Reading ……………………..19 to

Reading—le er to the editor Council has walked away from another public road issue

Vol 16 September 15th 2017 The Beagle Editor, Vol 28 December 7th, 2017 Vol 48 April 27th 2018 Following upon the significant interest in maintaining Coopers Island Road, albeit with a gate across it, as a public road, I consider it mely to raise the Wagonga Scenic Drive issue again, see h ps://www.beagleweekly.com.au/ post/is-council-walking-away-from-another-public-road-under-its-control It would appear that the Eurobodalla Shire Council (ESC) lost interest in part of the Wagonga Scenic Drive back in 2010 having removed some of the signage in rela on to the ‘tourist route’. In summary, maintenance of the sec on of Wagonga Scenic Drive between Box Cu er Road and Red Knob Road, including Makins Creek Bridge, had been undertaken by Forestry Corpora on NSW (Forestry) despite the sec on of the road being part of a public road which would fall to the ESC to maintain. For opera onal reasons Forestry are no longer involved in maintaining the road and the ESC has not taken back responsibility for maintaining the public road. Not only is a public road no longer being treated as such but Forestry has been permi ed to construct eight (8) mounds along the sec on of road and signs have been erected to exclude all but bike riders and bushwalkers (on whose authority can a public road become a bike and walking track?) There arises a ques on as to access for the NSW Rural Fire Brigade. This sec on of public road runs northsouth North-West of Dalmeny and North Narooma. Is this piece of road required in the event of bushfire from the North West of Narooma? (Closed and impassable public roads were found to be an issue in Victoria during an enquiry into rela vely recent devasta ng bushfires.) It would appear that by stealth, and without transparency, part of a public road has been groomed by Forestry and the ESC to ‘quietly’ become not a public road any longer. What once provided amenity for many, including tourists, will no longer be accessible, except to cyclists and walkers. A er over a decade of obfusca on the ratepayers of the ESC should be en tled to know the plan for this piece of road and the jus fica on for the plan. Deirdre Russack