Neerim South petitions for safety

by Courtney O'Brien
Neerim South community members have launched a petition calling on Baw Baw Shire Council to collaborate, develop and deliver a long-term plan to improve safety, accessibility, connectivity and liveability in the town.
As the population continues to grow and traffic becomes heavier, community members of all ages and abilities are becoming increasingly concerned about being unable to safely navigate between key locations.
They say a lack of appropriate infrastructure has led to unsafe crossing conditions, high vehicle speeds, limited accessible parking bays, and incomplete pedestrian connections throughout the township.
Locals have repeatedly submitted requests for community grants from council for the past four years for upgraded pedestrian crossings, with little success.
Emma Keft created the petition after years of advocating for safer pedestrian crossings.
"The more conversations I had in the community and the more public we were with our concerns, the more people put their hands up and said I've got a problem with this, or I'm concerned about that, and I realised that it was much bigger than me and the Neerim East Road and the crossing, and it turned into something that represents everybody.
"It's the town coming together. We just want a clear plan and real action to make Neerim South safer, more accessible and better connected for people of all ages and abilities."
Ms Keft believes the town has been overlooked for funding and infrastructure, and disadvantaged due to its size, despite rapid population growth and critical need.
"A review of the draft 2026–27 budget indicates no allocated funding for pedestrian safety or speed reduction works despite community advocacy. This raises an equity issue in infrastructure delivery. Current conditions disproportionately impact vulnerable people including children, older residents, people with disability, and households without regular vehicle access," Ms Keft said.
"Residents of Neerim South should receive a comparable level of safety and accessibility to larger townships such as Warragul and Drouin, I'd love to see a needs-based approach instead of one driven solely by traffic volumes or accident/incident history."
The petition is asking four key things from council:
To develop a master plan focusing on connecting schools, sports and recreation facilities, medical and health services, businesses, residential estates, trails, cultural and tourism spaces and key community destinations on the Main Neerim Rd and Neerim East Rd.
To deliver practical infrastructure upgrades including safer pedestrian crossing points, accessible parking bays in convenient locations, traffic calming and physical speed reduction measures, improved footpath and trail connectivity and visibility improvements.
To prioritise infrastructure improvements that support safe and accessible movement for children, older residents, people with disability, and other vulnerable road users between schools, sporting and recreation facilities, community services and key destinations.
A commitment to the staged delivery of infrastructure improvements across the township.
The petition can be signed until Sunday, June 21 at various businesses in Neerim South or online at http://bit.ly/3RFurPL.