By Derek Schlennstedt
Children in Reefton have to dodge logging trucks and cars after the McMahons creek pedestrian bridge was removed in July 2017.
The ageing bridge was deemed unsafe and removed, and has left only one path for kids to take to get to the bus stop. That path is walking along a blind corner in an 80km/h zone.
At the Yarra Ranges Council meeting on 11 December, Reefton resident Bodie Seller pleaded to council for their support in lobbying the state government, and Vicroads to get the bridge reinstated.
“We have a high number of children and we don’t have a pedestrian footbridge,” he said.
“We’ve spoken to Vicroads for quite a long time now with nothing happening and it just keeps getting pushed back and back in each budget.
“The Upper Yarra reservoir upgrade next year will increase our road traffic by an extra two trucks per hour for six months of next year and the year after that, adding to the log trucks that already use this road.
“Our kids are getting off the bus in an 80km/h zone with log trucks and mining trucks going past on a blind corner.”
Since the bridge was removed, Yarra Ranges Council has received ongoing safety concerns from residents about the lack of pedestrian facilities, and following a council engineer’s report council wrote to Vicroads on behalf of the community, advocating for the reinstatement for the bridge.
According to Council Vicroads has not date prioritized the project for funding, instead advising that the proposal has been referred to their 2019/2020 budget for consideration.
O’Shannassy Ward councilor Jim child said that this response was inadequate and urgent action needed to be taken.
He recommended that Council write to the Regional Director of Vicroads, as well as the State member for Eildon Cindy McLeish, and minister for roads and road safety Jaala Pulford.
“To use the excuse that it has to go through a budget process is unacceptable …it has already been through one and now going into the 19/20 Vicroads budget process,” he said.
“We all know there are processes within emergency funding and this has to be considered for that.”
Mayor Tony Stevenson summed up the sentiments of the room, with all councilors voting to take urgent action.
“Even the person who took those photos was putting their lives in danger … I’d be surprised if any of us here thinks this is acceptable,” he said.
