"My girlfriend was driving us to Curtin, it was about 9am when she took the Manning Road exit," he said. "We slowed down to 60, as the sign asks, put the indicator on and attempted to merge left to take the exit. "But the traffic coming down merging onto the freeway was already moving at 90 or so, and no gaps presented themselves since it was peak hour and everyone was speeding to get to work. "We were forced to continue driving down the freeway instead of taking the exit, and got to university a hell of a lot later than expected." "Every time I would meet for lunch with my friends we would find ourselves complaining about the Manning Road exit... out of concern for my loved ones, I decided to make the petition in the hope the exit would be altered by Main Roads WA."

The petition has since racked up 741 signatures, and a number of university students, area residents, parents, truck drivers and tradesmen all listed their concerns in the change.org comment section. Mr Gentili said he had been surprised at the overwhelming response from Perth locals. "It was unbelievable to think that a petition I created out of frustration actually got any support. I was surprised at how many people shared the same feelings about the Manning Road ramp," he said. "It wasn't only Curtin students who supported it to, I read comments about how locals thought that it was long overdue." Main Roads WA statistics recorded only 12 crashes at the location over a five year period between 2011 and 2015.

The majority of crashes in the area were side-swipe and rear-end type incidents, which generally have a lower severity than other types of crashes. No drivers or passengers have been injured in any of the 12 crashes. But according to the petition, a number of crashes may be so low because drivers often chose to continue on the freeway in order to avoid an incident. "I am a Curtin student living south of river, but I encounter this problem every time I head north and come back... sometimes people refuse to give way for me to exit, [and I have to] enter the freeway again and head to the next exit," one posted. Another commenter detailed their similar solution to avoiding a potential crash. "I'm signing because I take a 15 minute detour every morning to university just to avoid the Manning Road exit- which is the worst design possible," another said.

Road Safety Commissioner Kim Papalia agreed the Manning Road ramp was a long term concern raised by the public and its construction could often pose issues for the inexperienced drivers who use it frequently. "The associated perception of risk relates to the converging traffic from Canning Highway and the Kwinana Freeway," he said. "It's about driver uncertainty, about how to cross over and about who gives way to whom. This petition has been created by and for predominantly university students who use the exit to access the nearby university. "It's pertinent to note that this group can be representative of novice drivers who don't necessarily have the significant experience to navigate the exit. "Because of the concerns raised by members of the public, we are continuing conversation with Main Roads WA about possible solutions."

Main Roads WA spokeswoman Aimee Schmidberger said while the length of the Manning Road ramp was shorter than its Cedric Street counterpart, the change in speed should allow for motorists to complete their manoeuvres. However, the body also said it had prepared a proposal to help tackle the issue. "Main Roads has prepared concept plans for an improved intersection configuration where the Manning Road southbound off-ramp crosses over the Canning Highway southbound on-ramp using a bridge structure," they said. "This would effectively separate the existing merging streams of traffic. The project will be considered as part of the budget process along with other government priorities." Loading

Mr Gentili said he hoped his petition would help make a difference. "I hope that for the safety of the people using this ramp daily, it is altered," he said.