The following letters to the editor from subscribers to thecourier.com.au were sent in response to Thursday's press conference, in which it was revealed there were still no plans in place to solve the issue of the damaged Lydiard Street rail gates.
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LETTERS BEGIN HERE
As a Soldiers Hill resident I'm eager for an outcome on the railway gates, but every time it is reported on it becomes clearer that this issue has fallen between the cracks.
I'm not really sure where the fault lies, but personally, I think it's outrageous that a major thoroughfare in Victoria's third largest city has been closed for nine months and a resolution appears no closer.
It is also completely absurd for senior executives to front the media and lean on the 'complexity' of the situation as a response.
I do hope the journalists in attendance weren't shy in vocalising this.
There are truly many complex problems facing our community, our state and world at the moment and I'm absolutely 100% certain fixing railway gates in a country town isn't a 'complex' issue in the greater scheme of things.
Mark Hemetsberger, Soldiers Hill
How much longer does Ballarat have to put up with this ridiculous delay in replacing the - one only - damaged gate across Lydiard Street at the station?
If this is considered "so complex" one can only wonder about how capable the Department of Transport etc, is about doing really complex work.
Just remake a new "heritage" gate and put it back!
Enough inconvenience.
Almost 12 months? Seriously??
Julie Taylor, Ballarat North
It's almost time for civil disobedience.
Lydiard Street is one of Ballarat's busiest thoroughfares.
The locals must be going insane, not to mention the frustration of nearby residents with increased traffic in their neighbourhood as drivers try to find a way from north to south and vice versa.
It's not that complex!
Just get the gates open and fix the issue with the trains that caused the accident in the first place.
Athalie Bazzani, Lake Wendouree
How absolutely and utterly ridiculous!
After all this time, and still no solution in sight.
These people should be ashamed of themselves for the complete disregard they have shown for the community of Ballarat.
Libby Smith, Ballarat
Why are you carrying on about how hard this is?
The gates that were damaged were not a hazard, they worked well for years and the gates did not cause the accident, the train did.
Replace the gates as they were.
Look at improving the safety of the train - you are focusing on the wrong thing.
Why didn't the train stop at the station?
Look at how to prevent this happening again - a computerised automatic stop mechanism on the train if the driver fails to implement the brakes.
We have the technology to land men on the moon and you tell us this is too hard.
Employ some intelligent people.
Marion Littlejohn, Ballarat
OK this is now completely ridiculous - time to shut the gates to the railway tracks.
We pay our rates for this section of road which we cant use anymore as a result of a train incident, not a car incident.
Time to get serious, City of Ballarat.
Darren O'Hagan, Smythes Creek
