MARCH 15, 2016 \ STARWEEKLY.COM.AU
NEWS + SPORT + PROPERTY GUIDE
(Joe Mastroianni)
Sexism tackled in school yard
Students, parents and staff helped Salesian College’s Michaela Franz (pictured) walk the talk as part of an International Women’s Day event at the Sunbury school last week. Sunbury Community Health executive director Bernadette Hetherington and teacher Marisa Spiller addressed a gathering before taking part in a stroll around the school grounds designed to start conversations about gender equality. Year 9 student Michaela organised the event as part of a recent project on sexism. ‘‘I think it’s really important for young women, and boys for that matter, to see sexism for what it is,’’ she said. ‘‘It remains a real problem in our society.’’ Proceeds from cupcakes sold at the event will benefit Catholic charity Caritas. Matt Crossman
Gridlock threatens towns Sunbury and Macedon Ranges motorists are being urged to become ‘squeaky wheels’, to pester decision-makers amid fears the area’s major roads are going to miss out on funding. Former Bulla shire mayor Hector Bugeja said already-clogged thoroughfares, such as Sunbury Road, would become even more frightful over coming years, with explosive population growth in areas such as Gisborne, Sunbury and Diggers Rest. Mr Bugeja said central Sunbury was at risk of coming to a total standstill unless Elizabeth Drive was extended and something was done
to alleviate traffic congestion, especially at the intersection of Gap Road and Horne Street. He supported calls by Hume mayor Helen Patsikatheodorou for people to take part in the RACV’s outer metropolitan Growing Pains survey before its March 30 deadline. ‘‘People need to really make some noise,’’ he said. ‘‘It seems like the government takes notice of these surveys. We need to show them it’s important because roads in Sunbury don’t seem to be of high importance.’’ Mr Bugeja said there appeared to be a lack of will on both sides of politics. ‘‘These are things that were looked at in the old shire of Bulla days. The answers are there; they just don’t do
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it. Sunbury Road near Bulla is a real problem. It’s a big project, no doubt, but there’s a huge amount of people using that road. “Maybe people are saying [the government] will wait until it becomes so bad and the outer metropolitan ring road comes along [in 2030] before it will do anything, but by that time this town will be so big we won’t know what to do about it.’’ There were 60 crashes, including two fatalities, on Sunbury Road in the most recently recorded five-year period. More than 23,000 vehicles use the single-lane road to and from Melbourne Airport daily, with more to come as thousands of houses are built east of Sunbury
and along the Melbourne-Lancefield Road. Cr Patsikatheodorou said the road needed urgent attention, with motorists forced to wait long periods in clogged traffic. “The result is a very frustrating commute,’’ she said. ‘‘We want our residents to enjoy the roads that people in other areas of Melbourne take for granted.’’ The state government has previously said VicRoads has plans to reserve land to link Melbourne Airport and a future outer metro ring road, including a Bulla bypass. A feasibility study to replace the Gap Road-Horne Street roundabout with traffic lights is also under way.
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