Petition lodged for crossing

By Kate Taylor

The residents of Providence Village have banded together to officially request a pedestrian crossing on Griffith St, Bacchus Marsh.

A petition of more than 380 signatures was put to the September 4 council meeting – and council even ran a bus to transport residents so that they could attend the meeting.

The petition calls for a pedestrian crossing from the retirement village across Griffith St to the bus stop on the other side.

It also calls for a bus shelter, as well as the re-alignment of the roundabout ramps further down Griffith St to make it safer for mobility scooter users.

“They go down Griffith St to get into the township, and they cross the roundabout at Grant St – but the passageway across the roundabout doesn’t line up with the pram ramps in the kerb channel on the other side. They want to be able to get across the roundabout safely with mobility scooters because at the moment, it’s extremely dangerous,” East Ward Councillor John Keogh told the Moorabool News.

Cr Keogh, a semi-retired civil engineer himself, said the crossing could take a while to work out, but the shelter and the roundabout re-alignment should be easier to do.

“It’s not just a matter of getting out a tin of paint and painting a pedestrian crossing on that road, we wish it was that simple. It’s considered a major traffic control device and as such, we have to get permission from VicRoads before we do it. What they would really like is one with lights, and one with lights of course is very expensive. The report will detail how much it will cost to install.

“And as far as the bus shelter goes, that’s another authority that arranges bus shelters, Public Transport Victoria and I would guess it won’t be a big deal to get a bus shelter. But it is something that’s urgently needed for the people of Providence Village.

“But it’ll be quite minor to be able to align the roundabout so that people have a much safer drive across,” he said.

Providence Village resident Sylvia Merry, who organised the petition, spoke at the council meeting and mentioned an item that had been on the news just the night before about how fatalities of elderly people on the roads are increasing and how more safety measures are needed.

“I’ve not changed my resolve, I’m still very serious that we need that crossing on Grant St. I think this pedestrian crossing would be our safety measure that we need to cross the road safely,” she told the meeting.

Councillors voted unanimously to officially receive the petition and a report will be prepared by council officers and put before a future council meeting.