Truck route would cost $180 million

One Response to “Truck route would cost $180 million”

1. 

   Bill June 20, 2012

   In the set of five options council has to choose from, none are appropriate. It is inappropriate to take commercial traffic from a main existing corridor and put it down any residential street. Council had already given its word that the residential streets of Wilson, Pollack and Hart would not have the truck route. Why is it in the list of five we still have routes going through residential areas adjacent to or through schools? Given the recent WHO report that stated there is a clear link between diesel vehicle emission and cancer, it’s time council stood up for ALL residents, for ALL schools in Colac and said NO to the bypass through residential areas.

   The “consultants” ignored council’s previous under-taking to not have routes in residential streets. According to the report they were directed to ignore council’s previous decisions. They seemingly took it one step further and ignored all the other reports, such as the establishment of the Beechy precinct, the development of Elliminyt, the enhancement of the botanical gardens and foreshore. Instead of a balanced approach we’ve only seen a focus on getting the trucks out of Murray Street and to hell with the rest of Colac. The line drawn on the map over Lake Colac epitomizes this.

   In the report the consultants seemingly arbitrarily drew a line over Lake Colac some 400 to 500 metres off shore from the botanical gardens foreshore. Obviously this would destroy all foreshore activities including rowing, skiing and sailing. They may as well said fill the lake in. Strangely enough the consultants to seem to have dramatically under-priced the Lake route. It is as if they never really gave the idea serious thought.

   If we take a step back and consider the bigger issues and plans for the Princes highway, and consider all traffic not just trucks, then a bypass over the lake, one that is North of the existing train line can make a lot of sense. The causeway would need to be at least a kilometre off shore. If from Warncourt the new dual lane highway was to follow the train tracks North of them, we wouldn’t have a level crossing or need an overpass for the rail line. The old highway would become for local use, and there’d be an exit at the Ballarat road as well.

   If the consultants drew up the plan for a Lake Colac route seriously, then perhaps most of the people in Colac would be happy with it. It’s ironic that this debate is partially fuelled by yet another consultant’s report on beautifying Murray Street, where we saw lovely artistic impressions of people carrying briefcases and sporting the latest Paris fashions, as they strolled through the café table and chairs in Gellibrand Street (the fish and chip shop will need to expand !!), yet we haven’t seen anywhere near the detail or care or artistic flare applied to something that impacts on the health and well-being of the people who live here. Shameful really. You’d think these consultants would get together with council and work for the common cause/good 😉 (sarcasm)

   Let’s see some real plans for a route over Lake Colac, not a some silly pencilled red line 400 metres off shore. Then let’s talk about making a decision.

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