- Published on
By Catherine Watson
The road to hell is paved with good intentions, according to the old adage. And what started off as an attempt to untangle Phillip Island’s notorious holiday traffic congestion seems to be morphing into a monster highway.
At Wednesday’s council meeting, Cr Michael Whelan said he feared VicRoads was ignoring council plans and community wishes and pressing ahead with plans for a four-lane highway bisecting the island.
The road to hell is paved with good intentions, according to the old adage. And what started off as an attempt to untangle Phillip Island’s notorious holiday traffic congestion seems to be morphing into a monster highway.
At Wednesday’s council meeting, Cr Michael Whelan said he feared VicRoads was ignoring council plans and community wishes and pressing ahead with plans for a four-lane highway bisecting the island.
He said in the past week surveyors for VicRoads had sought permission from a number of farmers to survey on private land along Phillip Island Tourist Road. They had also sought permission to survey in the council-owned land in Scenic Estate Conservation Reserve.
“What concerns me is that VicRoads have already put on the table a plan to make the road through Surf Beach four lanes. This makes me concerned that in fact they are simply proposing to add four lanes pretty well across the island. In my mind that would be a disaster.
“I’m highlighting that in this point in time because it’s certainly not the approach that was identified in the Phillip Island Integrated Transport Study nor the Visitor Economy Strategy.”
The community reference group set up to advise on implementation of the Phillip Island Integrated Transport Study, has expressed similar misgivings on “big engineering” solutions to the island’s traffic woes.
The group is chaired by Cr Whelan’s wife, Mary Whelan, who writes in this edition of the Post: “While VicRoads is proposing some very big engineering projects to improve traffic flow on the island, there is a concern that road and intersection upgrades will dominate the major funding for transport for the next several years.
“Meanwhile, low-tech solutions are being overlooked, the community’s emphasis on safety seems to be forgotten, and there are no current plans to improve public transport services.”
Ms Whelan said VicRoads’ emphasis seemed to be on easing congestion at peak holiday periods but the community had other interests.
“How much do we build on the island to ease congestion?
“The community broadly accepts VicRoads plans for roundabouts at the Woolamai and Back Beach Road intersections with the main road. However, there is much less support for a proposal to widen the roundabout and road at Newhaven, and duplicate the Phillip Island Rd in the adjacent farmland along the Surf Beach, extending to the new roundabout planned for Back Beach Rd.
“The council has adopted three different plans that express the community’s desire for alternatives to private car use on the island. These include improved public transport, works to encourage active transport (cycling and walking), a reduction in inappropriate speed limits to protect people and wildlife, and limits on visitor numbers at busy periods.”
Cr Whelan said the council had enjoyed good rapport with VicRoads in the past.
“I’m not attacking them but I’m putting it on notice that we must make sure they continue to listen to the strategies that we’ve got in place rather than putting in place something that suits them and doesn’t suit the issues around the visitor economy strategy and the management of the number of visitors that come to Phillip island.”
Mary Whelan: Phillip Island at the Crossroads
“What concerns me is that VicRoads have already put on the table a plan to make the road through Surf Beach four lanes. This makes me concerned that in fact they are simply proposing to add four lanes pretty well across the island. In my mind that would be a disaster.
“I’m highlighting that in this point in time because it’s certainly not the approach that was identified in the Phillip Island Integrated Transport Study nor the Visitor Economy Strategy.”
The community reference group set up to advise on implementation of the Phillip Island Integrated Transport Study, has expressed similar misgivings on “big engineering” solutions to the island’s traffic woes.
The group is chaired by Cr Whelan’s wife, Mary Whelan, who writes in this edition of the Post: “While VicRoads is proposing some very big engineering projects to improve traffic flow on the island, there is a concern that road and intersection upgrades will dominate the major funding for transport for the next several years.
“Meanwhile, low-tech solutions are being overlooked, the community’s emphasis on safety seems to be forgotten, and there are no current plans to improve public transport services.”
Ms Whelan said VicRoads’ emphasis seemed to be on easing congestion at peak holiday periods but the community had other interests.
“How much do we build on the island to ease congestion?
“The community broadly accepts VicRoads plans for roundabouts at the Woolamai and Back Beach Road intersections with the main road. However, there is much less support for a proposal to widen the roundabout and road at Newhaven, and duplicate the Phillip Island Rd in the adjacent farmland along the Surf Beach, extending to the new roundabout planned for Back Beach Rd.
“The council has adopted three different plans that express the community’s desire for alternatives to private car use on the island. These include improved public transport, works to encourage active transport (cycling and walking), a reduction in inappropriate speed limits to protect people and wildlife, and limits on visitor numbers at busy periods.”
Cr Whelan said the council had enjoyed good rapport with VicRoads in the past.
“I’m not attacking them but I’m putting it on notice that we must make sure they continue to listen to the strategies that we’ve got in place rather than putting in place something that suits them and doesn’t suit the issues around the visitor economy strategy and the management of the number of visitors that come to Phillip island.”
Mary Whelan: Phillip Island at the Crossroads
Comments are closed.
The proposed project in Newhaven, Phillip Island, with 4 lane divided highway and 3 large, dual lane roundabouts makes less sense than ever.
The budget is $40Million a big swag, much needed for more deserving purposes. The length of the road, containing the 3 roundabouts, is just 2.5km.
The first half is 60km/h with the second half at 80km/h. If the full length was 80km/h, transit time could be as fast as 2 minutes. You can rarely travel at full speed because of a wide range of distracted, visiting drivers cruising slowly, so, at average 60km/h, transit time is 3 mins. Visiting Melbourne, it’s amazing how many roads now have reduced speed limits, surprisingly many 40km/h, permanently. But none on Phillip Island.
If the 2.5km was reduced to 40km/h, transit time would then be 4 minutes. Would this put anybody out? In terms of cars per hour, if we want more visitors, optimum appears to be 60km/h. Any faster and we leave bigger gaps between cars, so cars per hour is the same, perhaps less.
If the whole thing was 40km/h permanently, there’s no danger of serious injury or fatal accident. At 40km/h, traffic flows smoothly, vehicles give way to one another. So there would be no need for divided highway or big dual lane roundabouts or waste of $40Million, some of which could be spent on improving existing road surfaces.
The big project might be justifiable if divided highway allowed petrol heads to race all the way to the track. For just 2.5km, in middle of small period township, removing mature trees, more of them, making life difficult for pedestrians and cyclists, difficulty crossing and parking, for residents and businesses on both sides of the highway, how can this project make any sense?
Would anything like this get more than split second attention, before being laughed out of town, if proposal was for highway through a place like Maldon?
Next steps? Council adopted the Phillip Island Integrated Transport Study in 2014 that sets out transport priorities and approach. Since then a Community reference Group has worked on these issues mainly focussing on the critical safety issues presented in the likes of the Woolamai intersection. Vic Roads has been an excellent partner on getting those issues addressed. It is how the growth issues are handled that is important as the next stage and that is where the risk of the loss of character of the Island gets caught up. The Council Visitor Economy Strategy specifically discusses the value and appeal of the Island's open spaces. The proposal in question directly attacks this notion by seeking to put the road about 50 meters into farmland at Surf Beach. Council must insist that out strategies are properly considered in the plans for the future, my comments the other night were to reinforce this. The PIITS CRG meets tomorrow at 7.oopm at Newhaven meeting room - you would be welcome to attend.
Don't let the engineers get a hold of this, but as an Island Population that's facilities often rely on the cash injection from holiday populations to finance the rest of the year be careful what you wish for.
And then of course there's the bridge, the narrow San Remo approach and the roundabout at Boys Home road. Four lanes on the island are a bit useless with those as they are. At easter and Xmas etc traffic backs up to Grantville.
Jeff Cole
How does that improve the traffic flow?
A 4 lane highway needs a 4 lane bridge and 4 lanes through San Remo.
And only two lanes into Cowes!
Where is the Island traffic management plan.
A 2 lane bridge going into a 4 lane onto the island?
Then coming off the island from a 4 lane road to a 2 lane bridge and road will get backed up unless 4 lanes are added from Bass HWY straight into Cowes and over the bridge. I feel that this hasnt been thought of throroughly and properly. If anything we need the roads re-fixed! Haha!! Could another bridge be built? Have one that goes onto the island and one that goes off? Just a thought!
Public transport bike riding will not solve the problem. The utopians view of an idyllic life has past, embrace change for without change the island would still be a wilderness (with on residents) Why did Coles, Woolworth and Aldis come to the island? Because they was a need. Tourists that stay on the island don't come to the island on a bus, or a bike it inconvenient. They bring their children their belongings their caravans. Stop dreaming face the fact live in the real world the roads are needed they are coming and thats that.
The bridge is 2 lanes and the road on the San Remo side is 2 lanes. There is a school crossing at Newhaven and twice a day there is a 40k speed limit. One simple solution would be to extend the 40k area from the bridge to the Newhaven roundabout at all times.
The safety of wildlife, pedestrians and cyclists should be priorities in planning traffic solutions. (I've never seen signs anywhere but at Cowes telling me as a pedestrian to give way to cars!)
We also agree that reliable public transport, must be considered as a solution to road congestion.
I agree the road condition needs to be improved;t it does NOT NEED TO BE A 4 LANE HIGHWAY. Why isn't the blue line implemented on busy weekends? What's the problem with this? Proof is in the pudding, it works!!!!
It's about time VicRoads listens to the local community instead of ploughing ahead regardless.