Crossing removal knockback, but councillor not giving up

A MOORABOOL Shire councillor is disappointed that his push for a railway level crossing in Grant Street, Bacchus Marsh, appears to have been ruled out – at least in the short term.

But Cr Steve Venditti-Taylor said he was not prepared to walk away from the matter, especially considering the town’s rapid expansion.

“I’m not giving up,” he said. “You look at the large number of cars and trucks that use Bacchus Marsh as a bypass; they’re not even stopping.

“We’ve only got 41,000 residents, but over a week you’ve probably got 150 or 200,000 people going through what is basically a street.”

In June, Cr Venditti-Taylor successfully moved a notice of motion that the Shire write to Victoria’s Minister for Transport Infrastructure Gabrielle Williams and her Federal counterpart Catherine King to ask what their plans were for level crossing removals at the site and also in Parwan Road, Maddingley, near the train station.

The letter queried long-term plans for the sites, pointing out that there are two large schools, a train station and the two largest sporting clubs in Moorabool all in the immediate area, and over 20,000 cars and 1000 trucks a day passing through.

It also asked why the area was not on the list of planned crossing removals given the potential for increased trains and congestion as the government pursued an ambition to transport passengers from Ballarat to Melbourne in 60 minutes.

Cr Venditti-Taylor’s motion – which was carried unanimously – also described the area as one of the most vital for growth and traffic flow in Bacchus Marsh.

But a reply letter from Ms Williams dated last month indicated no immediate hope for the two crossings to be removed.

It said 87 of 110 listed level crossings had already been removed, but assessing them for removal was “a complex task” and a framework for prioritisation had been adopted.

“This framework assesses sites on safety, congestion, how level crossings divide communities and restrict access to local facilities, and the efficiency in removing sites,” Ms Williams’s response said.

“I acknowledge your concerns regarding the safety and congestion at the Grant Street level crossing.

“While we are currently focused on the level crossings that have been prioritised for removal, this does not preclude more level crossing removals in future.”

Cr Venditti-Taylor said he was not aware of a response being received from Ms King.

“But as a council we’ve got to advocate for it, we can’t just give up and say that’s fair,” he said, adding that he considered the Grant Street level crossing in particular to be one of the most dangerous in the municipality.