I WISH to thank the many people who enabled me to run for Western Port Ward, successfully or not I am yet to know.
But I do know I have questions about the Mahers Landing Boat Ramp.
All the boaters I talked to recently were pretty happy with the new ramp complex, that is apart from: jetty wheel chair access; the jetty being lower than high tide and not on a pontoon; only six car spaces; the two disabled spaces layout; the slippery ramp with at least one car already needing to be towed back from the brink; lack of beach access over the rocks; the jetty ladders’ top two rungs being unusable for feet but an entrapment hazard for hands and the area boaters use to step off the ramp needing a cover plate. And jetty safety issues of protruding bolts; unbollarded already damaged main corner; lack of railings; hazards for children disembarking especially at high tide and no life preservers.
There is a high chance of boat rage over summer with bottle necks, congestion, and unnecessary delays caused by the awkward layout.
One thing all agreed on was that both the bollards and the rocks on the sand adjacent to the old boat ramp must be removed so that it could still be used by small tinnies, emergency craft and at peak times both to launch and for somewhere to wait for a turn on the main ramp.
More work needs to be done.
Glenda Minty, Candidate for Western Port Ward.
