ANGRY residents gathered around the closed Lydiard Street station heritage gates to protest V\/Line and the State Government\u2019s perceived inaction on the issue.<\/p>\n
The protest came in response to V\/Line\u2019s recent announcement that the organisation is currently looking to hire a heritage consultant as part of the project to replace the gates, and that a long-term solution is not in sight.<\/p>\n
The level crossing has been closed for nearly 10 months following an incident where a VLocity train crashed into the gates at about 11.30pm on Saturday, 30 May 2020, narrowing missing pedestrians at the crossing and sending one passenger on the train to hospital.<\/p>\n
One of the organisers of the protest and Lydiard Street resident Frederica Perovic said everyone at the rally was there for the same thing – to get the road open and the gates restored.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s no other option, we want it done now,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a connection between south and north and we need this road open, it\u2019s a main thoroughfare\u2026 It\u2019s congesting the whole area around here.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s ridiculous, these gates are within the UNESCO Heritage Listing, Ballarat is within that system, it\u2019s ridiculous that they can\u2019t do it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alongside the protesters was the shadow minister for rural roads Roma Britnell, joined by the Member for Ripon and shadow treasurer Louise Staley. They both echoed the resident\u2019s sentiments to re-open the road and return the gates to their previous condition.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis has been going on for a very long time, there is no way that the whole of VicTrack, V\/Line, Vic Roads cannot come up with a solution,\u201d Ms Staley said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe minister needs to act and give the people of Ballarat an absolute timeline of when this is going to reopen and whether they will retain the heritage gates which is what the community wants.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey can fix this, they can make it look like heritage if they need to\u2026 they should be looking innovatively at other solutions.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ms Britnell added, \u201cThere\u2019s lot of issues and the State Government can act, should act and are not acting, they\u2019re ignoring you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Representatives from Ballarat\u2019s Save Our Station group including president Gerald Jenzen and secretary John Barnes were also present during the protest, both voicing their concerns for long-term maintenance of the station.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe gates are symbolic of the neglect by the State Government of the whole station precinct, it\u2019s falling to bits,\u201d Mr Barnes said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe problem they have in fixing this, is they haven\u2019t done maintenance in the last 25 years and suddenly they\u2019re caught out.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey spent $420 million in upgrading the line, but done nothing to the Ballarat station and then a further $32 million getting a hotel development on the site but still do nothing for the public transport site.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ANGRY residents gathered around the closed Lydiard Street station heritage gates to protest V\/Line and the State Government\u2019s perceived inaction on the issue. The protest came in response to V\/Line\u2019s recent announcement that the organisation is currently looking to hire a heritage consultant as part of the project to replace the gates, and that a […]<\/p>\n