Letters to the Editor: Buninyong bypass calls continue
I write in regard to the various references in Saturday's edition of The Courier concerning the recent accidents at the roundabout in the centre of Buninyong, and fully support the thoughts of Greg Davies in his opinion piece, Graeme Scott, Liz Lumsden, Merle Hathaway and others.
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I have lived in Buninyong for nearly 50 years and in that time have seen the volume of traffic using the Midland Highway increase exponentially.
Catherine King, within the last two months, contacted the regional director of VicRoads on my behalf about my concerns.
His response was that the volume of traffic through Buninyong did not justify a bypass, as much of the traffic was seasonal.
Well, the sand and gravel trucks from Dunnstown and building materials and heavy equipment from Geelong heading west to the new estates on the western edge of Ballarat are continuous and growing in number.
The grain trucks are more seasonal, but because of the bumper season, their time on the road has extended beyond the usual.
VicRoads has wasted millions on the unnecessary duplication of the road east of Buninyong; this money would have been better spent on planning for a bypass, which would have rendered this project obsolete.
If a bypass had been planned, west or east of Ballarat, the council, and/or VicRoads, could have used the vast amount of money currently being spent in Sebastopol on the two projects there, as traffic on those roads would have been heavily reduced.
There is also the secondary issue of the number of trucks using their gears to maintain a slower speed over the 1.5 kilometres of the steepest section of the hill, down to the roundabout.
This is a particularly noticeable at night.
I understand the problems of dealing with government funding at any level, but someone in authority needs to look at the big picture, and start the planning now.
Janine Lucato, Buninyong
This roundabout, road safety and heritage issue requires attention immediately. Our community needs an immediate response to ensure safety for anyone in Bunninyong today.
They also deserve a short-term response that will provide an alternative preventing accidents and then a long-term plan, effectively designed, supported and delivered as soon as feasible.
The community and the beautiful village of Bunninyong should be safe, have its tree canopy and heritage appropriately protected.
Samantha McIntosh, Ballarat
