Puffing huff at protest

By CASEY NEILL
PUFFING Billy has slammed Menzies Road Action Group for using its community event to push their political agenda.
Puffing Billy Railway special events manager Matt Collopy said he was extremely disappointed with a banner the group strung over Menzies Road during the Puffing Billy Great Train Race on Sunday 5 May.
The Mail last week reported that the road’s residents had taken the event as an opportunity to bolster support for its calls to seal the street with a banner that read “The Shire of Yarra Ranges is running from road safety”.
Mr Collopy drove the race route before the runners took to the road and asked two men to remove the sign.
“They flatly refused, saying they had been granted council permission,” he said.
He told them the roads were under Puffing Billy Railway’s control for the event’s duration and contacted the police.
Mr Collopy said the most disappointing aspect was that “the railway went to extraordinary lengths to promote this event, encouraging locals to support the runners along the way, as well as runners supporting local businesses in Belgrave and Emerald”.
“Additionally, we increased our efforts in communicating road closures and disruptions to all locals,” he said.
“To then have this group blatantly ambush our event was most upsetting.”