Residents call for end to Blackburn devastation
Blackburn residents last night called for an end to the devastation being caused by the government’s handling of the Blackburn rail project.
At a packed meeting at the Whitehorse Council offices, residents grilled VicRoads and LXRA officials about the government’s bike path route decision and the loss of up to 450 trees.
Unfortunately, the explanations were long on process and short on detail. The bottom line seemed to be “Even if we didn’t consult with you properly, we would still be doing it the same anyway.”.
The meeting comes as further trees have been cut down without explanation on South Parade, with most of the remaining Blackburn Village trees near and west of the station underpass still under threat, and the future of Laburnum Street and Elmore Walk unclear.
The crossing removal and bike path should be being done with proper planning and consultation, so they provide lasting benefits, not needless destruction and lost opportunities, such as not widening the station underpass.
I’ve urged the Ministers for Public Transport, Roads and Planning to visit Blackburn to see for themselves the harm they are causing and to act to end it.
Residents can send the same message to the government by emailing jacinta.allan@parliament.vic.gov.au, luke.donnellan@parliament.vic.gov.au and richard.wynne@parliament.vic.gov.au, and copying me in at robert.clark@parliament.vic.gov.au.
Residents have a further opportunity to make their feelings known at a second VicRoads forum next week, on the Laburnum section of the bike path, to be held on Tuesday 19 July at 7pm, Box Hill Town Hall, Lower Hall, 1022 Whitehorse Road, Box Hill.
Residents can also register support for the campaign to save Blackburn from this destruction, at blackburnsolution@gmail.com. For more about the campaign, see The Blackburn Solution.
For the VicRoads page on the government’s bike path proposal, see http://bit.ly/29He78O.