Shire urged to lead creation of Great Ocean Road crossing

THE Surf Coast Shire council has been directly asked to lead the creation of a pedestrian crossing on the Great Ocean Road in Jan Juc.

Community members and parents of pupils at nearby schools have been campaigning for months to have some kind of crossing installed at or close to the intersection of the Great Ocean Road and the western end of Strathmore Drive.

This would be for the benefit of not only pupils at Christian College Geelong’s Surf Coast campus and the nearby Bellbrae Primary School, but also the wider community.

At their meeting on Tuesday this week, councillors received a joint letter signed by 10 “concerned parents and community members” that draws the council’s attention to the “considerable safety issue” and encourages the council to work with the relevant authorities and entities on the crossing.

“There is currently no safe way to cross the Great Ocean Road near either school in any capacity, we fear that an accident or fatality is only a matter of time,” the letter states.

“In addition, there are no accessible pathways providing pedestrian or bike access to the east, west or south of this area. Students and community members are placed at risk on a daily basis.”

The letter notes petitions on the issue with more than 450 signatures have been tabled in state Parliament, and that Christian College Geelong is seeking to work with the shire and the Department of Transport and Planning on the integration of pathways and development and planning for a crossing in the college’s stage 3 proposal.

“This would be an opportune time to review this issue holistically and connect pathways to the planned Ridgeline Trail that will run between the college and the Great Ocean Road on the south side.

“The council have been leaders on the Ridgeline Trail project, and we seek your continued leadership now.”

Councillors resolved to acknowledge the letter and for a report on it to be submitted to the council at a future meeting.

Speaking on Tuesday, Cr Kate Gazzard thanked the community for its advocacy on the issue.

“Although the speed limits have changed recently to 60kmh and 40kmh during school time, there’s still a lot of cars that go quite fast down that way, and so to make this more safer for pedestrians and children crossing I really do think is worth advocating for,” she said.