Consultation - Stages 2 and 3 - Victoria’s Big Build

Project benefits

Reducing bottlenecks and improving traffic flow

Safer outcomes for all road users

Better connections to and from the Princes Freeway

More walking and cycling options

Community and business consultation summary

Between 6 March and 2 April 2023, we asked for feedback to help inform planning and design for Stages 2 and 3 of the upgrade.

Community members and local businesses told us how they use McGregor and Racecourse roads, their concerns when travelling through the area, and what community and legacy initiatives they would like the project to deliver.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to provide their feedback on the project.

324

total community contributions

274

online surveys completed

9.5K+

visits to the Engage Victoria web page

74%

of survey respondents live in Pakenham

174

people attended community pop-ups

85%

of community respondents support the McGregor Road Upgrade

81%

of community respondents support the Racecourse Road Upgrade

What we heard

These quotes highlight the common themes expressed by respondents. Click on the section below to view the quotes.

Quotes from the community

“The traffic flow and congestion is a huge impact. At peak time it can take me 30 minutes for a usual 10 minute trip because of that road.”

“End result will hopefully be marvellous, it's just all the work stages in between that seem to be bothersome…”

“It’s really needed. Traffic is heavy during peak hour it takes forever to get out of Pakenham and onto to the freeway”

“So much growth in Pakenham...anything that reduces the congestion on the freeway during the evening peak will be beneficial”

“Traffic should flow better with the sky rail completion too. Traffic coming off the freeway is becoming scary and banking up on the side of the road to avoid accidents. Traffic lights on McGregor need to be interactive to change to meet increased flow off the freeway.”

“Roundabout to traffic lights has been needed for years. Will make a huge difference to traffic congestion which impacts travel time.”

“Again, it’s been super challenging to get in and out of Pakenham and feel it’s the biggest negative of living here. Can’t wait for this to get started!”

“Having footpaths along Racecourse Road will be fantastic as there isn't a safe way to walk down currently. The extra lanes and lights will also significantly improve congestion which has been getting busier since we moved here.”

“Traffic is impossible from Highway to Bald Hill Rd. Lack of proper footpaths.”

“Don’t upgrade the roads at the same time. There are many other works currently being completed at the same time in the Pakenham area and it is incredibly challenging to get around Pakenham. These works should have been completed 2 decades ago, they can wait a little longer if it means they are completed consecutively.”

Key themes

Community survey

88% of respondents live in the area and 20% work in the area
90% of respondents mainly travel in and around Pakenham by car
83% of respondents travel around the local area every day, most frequently during the afternoon between 2pm to 5pm (69%), in the morning between 7am to 9am (67%), and in the evening between 5pm to 7pm (66%)
89% of respondents had concerns when travelling on McGregor and Racecourse roads with traffic flow (36%), congestion (35%), and safety (13%) being the top concerns
Respondents were also concerned about impacts to the community during construction of the project, as well as the coordination of works between the different projects in Pakenham
More than half of respondents value the proximity to services including businesses and education (59%), and green spaces (51%) within the area around McGregor and Racecourse roads.
Of respondents who said they use walking and cycling paths, only 12% rated the paths in the area as good or very good, with no one rating them as excellent.
89% of respondents agree that high impact, short term disruptions are preferable to low impact long term disruptions
When asked about what community initiatives they would like to see as part of the project, respondents ranked buying materials and services from local businesses (43%) and shop local campaigns to support local businesses (23%) amongst their top preferences
When asked about legacy initiatives, almost half (46%) of respondents ranked planting more trees and shrubs as their top preference. Many were also interested in seeing more public amenities and the creation of public community spaces.

Business survey

85% of surveyed businesses were supportive of the upgrade
Many businesses said they were dissatisfied with the current traffic conditions on McGregor (31%) and Racecourse (54%) roads
Most businesses thought upgrading McGregor (82%) and Racecourse (73%) roads will benefit their business
69% preferred high impact, short term disruptions to low impact long term disruptions

Interactive map and Q&A tool

Respondents who interacted with our map and Q&A tool highlighted the below:

widening McGregor Road at the railway to two lanes
extending the lane duplications of McGregor and Racecourse roads to the Princes Highway
changes to bus services
noise impacts from increased traffic.

What's next

Your feedback will inform project design and planning for how we build the upgrade. Investigations for Stages 2 and 3 of the upgrade are currently underway.

Planning timeline

Business and Community Consultation Summary (Stages 2 & 3) (PDF, 1.1MB)