Push to get city moving
Council’s new call on transport future
GEELONG council is calling on the State Government to progress the extension of the Geelong Ring Road to the Bellarine Peninsula and a plan to build a bridge over Corio Bay, as part of a series of trafficbusting proposals.
Councillors on Tuesday night rejected a transport network operating plan (TNOP) prepared by city officers, instead passing an alternative recommendation from Brownbill Ward councillor Eddy Kontelj.
The new motion requested the city develop a pair of new operating plans while also calling for:
THE Bellarine Link — connecting the Geelong Ring Road to Portarlington Rd — to be planned and built by the State Government, with funding to be included in the 2020-12 state Budget;
A BRIDGE over Corio Bay from Point Henry to Avalon to be the subject of an urgent viability and financial assessment by the Government;
THE prioritisation of upgrades of Fyans St and Breakwater Rd to accommodate more trucks and heavy vehicles, and for the Department of Transport to no longer recognise McKillop St — between Latrobe Tce and Ormond Rd — as a priority freight route; and
URGENT improved access and connectivity of bus services, to be delivered by the State Government.
Cr Kontelj warned simply passing the presented TNOP would not have done enough to address “the huge issues we have with east-west traffic”.
“If we support the TNOP as it’s being presented, we’re really just kicking the can down the road again,” he said.
The TNOP is a long-term plan for the future of transport and movement in and around central Geelong, managing and prioritising different transport modes into and through the CBD.
Cr Kontelj’s new plans include calls for the city to advocate to the Government for both the Bellarine Link and bridge over Corio Bay.
Plans for a bridge over Corio Bay from Point Henry to Avalon are decades old, with the State Government’s Point Henry plan in August noting the possibility of a transport connection across the 4.8km stretch.
The Bellarine Link, otherwise known as the Geelong Ring Road Extension, provides an alternative route to the Bellarine Peninsula by connecting Baanip Boulevard to Portarlington Rd.
The project received $4 million in the 2016-17 state Budget for planning, with Major Road Projects Victoria taking over responsibility last year.