JUNE 2, 2015 \ BRIMBANK.STARWEEKLY.COM.AU
NEWS + SPORT + THE WEST’S BEST PROPERTY GUIDE
Ring road rage warning Police are warning drivers to be patient following a spate of road rage incidents in Melbourne’s west in recent weeks. On Sunday, a man was shot in the leg and another suffered a laceration to his face after an alleged road rage incident on the Western Freeway, near Bacchus Marsh. It is alleged the victims got into an altercation with the male driver of a 2002 Holden Commodore about 4pm. Detectives are looking for the driver of the Commodore, described as 40-45 years of age, of southern European appearance, 183 centimetres tall with a solid build and dark grey hair. The M80 Ring Road in particular has been in the spotlight with a string of incidents including the ramming of a vehicle by a truck in April. In that incident the vehicle was pushed off the road and into a pole. On Sunday May 24, a black Mitsubishi Lancer allegedly intentionally rammed another vehicle twice as it travelled on the Ring Road, Greensborough-bound, near EJ Whitten Bridge, about 7pm. Police said the drivers of both vehicles pulled over. It is alleged the Lancer driver got out of his car armed with a tyre lever. He reportedly drove off after noticing the other driver taking a photo with his phone. Senior Constable Allan Edwards of Melton highway patrol said road rage was a common problem “all over the place”.
“I would put it down to a lack of proper driver training,” he said. Constable Edwards said drivers needed to be more patient and tolerant of other drivers. “It comes back down to common courtesy,” he said. “Nobody is a perfect driver – you just need to be a little bit tolerant when other people make mistakes.
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Everybody seems to think they can do what they like - Allan Edwards
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“Everybody seems to think they can do what they like [on the roads].” Senior Constable Edwards said it was impossible to put a figure on the number of road rage incidents that were occurring. “It’s probably more common where there is more traffic, but it happens in back streets and back roads, too,” he said. Senior Constable Edwards said the message for all motorists was simple – plan ahead, be patient and be tolerant. A VicRoads spokesperson told Star Weekly the organisation constantly looked at options to improve road safety and the travel experience of road users. Anyone with information regarding road rage incidents can contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or at www.crimestoppersvic. com.au.
(Shawn Smits)
By Yasemin Talat
LYNDAL CHAMBERS AND BRIAN STRATING
Takin’ it to the streets The sounds of music are hitting the streets of Sunshine. As part of Community Music Victoria’s StreetSounds project, an outdoor outfit of Sunshine minstrels will be one of 10 new street bands forming across Victoria in the lead-up to a festival of street bands in 2017. StreetSounds manager Lyndal Chambers is excited about the inclusiveness of the project. “People getting together to play music is good for community health and social wellbeing,” she said. The Sunshine band began when resident Peter Hinton was seeking somewhere to play music with his daughter. When he heard about StreetSounds he decided to “give it a go”. “The band will be open to beginners through to experienced players,” he said. The band’s first meeting will be on Tuesday, June 2, from 7.30pm at Albion Community House. Details: www.cmvic.org.au Brendan Kelly
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