Railway Level Crossings -New findings released

Yesterday the Age published a front page article highlighting a letter to Public Transport Minister Terry Mulder in June by VicRoads chief executive Gary Liddle and Department of Transport director Hector McKenzie (obtained under FOI) strongly advocating that grade separation be done not just at the Murrumbeena crossing but also at Carnegie and Hughesdale.

The short distance between the three stations deemed it impractical from an engineering perspective to do only the Neerim Rd M/Beena crossing as has been canvassed by the Baillieu Government.

The other chief finding was that any further increased capacity (incl a 3rd line) on the Dandenong line would lead to an increasingly traffic gridlock situation in peak times- no surprises here to local residents and regular north-south commuters!

Full article is in links opposite bottom right.

Comment:
All three crossings as well as the Grange Rd one are located in the State seat of Oakleigh, a previously safe Labor seat on 12.4% still held by Ann Barker but now presently on a more marginal 4.85% . Considering the borderline majority of the Victorian State Government (in power only by two lower house seats) this political scenerio may well present the best chance for grade separation for all these congested crossings in the near future.

Level Crossing workshop - more talk?

Recently Vicroads has been widely letter dropping in all the affected areas details of a forum/workshop they are conducting at Carnegie Library on Tues 6th September 630-830pm on level crossings on the Dandenong line.

All local residents in the area know this is the biggest issue in the area right thru from Caulfield to Oakleigh and Im not sure of the value of further 'workshops' -
Everyone knows what the problem is and what the solution is.

There needs to be a solid committment by the State Govt to fund this grade separation as soon as possible - Presently for the M/Beena rd crossing re previous posting there is $2.5m allocated to plan/study in this term and a further $150m if re-elected in 2014.Will be interested to see the outcomes of these workshops,

Levels Crossings in Glen Eira and the State Budget

As one who resides near the Murrumbeena Rd railway level crossing I certainly understand the problems caused particularily during the peak hour periods.

It's not only motorists but cyclists and pedestrians alike who are frequently stuck with the boom gates down (upto 38 mins in the hour as reported in a recent article in the Age)- My record is waiting for eight trains - heard of higher amounts.

In the recent State budget brought down last Tuesday there is some funding for grade separation in Glen Eira .

Both Ormond (Nth rd) and Murrumbeena Rd level crossings have been allocated $150m each for grade separation -However the only amount spent in the 2010-14 term with be $12.5m and $2.5m on each of the respective sites for planning-

from press release
" The Budget also provides funding for planning the removal of level crossings at: Mountain Highway and Scoresby Road, Bayswater; North Road, Ormond; Blackburn Road, Blackburn; and Burke Road, Glen Iris. The Coalition has also identified Main Road, St Albans, and Murrumbeena Road, Murrumbeena as priority projects".

Many of the worst crossings incl M/beena, Carnegie, Hughesdale with Ormond on the electoral boundary are in the now more marginal State seat of Oakleigh which may help the future prospects of resolving this issue!

full details - http://www.budget.vic.gov.au/budget.html