RESIDENTS of Scenic Drive in Cowes are appalled at plans to rip up the bitumen in their street and replace it with a gravel road.
Bass Coast Shire has written to Scenic Drive residents explaining the bitumen dust suppressant seal their road was treated with in 2005 and 2007 has deteriorated beyond intervention levels and needs to be removed.
Local resident Lara Rooney said tearing up the bitumen will only make things worse.
“Houses in the street are already covered in dust,” said Ms Rooney.
Fellow resident Rachael Ferguson has a young daughter at home.
“Already when I walk the pram I have to pull it over corrugations in the road.”
Ms Ferguson fears if the bitumen is ripped and replaced with a dirt road she won’t be able to get the pram out at all.
”What about access and inclusion?” asked Ms Ferguson.
Ms Ferguson claims she was told council doesn’t have to consider access and inclusion.
Scenic Drive is currently scheduled for a major upgrade in 2065.
Requesting an alternative to ripping up the street costing between $20,000 and $30,000 for each property would need the support of more than half of those living in the street.
Residents say Scenic Drive is very busy in summer and on public holidays.
“Council has never suggested coming and talking to us.”
Lesley Truffle said she emailed the three Island Ward councillors but hasn’t heard back.
“We’d be losing so much,” said Ms Truffle.
“Scenic Drive is not just a road it’s a through-road for a lot of people because of the smoother surface.
“There are many mobile scooters and prams on the road including three-wheeled sports buggy prams.”
According to residents many of the vehicles using the road are large passenger vehicles and in winter the whole street turns to mud and potholes.
“The potholes need repairing every three months,” said Ms Ferguson. “A gravel road would be lucky to be graded more than once a year.”
Ripping up the bitumen and returning six local roads to gravel has been estimated to cost $150,000 according to residents.
“Thirty local roads have already been returned to gravel,” said Ms Ferguson.
As far as the residents are aware Council has never changed its mind on gravel roads.
“Other people must have been affected. Everyone I know with a gravel road is unhappy,” said Ms Truffle.
Another Phillip Island resident Shane Dougherty questioned Bass Coast Shire Council directly about plans to rip up Reid Street in Rhyll. “How can Council assist with postponing short-term rehabilitation works in Reid Street to enable residents time to form an upgrade petition in accordance with Council policy?”
Council’s answer to Mr Dougherty was that council officers would support community members looking to improve their amenity through a road and drainage upgrade.
Postponing the proposed works would be considered on a case-by-case basis depending on the level of support and timing for any upgrade project.
Mr Dougherty is yet to hear from a Council Officer as promised to discuss the potential for an Urban Roads and Drainage Scheme or current maintenance arrangements.
“It is disingenuous for the council to portray the sealing of Reid Street as a simple temporary dust suppression treatment,” said Mr Dougherty.
From discussions with another local resident having experience with VicRoads Mr Dougherty believes Primerseal is the proper pavement sealing technology for a long-lasting solution provided it is properly maintained.
“You only have to look at the southern strip of Beach Road in Rhyll as an example of how a similar road can be successfully maintained,” said Mr Dougherty.
“Proper maintenance should involve resealing every 10 to 15 years to prevent cracks developing that will allow water ingress and failure of the underlying pavement. In this case, it is almost 20 years since the Primerseal was applied and there has been no resealing or even regular crack sealing. No wonder our road is failing.
“Council has clearly not observed basic maintenance principles and is now trying to pass that off by implying that Primerseal was a temporary dust suppression measure.”
Mr Dougherty said it could be argued that the council’s lack of maintenance has caused the seal failure and Council should bear most of the rehabilitation cost.
Reid Street is a collector road according to Mr Dougherty not simply a local access road for abutting residents which would also indicate that a greater share of the cost of repairing the road should be borne by Council.
The southwestern end of Reid Street, McIlwraith Road was upgraded by council some years back with kerb and channel drainage and an asphalt seal without contributions from abutting landowners.
“All we are currently seeking for Reid Street is replacement of the Primerseal where needed, rather than just pothole filling, which is not working.”
Bass Coast Council’s response has been to explain its role as the responsible road authority under the Road Management Act 2004 (RMA) for all roads in the municipality that are registered on Council’s public road register. This includes the responsibility to inspect, maintain, and repair roads in line with the requirements and standards set out in Council’s Road Management Plan (RMP).
According to Council the dust suppression trial initiated in 2005–2007 was to explore whether primer seals could improve the service life of unsealed roads and reduce maintenance costs, but was discontinued in 2010.
In 2013 Council adopted a management plan that determined these primer seals would be removed once they reached the end of their lifespan, and the roads would revert to being maintained as unsealed roads under the RMP. A number of roads have now reached this stage and will have the primer seals removed in Cowes and Wonthaggi.
Council does not consider this process to be changing the original condition of these roads as the affected roads were included in a discontinued trial and a management plan that had been in place for their long-term maintenance.
