The story of Springvale Junction

[@TorchIGN]

The biggest crime is that the Funereal Home on the corner of Police road Springy went up for sale a few years ago and the government didnt buy the land. Would have been a crucial piece of land for fixing the intersection. Now it just has cheap houses on it

[@lostn65]

Makes sense that they put a funeral home in a convenient location. Definite synergy in planning.

[@ianmontgomery7534]

they should just elevate the Princes Highway for through traffic both ways.

[@SmokeMirrors-ys7pj]

My family or I have driven through this intersection for years now and seen the various changes that have come with it but more so on a cosmetic level. During the 80’s and 90’s it was tidy and looked a hell of a lot nicer than what it does now. The funeral home that used to be situated on Springvale Rd I think it was Tobin Brothers always had a beautiful landscaped garden at the front and the lighting store way over the other side would be lit up at night. Now I drive through during the day on the way to work and it looks messy,run down and I pray everyday when I make it through without some nutter running a red or not giving way to me. Only last week on a rainy night I witnessed a Rav4 run in to a VW tiguan head on so if you are going to drive through this intersection on a weekly basis do expect to see accidents or be the one trying to avoid being involved in one. As said before it was nicer to look at years ago but now it’s just run down ,dirty and full of weeds on the median strips. There was also a dirty kebab van that was behind the vacated store that used to sell lighting. The Coles and Daniels donut carpark on the corner is also a dump where undesireables hang out at night on a weekly basis. Do yourself a favour and avoid this intersection if you can. Also as someone else mentioned, those shoebox houses that sit on the parcel of land where the old funeral home was are disgraceful. They look like something from Beijing and will eventually fall apart as the build quality looks to be fairly average.

[@DaleDix]

The government can compulsorily acquire land if they want it.

[@adaptivelogic1354]

I drive through this intersection twice a day!! I drive from Centre Road through to Police Road in the mornings, and back again in the afternoons I've NEVER seen an accident ... and I am constantly amazed at how quickly I get through it even if I have to stop for an orange/red light!!! Whoever programmed the lights is a genius!!!

[@AidenWColla]

The 'Haymarket' roundabout near melbourne uni and the royal melbourne hospital, where Flemington Road meets Elizabeth St, has to be the worst/ most confusing intersection. Every time I go through there, multiple cars don't know what lane to be in and try cut across all 3 lanes in the middle of each cycle resulting in near misses and way less cars getting through per light cycle. Every entry point into the intersection has the issues, mainly due to the trams and the lanes of traffic being separated by garden bed mediums so you need to be in the correct lane some distance before you get to the intersection. Love your videos Phillip.

[@danielsmyth7508]

I remember attempting to navigate it at night and only an old melways last year (had already been caught using phone as a GPS by a cop, didn't want to risk another go) Needless to say I had to backtrack more than once

[@christine7379]

The Flemington Rd/Elizabeth St roundabout used to be far more challenging to navigate before they installed traffic lights there (I'm guessing around 20+ years ago). Much easier to navigate now in comparison, it was a free for all back then and no warning of trams crossing like today. I remember trying to navigate it in the 90s when I first got my licence, it was overwhelming.

[@BassMatt1972]

nah this is WAY worse.. I lived 1 street away, this intersection had a multi-car accident every single day..

[@AidenWColla]

@@danielsmyth7508 Its definitely hard to navigate if you aren't super familiar with it. At least you didn't cut across the traffic, no shame in chuckin' a Uey. I gave direction to someone to drive thru there once, trying hard to explain what lane to being in at what time. The person still ended up going towards coburg not towards essendon like they wanted. Added almost 30mins to their journey.

[@xr6lad]

No. That’s because Australians are generally useless when it comes to using roundabouts in my experience. You are meant to approach them looking at the traffic - not get to the white line then take your time looking round.

[@tobytaylor9036]

So incredibly pleased to see this done! The existence of this intersection says a lot about the mess that is the initial planning of Springvale, Clayton and Oakleigh.

[@RaphaelChan888]

After watching so many American-centric videos on KZbin, it's refreshing to see something so local and so well researched. Liked and Subscribed! This video answers questions I never knew I had!

[@leonkernan]

P turns were all the rage at the time. Cranbourne road Frankston got one to help with traffic between Eastlinks construction and the opening of Peninsula Link, but it doesn’t do much these days since its opposing turn lane is still active.

[@RcottR]

Bulla Rd and Keilor Rd in Essendon. Pascoe Vale and Mt Alexander in Moone Ponds. And Spring and High Street in Reservoir

[@mads-b7365]

god the cheddar road and edwardes st one? thats an absolute nightmare lol

[@RcottR]

@@mads-b7365 yep that's the one. Getting rid of the level crossing made it a tad better but still an absolute spaghetti junction.

[@Skasaha_]

I went to uni at Monash, which is adjacent to the next major intersection north along the Princes Highway. It's not complicated per se, but it's huge size and the adjacent service roads/take away still are major issues. Also, unlike the Springvale Rd intersection, it has a large amount of pedestrians and buses coming from the uni right next to it means there's more than just cars there - while with Springvale Road cyclists and pedestrians just straight up avoid it, here they cannot.

[@shraka]

I saw many tired Uni students cross that road just down from the intersection in the mornings. Princess Hwy is a menace.

[@Guitar4Eva100]

My family calls that intersection the "footy field " on account of it being so massive

[@killadrone2817]

For me the Pascoe Vale Road, Mount Alexander Road and Ascot Vale Road intersection in Moonee Ponds is the most confusing especially when there’s a bus stop right in the centre of it all plus looking out for trams as well

[@Lazy_Tim]

I cannot image how a round about would work here.

[@bury_the_elite65294]

Nor can I. It would probably be even less successful than the A780 (Westernport Hwy) & Thompsons Road intersection in Cranbourne West. I lived in the area from the late 1990s - early 2010s, and the peak-hour at that intersection was a bloody nightmare! I'd hate to see what it's like now, with all the urban sprawl going on in the area...

[@shraka]

Yeah, it seems like dandy should just over-fly the whole thing, or do something sensible like reduce all the lanes on every approach and traffic calm the hell out of it.

[@TorchIGN]

It would be alot of fun though 😅

[@Lazy_Tim]

@@TorchIGN You have a strange idea about what fun is.

[@pear-zq1uj]

a roundabout would probably cause even more crashes

[@falchoon]

If you're maintaining direction, the Springvale intersection is reasonably straight forward, turning right is always an issue. There's actually a worse intersection 1.5km's north east from this one, the unnecessary Blackburn Rd into Westall Rd scramble.

[@robvegas9354]

that is a mission going from from blackburn rd to westall rd

[@laustinspeiss]

* north west !

[@djjohnnymusic]

You could have also mentioned Frankston's P-turn as well. I had heard Springvale was Spring Vale, much like Lang Warrin. Although Langwarrin actually started out in Pearcedale, which is why Langwarrin Creek runs through Pearcedale, but not through Langwarrin. Happy to explain that whole saga to you if you like or lend you some books and point you in the right direction.

[@Smokie1969]

Im surprised this wasnt covered in the video..... The OLD name for this junction in the 1970s & 80s was "Blanchard's corner" because there used to be a huge Holden dealership at the intersection called Blanchards motors, they were there until early 2000s I believe(?)....google has links to their photos & history.🙏🤟

[@stefantrnacek1394]

Interesting video. I have never had any problems with the intersection.

[@74_pelicans]

Yeah same, and if there is a problem you're going so slow it's easy to avoid a collision

[@gaijininja]

I was a passenger in a car through there a couple of months ago, and as a commercial driver who lives out "Bush", thought "Yeah, big, busy, but makes sense." Watching at least a third of the other drivers going through there, crayons were likely confusing for them. I would suggest a very simple solution. Each major cycle (When one road has only straight through and left only traffic.) have a 5-10 second "All red" cycle for all roads, to ensure all traffic is clear and remainder stationary. This will slow down traffic through the intersection, and also ensure it is clear. (Also, if the idiots could stay off their phones and look out the windows occasionally, that would also help a lot.)

[@spacetimejam4678]

The round about with trams setup in Essendon north is a doozy too

[@Bobman84]

A Princes Highway overpass is the only solution here. Can't see why they'd need to buy up properties either, as there is enough space. The cost issue is laughable, considering blowouts on other road projects in the state.

[@shraka]

I think we'd be better off reducing lanes, blocking centre road off (it has a better intersection further back) and have spring / dandy and police /dandy be two separate intersections. With the extra lanes from lane reduction add a light rail down Springvale to add capacity back in. At the very least the through road from Centre to Police need to be taken out. Have Centre merge into Springvale then turn right into Dandy and treat Dandy / Police as a separate intersection.

[@egorpavlikhin969]

In the finished state it wouldn't take much space but you would need far more space than is available to actually build it in the first place.

[@Nicholas.T]

@@shraka Sydney driver here… Seriously? Reduce the number of lanes? Surely the logical solution is an overpass!! And whilst somewhat expensive, surely it would be a pittance compared to the absolute bomb that is being wasted on your metro rail loop to nowhere?? Over $200 billion I believe!! I’m no expert, but I’d estimate an overpass would be around $100-200 million, which would be money well spent, given the horrific number of deaths at this intersection in the last few years. If this same intersection was in the USA, Europe or the UK, they would have had a 2 or 3 level “motorway” style interchange there for years… Why are we so backward here in Australia with regard to road construction/design ?? (Mind you, as a Sydney resident, we here in NSW also have a lot to answer for in terms of some of our very poor and inadequate roads and motorways 😏😏)

[@shraka]

@@Nicholas.T Yes, reduce the lanes. Every forward thinking country is putting roads on diets. Flyover interchanges are extremely expensive to build and maintain for the low passenger capacity. For $128 million Madrid can build a km of metro track or for $375m the French can build a km of underground with a capacity of up to 61k pax / hour - a much better use of money. A 3 lane freeway is going to carry around 7k pax an hour when flowing well. Cars are just a bad transport mode to build a city around.

[@whophd]

It’s great to look at the map, and ask “what would other cities have done with this?” Sydney would have had an overpass in the 1990s Britain would have had a roundabout. Probably two in fact. You know the Magic Roundabout? It looks like this area a bit. There’s also double roundabouts everywhere, like the Liverpool one in the titles of the KZbinr who’s a driving instructor.

[@shraka]

The Dutch would have added Bike lanes, simplified the intersection, lowered the speed limits, pulled up road to widen the bike lanes, lowered the speed limit again, added state of the art signalling, gotten the accident rate down and increased throughput of people before belatedly adding transit.

[@howieGI]

it is soooo VicRoads to do a study in 2016, come up with multiple options for improvements, and then do nothing! I spent my school days going through this intersection twice a day. More recently, I navigated it while doing my motorcycle licence at Sandown: that was a little more intimidating.

[@C2Baird]

Thanks Phil. My brother lives in Mulgrave and only last week had the classic crash of a car coming from Centre Rd, wanting to turn right into Springvale Rd. My brother was on Springvale Rd, heading West to go onto Police Rd and got the green light. Instant T Bone at 15km's hr., thankfully no injuries. Seems the other driver jumped the orange/red light on Centre road and was in no mans land when they connected. Fair to say no mans land seems to covers about 2000m2 at this blackspot🙃 Sad thing is, the insurance companies will determine who's premium will go up. I wonder what their algorithm, based on stats, will show who was at fault?? Wait and see. Keep up the great work! Luv your channel👍

[@charclar01]

I've personally had an accident there a few years ago,, thankfully not serious. Would love a better solution, traffic is a pain, and people often speed up the service road outbound on Princes then jam in back on the main road (VIPs apparently) then fly into the set of shops on Springvale Rd so they can cut the corner.

[@alphgeek]

It's a shocker. I had to stay at the hotel on the NW wedge, I gave up trying to get across to the food strip on the SE corner for dinner.

[@squishyhippie4059]

Love it. Fix an issue with too many roads by building more roads lol

[@drunkntigr]

The best thing is I go through all Essendon junction, Haymarket and Springvale junction on the same day twice a week. You get the hang of it. Ding ding, tram!

[@Pinorckle]

This intersection should utilise different coloured line/lane markings with road signs aligning to show you what lane to follow to go in what direction

[@leightondunstan4114]

Absolutely great video. Im a geologist at Monash university and i would love to know where you got this data from!

[@JemJemic]

This is a sweet video! Would love a look at the triple roundabout setup in Moorolbark 😊😊

[@melissavredline1264]

The only improvements over the past 2 years are the multiple speed cameras they have invested in the intersection. Let’s get money from drivers rather than investing money on improving the intersection. I have always said that they will build an overpass/underpass for Princes Hwy but I have been saying this for 30 years.

[@louisebb4183]

It is the for decades and I use this road for 30 Years but today drivers are not paying attention making decisions ahead of time,there are lights there to regulate traffic.

[@sierrahotel1137]

The Plenty Rd Intersection at the M80 Ring Rd interchange in Bundoora was named the most dangerous crash hot spot in Australia for six consecutive years last year .

[@andrewjlow]

Oh gosh! I sometimes go through here to try and get to Police Road! This is definitely the most confusing junction. I would have also chosen the old rounadabouts along Williamsons Road and Porter Street and Fitzsimons Lane and Main Road as also very confusing and dangerous. It is a whole lot better now with traffic lights.

[@RockSolitude]

I think turning one of the roads into a bridge that goes over the others would help significantly and open up other options for fixing the intersection.

[@Sagealeena]

Intersection at Flemington Bridge is a nightmare, or really the three intersections around the triangle block: Citylink/Flemington Rd, Elliot Ave/Flemington Rd, Boundary Rd/Racecourse Rd. Add to that trying to cross Flemington Rd from Church St, and the 59/57 trams turning through there too! Lots of no right turn/no u-turn sections, but if you miss the spot then it’s a five minute drive up the road to the next spot so I see people turn all the time anyway (particularly trying to turn right from racecourse rd to boundary rd, they’ll cross the intersection and then do a u-turn over the tram tracks). Also lots of left turn slip lanes, from racecourse rd to boundary rd even has crossing lights for pedestrians to cross the slip lane! It’s all built to quickly get people from the Eastern Freeway to Citylink, despite also trying to stop them doing that because of complaints they get about the traffic through Elliot Ave, etc. So if you’re local traffic, or pedestrian/bike rider/pt user then it’s almost impossible to get around. Particularly frustrating because it’s a major pt interchange with the Upfield line, and a bike thoroughfare. Some of the tram stops have also been moved or changed in the past, usually in the name of speeding up the trip or pedestrian safety. The trams don’t have priority at intersections though, so the trip isn’t really faster than when it was first built (despite faster trams and less stops). Pedestrian safety barriers have been put in at the tram stops, but they just mean that cars don’t have to stop when the tram stops, so people have to sprint across several lanes of traffic if their tram is about to arrive (and it’s 10-30 minutes until the next tram). The bike ride from there to Melbourne Uni is faster than anything (including driving) but it takes at least five minutes to cross the intersection to start, and the entire route is unsafe. There also aren’t any good crossings from the Capital City Trail to Flemington Rd to ride into the city. All the pedestrian crossings are on a timed loop, often only every second cycle and with really short crossing times. As a mostly able-bodied person, I still barely make it across in time. I do have sensory sensitivities, so trying to cross these roads often prevents me from leaving the house as I need to cross to once to get the train or 59 tram, and up to three times to the 57 tram or walk in Royal Park. The intersection at Elliot Ave is the worst, because there’s no protection from the sound/light/heat. Only some of crossings have TGSIs, the buttons aren’t always loud enough to hear over the road, and the footpath slopes often have issues which make them hard to use (such as the drainage design not working, so water pools in the slope instead into the street drain next to it, and the car wash next to it lets their water runoff into the gutter every day). Many only let you cross half the road before you have to wait at the crossing island for the next cycle, so I often see people walking up the concrete median strip to the tram stop. The footpaths and pt stops are always covered in rubbish, usually from 7Eleven as there’s one on two corners of those intersections, and there aren’t any bins at the tram stops. The roads are cleaned every night be street sweepers, but the footpaths and tram stops aren’t unless you put a complaint in to the council. Living next to this intersection is what got me interested in urban planning, because I wanted to figure out what went wrong over the years to cause this car-centric hellhole in the middle of Melbourne. It’s obvious the council wants to make some improvements, but they’re arterial roads so VicRoads/DOT has control. Just a couple blocks away there are some lovely, but run-down, mixed-use urban areas. There are lots of proposals to build apartment towers around this intersection because it’s close to transport, but it’s not easy to actually use that transport as a local! Some have already been built, but a friend who considered moving in told me it was so noisy that it was just infeasible. My house is completely boarded up and I can still constantly hear the traffic noise. Just because there’s a housing crisis, that doesn’t mean we need to force people to live in awful areas that don’t consider actual people because they used to be industrial zones. State Gov is also planning to knock down all the public housing around the corner, which is a real shame because it’s the only area with a real community around, even if it’s completely under-resourced. It’s not all negative though, there’s a great kebab place on Racecourse Rd, they do a tasty HSP!

[@81ka5h]

I was in this intersection today and had to brake hard at give way because I nearly missed oncoming bus.I though to myself holy shi* this is a dangerous blind spot. I don't know If I should be scared of the intersection or the fact that I got this video recommended.

[@jennyohara4011]

At last weeks Labor party meeting a Over Pass was mentioned

[@mooodeuce]

They've only been in power 10 years, give them a little bit longer and maybe they'll talk about it some more.

[@shaundgb7367]

Only suburb I really remember getting lost and frustrated was either Essendon or Strathmore. Do not remember having any issue at this Springvale Junction but do not drive through it very often. Overall the signs for Melbourne roads are fairly good and even if it a busy intersection there usually lots of signs leading up to it to have some idea how to navigate through it to get to the next destination. In comparison I literally hate the signs in Brisbane. It is like there is minimal signs to anything on their roads. If you see a sign to get off at some turn it usually occurs as you need to make the turn, rather than as you approach. So it very easy to miss so many turns off there. I hate the road planning in Queensland.

[@jdillon8360]

Thanks Philip. While this is a big intersection, I don't think it's terribly confusing. Most traffic goes straight through, only a small amount seems to turn. I've driven through it hundreds of times. The best thing they could probably do is put it on a road diet, ie, reduce the number of lanes. That will lead people to drive through it more slowly and carefully, without even needing to officially lower the speeds. That would make it nicer for cyclists and pedestrians though. And reduce the severity and frequency of vehicle collisions. However, drivers lose their minds if you even suggest taking away a lane.

[@orgillmathew]

1915 when police paddocks road was built was the same year Dandenong got a water supply from the new aqua duct that came from what now is Churchill National Park. It’s a little off the trail but I found the pond that had stone work and hand made bolts.

[@xr6lad]

I can never understand why they have never placed Dandenong Road in to an underpass aka Dandy Road at St Kilda Junction and eliminate it.

[@shraka]

Underpasses are extremely expensive. It's cost effective for transit because of their huge carrying capacity and massive economic multipliers, but a road needs so much width and cars have such a negative economic impacts it's hard to justify.

[@josephschembri5071]

Still miss SpringVale Rd, Joe Malta

[@frederickgent1918]

There is a good one in Mildura too ,the round about on 11th Street head down to deakln estate retail with the railway line running through it 🤔 please correct me if I am wrong

[@bjscorpio4041]

A couple of times I've been on Center Rd heading eastbound and accidentally ended up on the Princes Hwy heading towards Dandenong.

[@Celluloid_Bull]

Just going through it now

[@Low760]

They have improved it in recent years, it now makes revenue from people running the red going from police Rd towards centre Rd! So at least when you are struggling to get around someone who is confused to turn right from the middle lane after crossing over Springvale road, you're less likely to have a head on collision.

[@jonnawyatt]

Don't run the red light. Thus no revenue. 😊

[@adharmadharma]

Ah the Springvale intersection one - It was very confusing when I drove there..

[@jasonschubert6828]

Ah, the old "more lanes is going to improve traffic" trick! If your definition of "busy" is wait times, Kew Junction would have to be right up there, especially when they turn _off_ the right turning arrow from Princess Sheet during the busiest times.

[@MrTazzman1984]

I sometimes travel here for work and seen plenty of accidents and near misses. It’s like a nascar race around there. Just waiting for a wreck to happen.

[@tsha2006]

As a local I just close my eyes, hit the accelerator and hope I make it to the other side, works most of the time.

[@jfwfreo]

I suspect the reason no-one wants to fix this is that the good options (such as grade separating the Princess Highway) are expensive and require land acquisitions (which means they would likely be unpopular) and the cheap options (like banning certain movements or closing certain roads) are also likely to be unpopular because they will force people to travel a different way to get where they are going.

[@AugustusOmega]

imagine a round about on 5 ways, what a circus that would be. An overpass would be expensive but most suitable.

[@phillipnoone8044]

Your videos are the best!

[@Ryzza5]

The biggest issue is drivers who upon realising they're not in the correct lane to go the way they want feel that it's ok to halt traffic and become unpredictable moving hazards instead of continuing on and finding another route.

[@sashmendis8432]

They have recently put it red light camera and because of the distance that needs to be covered I have seen hundreds of cars get flashed in one week I live nearby and have to take this intersection to go anywhere

[@pjetenere1]

In Bangkok there is a huge roundabout (victory monument) it has more roads and uncountable traffic,, but it works fine. I have sat above it for hours and just watched in amazement.. But Thai drives are far more polite than the Melb mob

[@NewSouthWalse]

Would love to get videos from you on ideas you think for improvement works, like purely educational for people to learn how such assessments are made by city planners, not you necessarily making a policy proposal.

[@thatwasmymistake]

I work in Moonee Ponds and deal with the junction daily. There's so many near misses here.between cars, trams and pedestrians. Thankfully, traffic us relatively sliw.

[@RiffRaffMama.]

There's no trams in Springvale...

[@thatwasmymistake]

@@RiffRaffMama. But there are in Moonee Ponds, at the junction...

[@deepshergill2395]

And they even put common lights there to turn right and trust me so many people get confused when it comes to turn right.

[@BluePieNinjaTV]

I think the speed limit was reduced, because those signs look like what the current speed limit through the area is

[@kitesurferpeter]

Interesting history of "road growth". I agree its complex and terrible on a bike. I think St Kilda Junction is complex and difficult to find your way through.

[@dieterkoch8414]

Five ways roundabouts in Mooroolbark!

[@davidhinds7634]

I live within walking distance from this intersection and I am a Professional Driver. this is an engineering master piece, the only problem with traffic in Melbourne is the parasites that run red lights and don't follow the road rules, the total lack of police presents, and the lack of enforcing the rules, if we spent a billion dollars to make this intersection safer I doubt the safety would decline because of the lack of driver training and belligerent attitude to safety a majority of Melbournians demonstrate on a daily basis, only a few streets from this intersection I see driving instructors teaching L platers to make dangerous and illegal manoeuvres while under instruction. So what chance do we have if the driving instructors are as dumb as dog shit from the get go. I was walking across the police road intersecting from the perspective in your video to KFC when the Green Walk light came on , I got a few steps across the road and a high speed car narrowly missed me after driving through a red light from Springvale road 30 plus meters behind me, didn't break beep or even attempt to warn me

[@Karl-going-solo]

The Wellington Road Princes Highway is huge and horrible as well and I've seen so many universities students nearly get run over.

[@ruehtree]

You should try directing traffic at the junction.

[@BassMatt1972]

haha I lived 1 street in from this MONTROSITY!! I worked up the road at Monash Clayton, and drove Springvale Road south regulary heading to Pensinsula Campus. I had the front LHS wheel/front end taken out of my V8 Ford Ghia in this very intersection, with a guy turning his neices little car hard right down Centre Road, against FIVE NO RIGHT TURN signs, from a far left of 2 straight ahead lane. I ended up parked on the naturestrip-sidewalk, just to the right of the intersection there.. with a wheel hanging out out of my car front end. Cost him about $4000...

[@lucynyu333]

I still have nightmares about this intersection... Was not a fun place to drive after I just got my license. There were no gps or smart phones back then

[@codenameFourtySeven]

This is horrendous junction! Always a nightmare if you are going right

[@sentimentalbloke185]

Should have been one of the first problems addressed by Andrews's Big Build program, along with Montague St bridge & airport rail, rather than all of those level crossings.

[@Moody-Avo]

I used to live there near police road behind the KFC, In my 3 years stay I lost count on how many people I saw confused, taking wrong turns and near misses.

[@hypercomms2001]

3:49 / 5:57 I am confused... And trying to figure out where in Melbourne is this picture? PS: thank you Philip.. I do look forward to your videos...!

[@BlackGateofMordor]

That's Sydney. The bridge in the foreground is the Cahill Expressway looking west towards the approach of the Harbour Bridge.

[@hypercomms2001]

@@BlackGateofMordor Ahh Sydney... The Black Gate of Mordor! Good to see Melbourne taking over Sydney!

[@shawn5210]

Shout out to all those who remember detergent being put in the funeral homes fountain at least once or twice a year

[@GojiraBiscuits.]

The only thing that will work is an overpass for the most used road, or a giant roundabout.

[@otherunicorn]

Hull Rd, Lincoln Rd, Cambridge Rd and Manchester Rd in Mooroolbark meet at a disaster of three roundabouts.

[@billsmith281]

My dad back in the 80s used to say this intersection had the 2nd most amount of traffic lights in Australia......not sure if he was correct or just making it up😂

[@darylcheshire1618]

Not far from RACV head office in Noble Park.

[@kennydee8296]

I love roundabouts as they are safer because nobody can blow through a roundabout therefore crashes occur at much lower speeds and traffic flow tends to be continuous but negotiating a roundabout is way beyond the skill level of the average Victorian motorist due to the rarity of this kind of intersection with road authorities removing them at a time that many overseas countries are installing roundabouts as they contribute to better fuel efficiency and reduction in serious accidents - bring back roundabouts in Victoria

[@ricmucha9096]

I've driven that intersection for 15 years and never seen 0ne accident and I do it twice a day in peak hour

[@flora1407]

They are making a mint now with all the towering speed and red light cameras

[@hayer70]

Mooroolbark’s 5 way roundabout

[@InjectTheWaste]

There are a few that are a problem in Melbourne, But one of the worst locally to me is in Somerville, The Eramosa Road/ Frankston Flinders road/ Grant road roundabout/Intersection is awful because while not as busy as Spaghetti Junction,(Which as a daily user is not that bad nowadays with the split turning lanes on Prinny Hwy and Centre road) it also includes a Level Crossing in the mess as well as an additional intersection on the other side of the rails for Jones road. Also due to the home on the corner of Grant road and Frankston flinders Road, Turning out of grant road is basically a blind turn into a roundabout where the main traffic flows from FF Road to itself, but also 2 left turns on the roundabout mean that seeing a left hand indicator does not mean you can pull out of the road. also When you are turning right from FF road to Eramosa Road you must do a U-turn around the roundabout due to not enough space being available for traffic to build up at the level crossing. As the urban expansion continues this intersection has continued to become worse and with it not being a metro line the level crossing is here to stay for the immediate future.

[@crosshair8741]

The p turn is quicker and if you try it you will see the people still waiting to turn

[@ardenpm]

Another vote for the Haymarket Roundabout, it’s bad enough already but the trams through the middle of it add a lot of extra spice.

[@intensecutn]

Don't wanna be in the wrong lane when you're on a time constraint!

[@chasty42]

Check out the 5 ways roundabout system in Mooroolbark, 3 roundabouts all together.

[@abhchow]

Yep +1 for that, plus Google Maps thinks that different parts of each roundabout are the different roads that go through there, so it gives you extremely confusing directions when you try to navigate it

[@arthurvandelaney5470]

Was gonna suggest this! It's.. unique.. that's for sure

[@abstractions1816]

I live just down the road from there, going through it most days When I first moved there, I had no idea what the hell I was doing and would often end up going down the wrong street/in the wrong lane

[@joshipokemongiveaways5084]

It’s fun having to do your license test at the vicroads directly next to it LOL

[@taylor....]

I was living in the western subs, and my mate warned me the 5 ways was ahead, I said okay cool, and continued to chat I got through it and made a joke about what I was chatting about, all 3 passengers looked at me in absolute shock, I said what's wrong. They said "You just navigated the worst intersection in the world and you didn't miss a beat." IT'S NOT THAT HARD PEOPLE! give way to your right pick your lane and most importantly USE YOUR BLINKERS!! something the Eastern suburbs are allergic to do is let any other road user know which way they're going.

[@Neemo9]

Please check out the junction in North Essendon - Mount Alexander / Keillor / Bulla / Lincoln Roads - with the 59 tram going through it.

[@KevinBalaam]

That. And the one at Fletcher St near Essendon Station, which had suggestions to be totally altered with undergrounding of the railway line.

[@pigglebee]

Going along mt Alexander Rd is like a gauntlet of various terrible intersections, with slight differences between each of them but all pretty awful and dangerous

[@Neemo9]

@@KevinBalaam how could I forget this one! The number of near misses with pedestrians… omg

[@Neemo9]

@@pigglebee so true. Moonee Ponds junction is pretty hectic too.

[@Wtrxprs007able]

I agree with this. Spaghetti junction is actually pretty easy to use compared to what ever the hell is going on in Essendon.

[@wallypoffle7796]

Philip, outstanding research and documentary as we have come to expect. Many thanks !

[@aussietaipan8700]

When I was at high school in the late 70's, we had an exam task to fix some of Melbourne's road intersections. I chose the Springvale junction to work on. I used to go there to study the traffic patterns and for me it became obvious that both Springvale rd and Police/Center rds needed to become a double elevated bridge roads that would have off and on ramps to each other and Princess hwy. I wish I kept it as it gave me 100% marks in year 5 and the design was really good.

[@macnicholson_]

My mum was involved in a t bone crash at this intersection in the early 90s, nearly losing her right leg and completely writing off her car, i drive through there regularly now and still get confused by all the different turning lanes and lights and everything, very overwhelming for someone who’s never been through there before!

[@tripsadelica]

Excellent video. I can remember when spaghetti junction only had lights on Princes highway west and eastbound. The rest of the feeder turns had stop signs. It was a nightmare and this was AFTER they realignment of Springvale road. A roundabout would be useless and frustrating and also just as dangerous. An overpass from the slight hill (at the intersection which turns into the Coles shopping centre) back over the Princes highway would mean Springvale road would be continuous at that point and the underlying road network would be easier to navigate. It will probably never happen in my lifetime as it would be expensive and make the local shop owners angry. The other thing is that the government is making an absolute killing with the newly installed speed and red light cameras at the junction. The green sequence can vary considerably at different times of the day catching drivers out and the 3 to 4 second yellow sequence is a joke because the intersection is so wide you will never clear it in time. Licence to print money for our cash-strapped government!

[@romandybala]

Great research. In the early 60s on a Sunday mum and dad took us to visit people who lived off Police road. Coming from the city on Princess Hwy. was always a treat. I would ride with my friend from his house to the intersection to watch the car crashes. Never failed. I think it didnt have traffic lights on all the roads. Not sure but was a hectic place to cross. There were far less lanes then ,too. Thanks for your efforts and brilliant research. Kororoit Ck Rd in Altona used to cross Geelong Rd near where the Laverton speedway was located . Imagine 60mph speed limit on Geelong Rd and a flat uncontrolled crossing. More Sunday fun.Quite a few deaths from memory. Not to mention Fitzgerald Rd crossing both Dohertys and Boundary Rds Laverton Nth still unsigned in the early 70s. Lots of deadly crashes there.

[@matthewburstall9334]

Being a from Melbourne I love your content. I have learnt so much from your videos. I have spent a lot of time waiting for those lights to change. Come to think of it I'm still waiting 😅

[@sandrafowler6717]

Hi Phil, I grew up in Springvale, I already knew about the huge problem with Spaghetti Junction, they will never get it right, and just recently they have installed red light cameras that just seem to go off at a drop of a hat, I don't know how fly overs would have worked. I wonder how the traffic would have been if a road way had of gone though many many years ago, that road way was Withworth Avenue, it was supposed to go through from Springvale Road to Westall Road, how I know about this was my parents bought a block of land in the mid 1950's on East State named Glendale Estate and the subdivision map showed that Withworth Avenue was to go from Springvale Road to Westall Road, just thought I'd give a bit of local history.

[@ethanmason2001]

Haha I rave about those red light cameras every time I’m there. You have to sit there for less than a minute and someone will set them off

[@keanchan9462]

Lol, just got a red light fine at the right turn from Princes hwy into springvale road last month. I just turn right at Westall road now🤣

[@louie23fly]

I’ve been stuck at the Springvale junction when the lights weren’t working. Absolutely terrifying.

[@MSM5500]

Yeah, that particular intersection looks quite messy when you're new to it. But apart from the Springvale intersection the traffic chaos is highly likely to happen everywhere in Melbourne if traffic lights get broken down. That's because unlike Europe the Australian rules severely lack the definitions such as _"Main road"_ & _"Secondary road"_ and their respective road signs to give drivers a clear clue on which road the traffic has a priority so whoever is on the secondary road must give way to.

[@zipperboy2]

I second the motion on that Moorolbark 5 ways cluster FUK !!! I have actually looked at some old pics of this intersection and it was a collection of old goat tracks that never was re-routed.

[@marksanders5285]

Another one which is confusing is the mess that is Montague St where it meets Lorimer St and the West Gate Fwy

[@scana1979]

Interesting to see that John Allison Monkhouse Funeral directors were once on the northeastern corner of the junction and replaced a row of houses previously there. In recent years the funeral home was demolished to be itself replaced with a row of apartments seen at 4:12, all facing west and overlooking the intersection - couldn't be too pleasant a place to live!

[@pavementpounder7502]

I live in Moonee Ponds, and aside from the infamous Moonee Ponds Junction, I just feel the northwest (from North Melbourne up past Essendon) is full of weird intersections, roundabouts etc.

[@spectremarty]

Please have a look at Camberwell Junction. It's equally complex.

[@dougieboxell6505]

I live in Camberwell, and have driven through Springvale Junction a gazillion times, as well as every other intersection mentioned here. None of them are difficult or dangerous. I can't fathom how bad drivers must be to find any of these difficult or to crash in any of these spots.

[@mollyfud]

@@dougieboxell6505 Have you turned from Center road onto the HWY? That is the one that gives most people the issue! The traffic signals give all traffic from Center road and all traffic from police road the green on the first pass. The turn from Center road is long and sweeping. If your not use to the intersection, you might not be awake to the traffic from Police road and that is where most accidents happen. After a short period, the police road traffic gets a red and a green turning arrow makes it safe to turn. While it's not impossible to understand the intersection, it is unusual and those not use to it can get themselves in trouble if they make a wrong assumption or some one is speeding to make the police road light! Personally, I hate the short arrow turning right onto to Springvale road. Even though it's probably slower, I hate waiting there so much, I often come down North onto Springvale rather than wait for that light. JMTC

[@JohnFromAccounting]

The only issue with Camberwell Junction is the Camberwell Rd section. The trams should go straight instead of turning onto Riversdale, with some of Camberwell Rd being inaccessible to cars.

[@MrGazzaj]

Try the roundabout / traffic light concoction at the end of the Mornington Peninsula Freeway at Rosebud with the freeway extension! Even after community consultation about poor foot traffic movement and confusing lane changes in the roundabouts supposedly corrected it still is a s...show. Alos there is a lot of history for the Nepean Highway, Jetty Rd and Eastbourne Rd areas that you could explore!

[@darrenmiles-morland8038]

The roundabout at Somerville that intersects Eramosa Roads East and West, Grant Road, and Frankston-Flinders Road is another blackspot intersection on the Mornington Peninsula that continually gets overlooked. This intersection is a double roundabout because Eramosa Roads East and West don't fall perfectly into alignment with one another. On top of the 5 way intersection of roads that pass through it, it's also right alongside of a congested railway level crossing.

[@Kni0002]

they should extend the freeway before some stupid government thinks it’s a good idea to sell it to a housing developer

[@darrenmiles-morland8038]

@@Kni0002 It would also be a good idea in the meantime to duplicate the section that runs between Jetty Road and Boneo Road, and then have an extension constructed. This section of road opened in the mid 1990s, and has remained incomplete and unduplicated ever since. All that has ever been done to this single carriageway of road has been to put bars up the middle of it so that traffic cannot overtake and risk being involved in head on collisions. But this is a freeway that we're talking about, and freeways are supposed to have two seperate roads of traffic travelling in one way directions.

[@RobFiles]

I was speechless when they built up the Coles / Spotlight / Supercheap shopping centre in the early 2000's. Now they've made more horrid housing on the old John Allison Monkhouse site. It's unbelievable to think they never made Princess Hwy as an overpass. It would solve so many of the issues. Cheers Phil ✌️

[@scana1979]

remember seeing demolition of houses in the late 80s/early 90s at the northern end of Stephans Ave and Garde Ave - with the intended development never eventuating amidst the recession at the time. The land sat vacant for some time and the shopping centre eventually went up.

[@74_pelicans]

Let alone all the row houses on the opposite corner. Must be hell living there

[@bushranger51]

An overpass for there for Dandenong Rd. would be good, there's enough room on the centre median to build it without too much traffic disruption, with slip lanes for both Springvale and Centre/Police Roads, controlled by traffic lights. Maybe make it a 3 tier overpass so all three roads have dedicated through lanes is another idea that could be considered, just a thought.

[@Lazy_Llama]

@@74_pelicans Yep and those terribly located 3 bedroom town houses were going for around 700k... its so messed up.

[@gasmaskery]

That batch of shops used to be one of Australias only nativegas related PPE manufacturers, lunguard IPCO, it ceased production some time in the 80s.

[@trk1973]

Confusing? Surely it has to be the Dandenong Road, Heatherton Road, Eastlink intersection or the Monash /Eastlink spaghetti junction

[@Low760]

They are grade separated at least.

[@BTgla]

This road here is why Springvale gets a bad wrap with being the worst driver suburb 🤣