Tony Robinson should support the Trackdown option for the rail line upgrade
Tony Robinson's (Labor MLA for Mitcham) claims in the Progress Leader newspaper regarding the Middleborough Road Rail Separation Project are simply not accurate. The current plan is a point solution that does not provide the best overall solution to either Whitehorse residents or rail commuters as it does not improve the rail service and will have significant local impact due to convoys of shuttle buses clogging local streets and soil being dumped on the nearby sports oval.
There has been no effective community consultation. Local residents have simply been informed of the nearly final plans - with apparently no opportunity for any substantive changes to the project .
In addition, the opportunity to embrace a holistic solution to lower the entire track length from Box Hill to Ringwood, as proposed by the ‘Track-Down’ campaign, has been overlooked. This option includes a platform on the school side of Middleborough Road, which would provide much better amenity for local students. With the tracks underground, the area above could be utilised for housing near Station Street, and a linear park constructed further along the corridor. A high quality cycle path along the corridor would be used for both commuting and recreation. The track down option would also have less impact on road users.
In the long run, the lowering the track along the entire corridor would be cheaper, and would be partially funded by the sale of some of the area created above for housing. Local residents would also benefit from greatly reduced noise.
Tony Robinson needs to consider the best long term solution for local residents and commuters, rather than just going along with the ill-conceived VicRoads plans. We strongly urge him to support the Track Down option.
Peter Campbell (Greens Candidate for Box Hill)
Rob Redman (Greens Candidate for Mitcham)
There has been no effective community consultation. Local residents have simply been informed of the nearly final plans - with apparently no opportunity for any substantive changes to the project .
In addition, the opportunity to embrace a holistic solution to lower the entire track length from Box Hill to Ringwood, as proposed by the ‘Track-Down’ campaign, has been overlooked. This option includes a platform on the school side of Middleborough Road, which would provide much better amenity for local students. With the tracks underground, the area above could be utilised for housing near Station Street, and a linear park constructed further along the corridor. A high quality cycle path along the corridor would be used for both commuting and recreation. The track down option would also have less impact on road users.
In the long run, the lowering the track along the entire corridor would be cheaper, and would be partially funded by the sale of some of the area created above for housing. Local residents would also benefit from greatly reduced noise.
Tony Robinson needs to consider the best long term solution for local residents and commuters, rather than just going along with the ill-conceived VicRoads plans. We strongly urge him to support the Track Down option.
Peter Campbell (Greens Candidate for Box Hill)
Rob Redman (Greens Candidate for Mitcham)
posted by Peter Campbell at 12:03 AM
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