 cars a day, if not sometimes 40 000 cars a day. So there is enormous pressure and difficulty for people getting on and off those roads when going to and from school, work and the like. This Friday I am intending to pop in and see the member. I will have a look at some of those issues and identify where we need to move to to improve the capacity of those roads for the community.