Left turn removed to make way for buses
Removal of a left turn lane at the intersection of Victoria and Albert Sts in Warragul last week was done to accommodate new town bus services.
The change was initiated by Public Transport Victoria that said it redesigned the intersection in conjunction with both VicRoads and Baw Baw Shire to improve safety.
Traffic affected are vehicles travelling from the north on Victoria St.
PTV spokesperson John Lindsay said retaining the former the left turn lane, now blocked by new kerbing, would have forced buses to impede into other lanes of traffic when making the left turn into Albert St.
Additional and more frequent town bus services for Warragul – and Drouin – were introduced by PTV from last Sunday.
Mr Lindsay said buses and other motorists could now continue south on Victoria St, or turn left into Albert St, safely from one-lane.
However, Warragul resident and former engineer with the shire Gerry Prestney was far from impressed lodging a complaint with the shire and describing the work as “unnecessary and a bad piece of engineering”.
“Not only is the left turn lane gone but the cycle path is effectively blocked off, forcing riders to deviate into the through lane while going down a steep hill”.
He also claimed it was contrary to road rules that state left turns should be made from as far left as practicable.
Mr Prestney said the treatment of intersections was inconsistent in Warragul.
The council last year installed kerbs protruding onto Queen St East removing left hand turning lanes into Pearse and Pheonix Sts, but developers had been required to construct left turn lanes at new roads into estates on Princes Way west of Tarwin St and on Queen St East at Hazel Drive, he stated.
Council’s acting director community assets Vishal Gupta said PTV had been asked for additional line marking and signage in Victoria St between Craig and Albert Sts to provide better delineation for cyclists and help traffic safely merge while travelling south.
He pointed out in a reply to Mr Prestney that the previously shared bicycle and parking lane ended when it became a left hand turn lane approaching Albert St with cyclists needing to merge with through traffic to legally cross the intersection.
The kerb oustand built last week retains the previous legal approach, Mr Gupta said.
A former Baw Baw Shire councillor has described as “just a cash grab” a proposed increase in the differential rate for vacant land by the shire council in its draft budget for 2017-18.
Speaking at last week’s Baw Baw Shire Ratepayers and Citizens’ Association meeting Murray Cook said the draft budget proposed raising the rate from 160 to 180 per cent of the general rate on capital improved valuations.
He urged the association to oppose the increase in a submission to council on the draft budget.
Mr Cook said the level of rates on vacant land were a disincentive to young people looking to buy a block of land and saving towards building a home.
Council is already doing well out of the opening of new developments, he said, referring to the contributions paid on them by developers as well as by people when they start to build.
Submissions on the draft budget and rating strategy for next financial year and the 10-year infrastructure and financial strategy plans close on Friday, May 26.
Council will hold a special meeting on May 31 to hear from people that want to speak in support of submissions they have made. It plans to present the budget for adoption at its meeting on Wednesday, June 28.
Shire’s ‘cash grab’