Archive: Black Spot Funding - Hanging Rock
Last Updated 12/5/14
Black Spot Funding at Straw's Lane
(25/3/14 Update - C) Road Safety, or a $186,000 Federally funded advantage for Council's Hanging Rock proposal?
Council approved giving itself a planning permit to remove 11 trees for this project at its 18/12/13 ordinary meeting,where an officer couldn't produce accident figures for the intersection, and one 'pro' councillor accused a dissenting (female) councillor of misleading the chamber, and being mischievous, in revealing there had been only 4 injury accidents at the intersection in the past 20 years.
Now Council (or an investor) doesn't have to foot the bill to improve this part of the road as a development cost. Nice work if you can get it.
The funded project's description at the Federal government's Black Spot funding projects webpage http://investment.infrastructure.gov.au/projects/ProjectDetails.aspx?Project_id=048030-13VIC-BS is:
"Widen and seal the shoulder,
seal intersection approaches,
remove an embankment and tree;
to install line marking and signage; and
to complete drainage works",
which isn't an exact match to how the Council report described the works:
"It is proposed that the tree removal [i.e. 11 trees] will help to improve sight distance,
as well as allowing for the shoulder widening to both sides of Romsey Road, to the east and west of the intersection.
The project also includes minor drainage works running from north to south along Straws Lane,
installation of a traffic island as per VicRoads standards to the southern side of Straws Lane and
the installation of rumble strips to Straws Lane to the north and south sides of the intersection. Council Agenda, 18/12/13, Item PE1
Council Agenda, 18/12/13, Item PE1: "This tree removal is proposed as part of a Macedon Ranges Shire Council Engineering project that is funded by VicRoads under the "Black Spot‟ program. This intersection was identified as a Black Spot intersection / has been identified as a Black Spot intersection by VicRoadsas there have been a number of serious injuries at and near this intersection."
Criteria for Black Spot Funding can be found at http://investment.infrastructure.gov.au/funding/blackspots/
"Black Spot projects target those road locations where crashes are occurring."
What makes a site eligible for funding?
"For individual sites such as intersections, mid-block or short road sections, there should be a history of at least three casualty crashes over a five-year period."
"The Black Spot Programme also recognises that there are road locations which could be considered as 'accidents waiting to happen'. Therefore, some programme funds may be used to treat sites where road traffic engineers have completed a Road Safety Audit and found that remedial work is necessary."
NB: No mention of Road Safety Audit in the report to Council on 18/12/13.
Council Wants "Black Spot" Straws Lane / Romsey Road Intersection Upgraded, Applies To Itself For A Vegetation Removal Permit
21/10/13 - C Wouldn't have anything to do with getting free road upgrades for all that increased traffic to Council's 'wish-list' over-development proposal at nearby Hanging Rock may create, would it?
Council is removing native vegetation from the road reserve at Straws Lane and Romsey Road: Why? Why does any vegetation need to be removed? You can sit in the middle of Straws Lane, and only occasionally will need to move to let a car go by. Photos of trees included with Council's permit application (Spear Reference No. S037925J, lodged 27 June 2013) say (1) there isn't a proposed design for whatever Council is doing yet, and (2) that tree removal offset will be proposed with the new Hanging Rock works in the eastern paddock. And this was in June, well before Councillors made their 5 to 4 decision to exclude community consultation...
One more thing, rumour has it that the tree removal and "works" at Straws Lane/Romsey Road have Black Spot funding. SURELY NOT - why would anyone waste Black Spot funding upgrading a rural intersection that rarely has cars, let alone accidents, and no known fatalities? Wouldn't have anything to do with Council's secret plans for Hanging Rock and the traffic that humungous development would create, would it? More Council lies? Not a green Council - thinks it's OK to demolish valuable native vegetation at Daly Nature Reserve as well...