State Government Green Wedge - Task Force for City of Kingston

This new task force has been set up by the State Government. Councillors Rosemary West and Arthur Athanasopoulos represent council are on the task force. Council passed a motion recently; the preamble reads;

* Council resolved in August 2009 to advocate for the completion of the Kingston sections of the Dingley Bypass;

* VicRoads is currently planning for (and is constructing east of Springvale Road) an arterial road with two lanes each way through the Kingston section

* The current road reservation covers some prime agricultural and environmental assets including market gardens, nurseries and six hectares of regionally significant natural bushland and two smaller locally significant native vegetation patches;

It was moved that Council;

1. Investigates whether an alternative feasible route might provide equivalent road access while avoiding the destruction of the market gardens, nurseries and/or bushland, and making better use of the existing road infrastructure.

2. That this investigation considers the road reservation in two distinct parts: north of where the Bypass reservation meets Heatherton Road and south or east of this intersection;

3. That this investigation includes consultation with agricultural landowners whose land is covered by the current Bypass reserve (by consultants engaged to develop the proposed Green Wedge Plan).

4. VicRoads be informed that Council is undertaking this investigation, and

5. Council determines the optimal bypass route for which to advocate on the basis of evidence provided by the above investigation.

An edited version of what AGRA has written to all Councillors is shown below;

AGRA wish to record our concern in relation to the motion passed at Council at the 27th April Ordinary Council meeting. We are alarmed that the proposed changes to the freeway reservations could have major adverse impacts on the future of both the Dingley By-Pass and the Mornington Peninsula Freeway Extension. The Labor Government pledged prior to the last state election that these freeway reservations were safe under a Labor government. We expect that commitment to be honoured by the current and any future State government.

Our initial concern is that any change to the current freeway reservations may impact on the future design and construction of the road reservations particularly where the Dingley By-Pass and the Mornington Peninsula Freeway Extension join. As you can see the reservation allows for a fast and efficient transfer of vehicles between the MPF Extension and the Dingley By-Pass thereby minimising vehicle delays and encouraging vehicles to use the Dingley By-Pass and the Mornington Peninsula Freeway when completed.

History has shown that road reservations should never be given up or reduced. We have seen this happen in the past and the cost to resolve such short term thinking has been enormous for road users and tax payers. We do not want another “Monash” stuff up in our City. An efficient MPF and Dingley By-Pass offer a major opportunity to minimise traffic volumes throughout Kingston and thereby to improve the amenity for most Kingston residents and to support and encourage regional tourism, business and those road users who wish to visit Kingston or to drive through on their way to work. Also we should not forget the long term economic benefits that come from more efficient vehicle use. For example less fuel, a reduction in accidents, greater mileage per litre etc. We could go on.

We ask Councillors to ensure that our road reservations are safe and that Council will not place the government in the position of having to consider reneging on past promises to maintain the road reservations by adopting changes that could significantly increase the cost, design and destroy the efficiency of both road systems.

Should government accept a recommendation by the COK to change the road reservations the Government will be deciding to renege on their past commitments to build the Dingley By-Pass as planned and the MPF Extension as promised along with their more recent commitment to maintain these road reservations. As our local state MP Jenny Lindell said, once the road reservation has gone it can never be replaced. Please do not be party to allow such a situation to develop by voting for an alternative route for this major road system.

As all COK Councillors know, AGRA are major if not fanatic supporters of the Green Wedge however our support has always included future construction of the MPF and Dingley Fwy using their long term reservations within the  Wedge.

Residents, AGRA fears that party politics may be playing a part in this proposal. We will monitor closely. We have reason to believe that the majority of councillors would have voted against this motion if all councillors had been at the meeting. The Mayor used his casting vote to pass the motion.

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