Warrandyte Community Association (WCA) has been concerned about traffic management issues and gridlock for some time. In 2005 we had meetings with VicRoads & Council Officers and held a facilitated workshop to discuss the issue with VicRoads and Council people. We then did a statistically significant use of public transport survey followed by lobbying for improved bus services – now partly rectified by the Smartbus service, but there are still some issues with buses to North Warrandyte.
Issues raised in the 2005 workshop were:
1 Traffic volume: Too much traffic, lack of alternate routes, road maintenance and choke points.
2 Emergency Access: Fire season risk and potential for gridlock.
3 Safety: Lack of crossings, pedestrian safety.
4 Public Transport: Lack of, improve, lifestyles incompatible, infrequent buses.
5 Maintain character/community feel: Maintain rural aspect of roads, balance needs of environment community and infrastructure, noise pollution.
Public transport has improved since then and some more footpaths upgraded but as far as gridlock is concerned, not much has changed. VicRoads people at that meeting were predicting a decrease in traffic in Warrandyte as a result of the proposed extension of the Eastern freeway etc. (So much for VicRoads predictive modelling!) Since 2005, WCA has supported the development of the Northern Arterial Route for a long time. It is mentioned in the 2014 Manningham Link Roads Improvement Strategy Plan as follows:
“Northern Arterial Route
The extension of Reynolds Road beyond Tindals Road to Ringwood-Warrandyte Road, also known as part of the ‘Northern Arterial Route’ in part coincides with the alignment of Falconer and Stintons Roads, which are currently both Council link roads. VicRoads have assessed long term road capacity improvements and future travel demand in this road corridor. Accordingly, VicRoads are proposing to strategically protect the option of providing this road alignment, subject to further investigations to improve linkages between the eastern end of Reynolds Road and Maroondah Highway. As Falconer Road and Stintons Road are Council roads, they have been prioritised as a part of this Strategy. However, before this project proceeds, the subject sections of Stintons Road and Falconer Road will need to be gazetted to become arterial roads. VicRoads do not have a time frame at this stage for the project development.”
At the moment, many people have, or have previously expressed and lodged with WCA, potential solutions for the traffic problem. These include doubling the size of the bridge, adding ‘Nippon Clippons’ (!), another river crossing, bailey-bridges, swing bridge at end of Bradleys Lane, causeway at Pound bend etc. Others have offered various traffic management plans or solutions. All are well meaning and many have been well thought out by engineers with particular expertise.
Nothing has happened to date for various reasons, mainly financial, but Manningham and Nillumbik are having constructive discussions on addressing the problem. A major issue for starters is that we do not have the basic data on traffic flow to identify where traffic is coming from and going to at different times of the day. WCA has offered to liaise with Councils on gathering this data which will enable maybe better short term solutions. There is also discussion within the Emergency Services for traffic management during a bushfire. If the two approaches are linked it may improve the priority but our sense at the moment is that any major engineering solution (e.g. new bridge, ring-road etc) is a long way off.
Nevertheless, VicRoads, in a letter from Regional Director Adam Maguire to the Member for Warrandyte, Ryan Smith, dated 27 May 2015, have stated that “Funding of $140,000 has been provided in the 2015-16 financial year to investigate and further develop options including the widening of the existing bridge, and the extent of any associated strengthening of the bridge to further improve traffic capacity during an emergency.”
WCA supports this development which is consistent with our position for the last ten years. WCA continues to liaise with both Councils on this and supports the approach they are taking. A major problem is that transport infrastructure in Melbourne has been neglected for so long that Warrandyte’s problems have been a very long way down any State priority list.
One proposal WCA is considering is to hold a workshop or forum towards the end of the year and invite those with potential solutions to present their views and hear from VicRoads and Councils as to progress on developing options.
Dick Davies
President
Warrandyte Community Association Inc.
You can support a local Warrandyte resident’s suggestion to construct a bridge across the Yarra River at Reynolds Road by signing an online petition at change.org
Letter from VicRoads to Ryan Smith MP regarding traffic modelling at Warrandyte bridge.
