Blackburn crossing removal – contract signed, but flaws remain

The State government today has finally signed the contract to remove the Blackburn Road level crossing, a project funded by the Napthine government in May last year.

However, the serious flaws in the project design still need to be fixed.

As I’ve pointed out previously, the designs for the Blackburn station subway and the new bike path alongside the station are a mess.

There are no proposals for any substantial improvements to the current narrow subway, and the current plans will force cyclists using the new bike path to ride across the busy footpath right in front of the subway entrance – a huge safety risk.

The government needs to look at ways to make the subway wider, and to open up and re-align the subway entrances to provide better visibility and “see through”.

It would also seem much better for the bike path to run between the footpath and the railway line near the subway, going over the top of the subway entrance, as Whitehorse Cyclists and others have proposed.

Other parts of the project also need to be sorted out, such as the traffic light set-up for South Parade, Blackburn Road and Central Road, including making sure Central Road traffic will still have opportunities to turn right into Blackburn Road once the boom gates have gone.

As well, there are issues about how the new Cottage Street footbridge will join up with the existing bike path east of Morton Park.

I’ve been trying for months to get the government to meet and talk about the best ways to tackle these sorts of issues. Premier Andrews has said today there will be further talks with stakeholders. These talks need to find ways to fix the problems and get the design for the project right.

Doing so will make all the difference between a great outcome and an outcome that leaves the community with nagging problems for years to come.