Drysdale residents campaign for safe pedestrian access

BELLARINE Springs Retirement Village residents want footpaths built in Drysdale’s growing residential area so senior citizens can enjoy safe pedestrian access.

Resident Judy Streich, along with some of her neighbours, approached the City of Greater Geelong with their concerns during an open council meeting at the Potato Shed last
Tuesday.

“When it was time for public submissions I outlined our concerns and stressed that we believe we have the right to access public open space as pedestrians, which is not safe in Central Road at present,” Ms Streich said.

“I asked two questions, when was a traffic count last carried out in Central Road, and when will a footpath be constructed in Central Road South, Drysdale?”

While Mayor Bruce Harwood said at the meeting that he would get a response back to Ms Streich, City of Greater Geelong City Services Guy Wilson-Browne has since said a traffic count was last carried out between Ada and Thomas streets in 2011.

“The results showed an average of 865 vehicles per day,” Mr Wilson-Browne said.

“New traffic counts are scheduled to take place in late March 2019.”

On the subject of when a footpath would be constructed in Central Road South, Drysdale, Mr Wilson-Browne said as a condition of the planning permit for the site, the developer of the Bellarine Springs Retirement Village was required to construct a kerb and footpath on the section of Central Road adjacent to their property.

But a Bellarine Springs spokesperson said their residents were requesting council to construct a footpath from their gate in a southerly direction to Wyndham Street.

“Instead, council is seeking to distract attention by pointing to us building a footpath for a short section in an unspecified location without any co-ordination, heading north in a direction where no footpath continues beyond the vicinity of our property,” the spokesperson said.

“We are happy to do this when there is a point to it being done, however council needs to fund the construction of the balance of Central Road and not have a piecemeal approach or patchwork quilt of discontinuous footpaths along Central Road.”

Ms Streich said in the past 12 months there had been huge residential development in her area, in addition to their constantly growing village.

“This has meant a greatly increased flow of traffic including large trucks and trade vehicles,” he said.

“With a complete lack of footpaths and a narrow road the safety of pedestrians is now being put at unacceptable risk.”