The Phillip Island bridge from San Remo. Photo: Craig Franklin Our council needs to work with VicRoads to sort out San Remo’s traffic tangles, argues Chris Day, rather than leaving it to the community.
By Chris Day
IT’S GOOD to see comments on road issues on Phillip Island and San Remo (Beware: four lane highway ahead). Mary Whelan and her committee have worked for a long time on behalf of the Phillip Island community to help sort out the bottlenecks.
By Chris Day
IT’S GOOD to see comments on road issues on Phillip Island and San Remo (Beware: four lane highway ahead). Mary Whelan and her committee have worked for a long time on behalf of the Phillip Island community to help sort out the bottlenecks.
The San Remo community has spent many years in discussions with Bass Coast Council on the San Remo Access Strategy. The strategy was approved in 2013 as the basis for new developments and expansion of town boundaries, but we have seen little action on it since. Getting extra rates is great but spending the money that was approved to cater for this expansion is clearly not a priority.
Meanwhile Bass Coast Council took no part in the ongoing discussions this community has had with VicRoads. Like the Phillip Island community, we were told it was the community's job to talk to the Victorian and federal governments. It was our job to get the funding! The major problem with this is having roads and infrastructure that links between state and local government and they don't talk to each other. That’s a good excuse for doing nothing.
Last year VicRoads released their plans for San Remo area including the bridge. This only applied to the roads for which VicRoads is responsible.
Following discussions VicRoads requested a meeting with people who had been involved in the original plans in the San Remo Access Strategy. Various meetings were held and the community's concerns with their report discussed in great detail. It was a positive meeting. However, missing in action was Bass Coast Council, even though they had told VicRoads they would attend.
Our latest information is that VicRoads’ revised plan will be released at Easter time. Then we will see what changes (if any) will occur.
In answer to some of the questions on your comments page, there will be no second bridge. It is possible the bridge will become three lanes with a walk/bike path hanging off one side. Certainly stress tests were taking place few months ago. If this occurs, there would be overhead lights with the extra lane alternating based on the time of day.
Once over the bridge heading to Melbourne, there is no room in San Remo to put in extra lanes. That's the reason the Anderson bypass is only one lane each way.
Almost certainly lights will be installed at the Back Beach Road/Phillip Island Tourist Road corner. We will need to wait to see the report how it all comes together. We know at this time there will be no right turn off the bridge into San Remo and no right turn to Melbourne from that same corner.
All vehicles entering San Remo from Cowes will need to turn at the lights to enter Marine Parade or Back Beach Road. Vehicles leaving San Remo for Melbourne/Wonthaggi will go through the lights at Back Beach Road. Vehicles entering San Remo from Melbourne/Wonthaggi will enter through the lights.
The plans include changes to internal movements and removal of car parking and that’s where questions have gone back to VicRoads. Buses from Cowes that enter San Remo are facing the wrong direction to head out towards Melbourne. VicRoads is working on the problem!
Lots in the Keams and View estates are selling well and there are new developments on Shetland Heights Road. That all means more vehicles using the highway, adding to the problem of getting through this area. The long term projection is that San Remo will expand three fold and the town boundary will be three kilometres further out than it is now.
One would hope the bell will ring in Wonthaggi one day but I wouldn't hold my breath.
Beware: four lane highway ahead
February 22, 2019 - What started off as an attempt to untangle Phillip Island’s notorious holiday traffic congestion seems to be morphing into a monster highway bisecting the island, councillor warns.
Meanwhile Bass Coast Council took no part in the ongoing discussions this community has had with VicRoads. Like the Phillip Island community, we were told it was the community's job to talk to the Victorian and federal governments. It was our job to get the funding! The major problem with this is having roads and infrastructure that links between state and local government and they don't talk to each other. That’s a good excuse for doing nothing.
Last year VicRoads released their plans for San Remo area including the bridge. This only applied to the roads for which VicRoads is responsible.
Following discussions VicRoads requested a meeting with people who had been involved in the original plans in the San Remo Access Strategy. Various meetings were held and the community's concerns with their report discussed in great detail. It was a positive meeting. However, missing in action was Bass Coast Council, even though they had told VicRoads they would attend.
Our latest information is that VicRoads’ revised plan will be released at Easter time. Then we will see what changes (if any) will occur.
In answer to some of the questions on your comments page, there will be no second bridge. It is possible the bridge will become three lanes with a walk/bike path hanging off one side. Certainly stress tests were taking place few months ago. If this occurs, there would be overhead lights with the extra lane alternating based on the time of day.
Once over the bridge heading to Melbourne, there is no room in San Remo to put in extra lanes. That's the reason the Anderson bypass is only one lane each way.
Almost certainly lights will be installed at the Back Beach Road/Phillip Island Tourist Road corner. We will need to wait to see the report how it all comes together. We know at this time there will be no right turn off the bridge into San Remo and no right turn to Melbourne from that same corner.
All vehicles entering San Remo from Cowes will need to turn at the lights to enter Marine Parade or Back Beach Road. Vehicles leaving San Remo for Melbourne/Wonthaggi will go through the lights at Back Beach Road. Vehicles entering San Remo from Melbourne/Wonthaggi will enter through the lights.
The plans include changes to internal movements and removal of car parking and that’s where questions have gone back to VicRoads. Buses from Cowes that enter San Remo are facing the wrong direction to head out towards Melbourne. VicRoads is working on the problem!
Lots in the Keams and View estates are selling well and there are new developments on Shetland Heights Road. That all means more vehicles using the highway, adding to the problem of getting through this area. The long term projection is that San Remo will expand three fold and the town boundary will be three kilometres further out than it is now.
One would hope the bell will ring in Wonthaggi one day but I wouldn't hold my breath.
Beware: four lane highway ahead
February 22, 2019 - What started off as an attempt to untangle Phillip Island’s notorious holiday traffic congestion seems to be morphing into a monster highway bisecting the island, councillor warns.