Cash for bypass

By Ed Merrison
THE possibility of a Belgrave bypass has been placed back on the agenda after a Federal Government funding pledge.
La Trobe MP Jason Wood vowed last week to find half the funding if a community consensus backs such a project, but support for a bypass remains deeply in doubt.
Mr Wood invited Federal Minister for Roads Jim Lloyd to Belgrave on Tuesday, 15 November to discuss the bypass option with representatives from Belgrave Traders Association, and Shire of Yarra Ranges mayor David Hodgett.
Mr Wood would like to use Federal money set aside for a strategic road project to solve congestion and access problems in the centre of Belgrave.
Mr Wood said the position of the community and traders on the issue was not yet clear, and that feedback from the community was required.
“My commitment is if the local community wants me to push for (the bypass), I’ll push with all I’m worth,” Mr Wood said.
Mr Wood said Belgrave had missed out on major projects in the past and described this a once in a lifetime opportunity.
“The pool of money I’m looking at can only be used for strategic road projects; it can’t be used for health, it can’t be used for education.
“Therefore if it’s not used for the Belgrave bypass, the funding will go most likely to some other project within the electorate,” he said.
But Mr Wood said any bypass could only go ahead if funding came from “a half-and-half bipartisan approach” with the State Government.
Both Gembrook MP Tammy Lobato and Monbulk MP James Merlino said they would respond to the wishes of the community, but both expressed strong doubts that a bypass was what Belgrave wanted.
“I have never received any representation or read anything that would suggest that the community sees a bypass as a priority,” Ms Lobato said.
Ms Lobato was also concerned about economic and environmental impact of a bypass.
“I am concerned about the possibility of economic loss to Belgrave given that traffic could be diverted and not able to appreciate the wonderful array of services in the town,” she said.
Mr Merlino said there was a need for debate from the community about how to solve its traffic and parking problems, but a bypass should not be at the centre of the debate.
“The question shouldn’t be ‘Do we want a bypass?’, but ‘What are the traffic and parking issues and how can we solve them?’,” Mr Merlino said.
“We need to take a step back and say ‘do we need to spend $30 million on a solution that may have other effects, or should we look at other solutions?’.”
The concerns raised by Ms Lobato and Mr Merlino were echoed by Lyster Ward councillor Rob Hale, who was not invited to the meeting with Mr Lloyd.
Cr Hale said there had never been an acceptable proposal for a bypass and that, if put to the community, the $22.5m proposal paid for by the Belgrave Traders Association and submitted to VicRoads in August 2001 would be firmly rejected.
“I’m just worried it’s going to be more talk. We need to come up with something more concrete and have the community input into the project with some of the great ideas they have,” Cr Hale said.
There is no suggestion that the 2001 project, which assessed a two-way two-lane bridge and over the railway car park to join the Belgrave-Gembrook Road, should be the only model considered.
Belgrave Traders Association secretary Jean McLennan was not sure whether the majority of traders wanted the bypass and spoke of an identity problem among traders.
Ms McLennan shared Ms Lobato’s and Mr Merlino’s concerns over the potential physical and environmental impact of a bypass.
“I’m mindful to be representative of the traders and community and representative of what the community’s wants and needs are.”
Ms McLennan said surveys should be put out and public forums were needed to discuss any proposal.
President of the Dandenong Ranges Tourism Association Louis Hesterman agreed that community input was needed and that multiple models should be considered.
“It would be fantastic for Belgrave if we could alleviate the traffic problems without taking anything away from Belgrave itself.
“I think a bypass would be fantastic if it were constructed so it improved shopping facilities, parking and access to the main drag.
“We have to go through a long consultation process because the impact would have to be assessed, and it needs to be intelligently put together,” he said.
Mr Hesterman warned that apathy must not be allowed to get in the way of tackling what he described as ‘a very difficult problem’.
“If we can get plans and models for Belgrave and look at them from a fresh and young perspective, we might end up with a hugely better outcome than thought possible in the past,” he said.
Mr Hesterman said a successful bypass could be great for the future of Belgrave and the Dandenongs.
It is a view shared by Mr Wood.
“We need not just to think of where Belgrave is going in the next few years, but in the next 20 or 30 years.
“We need a bit of a vision to boost the place. I want this to be a fantastic historical town,” he said.