Inverleigh farmer’s fury
Machinery won’t fit down the main street under new plans, says local
FARMERS are the latest to be aggrieved by the Inverleigh streetscape plan, fearing the drafts threaten to squeeze them out of town or damage expensive agricultural machinery.
Golden Plains Shire released two further options last week for the yet-to-be-funded town plan revitalisation following community feedback.
The council has now abandoned its plans to limit truck stopping bays, and offered a softened one-way street proposal in one of the two options.
But median strips now proposed for the Hamilton Highway have raised the ire of local farmers, including Stewart Hamilton, who said his machinery wouldn’t fit through town should the plan go ahead.
“Our harvester is 5.3m wide and some of the machinery is up to 6m wide … and we’re talking about machines that are upwards of 30 tonnes and up to $700,000 as well, so we’re pretty precious about what we do and don’t run over,” he said.
“If we had to run over kerbs with the machinery, our harvester has two tractor tyres on each side and each tyre is worth $4500 each and if they start running over kerbing it would just destroy the tyre.”
Golden Plains Shire has refused to go into detail about the dimensions of the potential l infrastructure, but claims they y have engaged experts who as- sure them the islands will be “semi-mountable” to suit heavy vehicles.
“Council has engaged traffic engineering consultants to provide professional advice and the traffic islands have been designed in accordance with that professional advice,” a spokeswoman said.
“Vehicles with up to 5.3 metre wheel width will be able to traverse the main street by tracking over the outer edge of the median.”
The spokeswoman said Re- gional Roads Victoria was “fully supportive” of the concept plans featuring changes to the state road.
It is unclear whether signage will also be installed on the islands, but she said it would be “located well clear of any over-width vehicles”.
Under Victorian guidelines, the width of the Hamilton Highway should be 10m, but the sealed surface barely ext tends 8m through parts of Inv verleigh, meaning the road b being brought up to standard would be critical to the improvements.
Regional Roads Victoria chief regional roads officer Paul Northey said RRV recognised the Hamilton Highway was one of the state’s “most important freight routes” for primary producers.
“Along with safety, a key focus for us is ensuring major freight routes can meet growing demand and that they are supporting Victorian industries,” Mr Northey said.
Inverleigh campaigner Andrea Bolton, who organised a public rally against the initial plans, said while the town had some wins in the new plans, the alternatives didn’t go far enough.
Both the Victorian Farmers’ Federation and Livestock and Rural Transport Association of Victoria have also lent their support.
The federation’s grains councillor Anthony Mulcahy said: “Given the importance of agriculture to the region, it is critical any developments to the Inverleigh streetscape do not restrict access for agricultural machinery and heavy vehicles”.
A community meeting will be held next Monday at Inverleigh Bowls Club in the first public forum, before an online feedback opportunity.