Ms BADGER (Lyons) -Honourable speaker, I seek the leave of the House to table a document, which is a petition that has been prepared but unfortunately does not conform with the Standing Orders.
The SPEAKER – So do you want to to seek the leave now?
Ms BADGER – Might I speak to it first? Or whichever way works.
The SPEAKER – We can. It is probably easier to. Do we care when she speaks at the Table first? No, you can do what you want. It might be easier. Oh, finish your contribution. But you will have to. We will have –
Ms BADGER – Thank you.
The SPEAKER – We will have to have the vote in your time.
Ms BADGER – Speaker, this petition is calling for activation of an already existing State Growth transport corridor for the use of a heavy vehicle alternative route to remove negative impacts on residents, visitor safety and health and wellbeing caused by heavy vehicles travelling along the Gordon River Road through Westerway. This petition is signed by 86 residents of Westerway, which is 97 per cent of ratepayers living on or adjacent to the Gordon River Road in Westerway.
Westerway is a historic village nestled by the Tyenna River in the picturesque Derwent Valley. During the late 1800s the narrow main road running through Westerway accommodated horse and carriage and remains characteristic of the town today. The road was lined with modest railway cottages, simple shops – and then education department homes from when the primary school was opened in 1920.
Heavy vehicles travelled through Westerway on the main road that was not designed to accommodate vehicles that are wider than a horse and carriage.
The position of most homes means the road cannot be changed. The original road design and purpose no longer meets contemporary or industrial demand and poses consequences for community safety. Traffic data indicates there is an average of more than 100 heavy vehicles travelling through the village per day. That number is forecast to increase with Hydro’s planned works on the Edgar Dam that will require more than 2000 truck movements for dam fill alone.
At present, there are 47 buildings that are located within roughly a one kilometre stretch of the impacted road, including businesses and a primary school; facing walls on some of the homes measured just 3.3 metres away from the edge of the road.
This petition requests construction of the heavy vehicle alternative route on an unactivated transport corridor, land that was surveyed, acquired and dedicated to State Growth in the 1980s. The proposed corridor triangulates with the Gordon River Road and the Ellendale Road. The length of the alternative route is currently cleared land and there are no matters of major environmental significance that would be adversely affected by activating this transport corridor.
To be clear, the community is not seeking a bypass. The Gordon River Road is a critical route for tourists, bushwalkers and outdoor recreators going to Mt Field, the Styx Tall Trees area, the Wilderness World Heritage Area and the Southwest National Park. Local businesses rely on this trade and the community welcomes visitors who come to marvel at this picturesque town. The heavy vehicle alternative route would be exclusively for large trucks.
We have already seen community‑driven heavy vehicle alternative routes in Mansfield Shire, Victoria, with funding support from local, state and federal governments to much success.
In Westerway, locals deserve to walk safely to the shop and tourists coming to our national parks expect to be able to cross the road safely. One local resident who uses mobility scooters and assistance to get around, whose property was actually intersected by the transport corridor in the 1980s, still enthusiastically signed this petition because he simply wants a safer main road. It is time to construct a heavy vehicle alternative route at Westerway.
The SPEAKER – You are seeking leave now?
Ms BADGER – Yes.
Leave granted.
Petition tabled.
