Bellarine Times
Tuesday 26 January 2010
VOL 3. No 04
www.bellarinetimes.com.au
Happy Australia Day! Kite making and face painting will be just two of the family-focused activities at Ocean Grove today to celebrate our national day. Borough of Queenscliffe will also host an Australia Day event, with annual citizen awards to be presented as part of the celebrations. Alex Anastassiou, 6, of Ocean Grove is ready to celebrate the big day. Photo: ALISON MARTIN
SEE PAGE 15
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Drysdale & Clifton Springs Monthly
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BELLARINE PENINSULA EDITION
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This stunning home is situated on The Esplanade with lovely bay views across to the Melbourne skyline. Polished floorboards are a feature of this home. Three bedrooms, main with walk-in-robe and full en-suite. Downstairs are two bedrooms, one with built-in-robes, a living area and study. Upstairs there is the main bedroom. This adjoins the open plan lounge and dining room. The timber kitchen has a dishwasher, a gas hotplate and an electric oven. There is a large sundeck ideal for entertaining and sipping that glass of champagne on a warm summers evening. Low maintenance garden with double garage. Workshop to the rear of the property. Inspection: By appointment
> PG 18 & 19
Residents meet to voice concerns over pedestrian and cyclist safety in Point Lonsdale
BY ALISON MARTIN
POINT Lonsdale residents are calling for safer crossings, speed reductions and a range of other initiatives to improve cycling and pedestrian safety. The need for crossings on Point Lonsdale’s major roads was raised repeatedly at a community meeting hosted by the local ‘People Out and About Point Lonsdale’ group last week. Meeting convenor, Gavin Hodge, said repairs to pathways at the Springs car park area, and the establishment of a shared off-road pathway between Point Lonsdale and Ocean Grove were also issues that concerned Point Lonsdale cyclists and pedestrians. POAPL member, Peter Rumpf, said more than 30 people attended the meeting, including the mother of a child who had been knocked off his bike by a
Surf Forecast
car on his way to Point Lonsdale Primary School. “People are very keen to have a safe crossing on Point Lonsdale Road for children walking or riding to school,” he said. “Point Lonsdale has a high proportion of students who ride or walk to school. They have about 55 per cent of students who ride so there is urgent demand for safe routes to the school.” Rumpf said Queenscliff and Point Lonsdale residents discussed concerns with the condition of specific roads and problems with some intersections, including Grimes and Nelson Road near health and aged care facilities. He said there was also congestion in Point Lonsdale’s shopping centre with pedestrians, cyclists, motorists, car parking, buses and visitors to the park and foreshore all using one location.
“There is the problem of speed. It’s a major issue and there is call for 50km/h on main roads and 40km/h on all other roads and through the shopping strip,” Rumpf said. Rumpf said vegetation across roads and verges, including overhanging branches, also posed a real danger for cyclists. “People with disabilities and in wheelchairs also have concerns with access because of the lack of footpaths, uneven turf on the roadsides and vegetation,” he said. “Dogs off their leashes are a real problem for people on bikes and pedestrians and this is clearly not policed. “There is also a lack of bike racks and it needs a major push, in fact some businesses have indicated they are prepared to pay for racks outside their shops.
“The issue is, particularly around Point Lonsdale, that we have so many shared pathways, a lot of cyclists and very few footpaths. “Council really wants our input and is genuine about improving safety, but whether it has the funds to make all the changes is another thing. “The next step is to go to council with a summary of the issues raised by the community and list of priorities.” POAPL is an independent community group and called the meeting after encouragement from Borough of Queenscliffe councillors to provide public opinion on roads and pathways, prior to council’s budget planning for 2010-2011. For more information on how you can assist making Point Lonsdale a safer place to ride and walk, visit poapl.blogspot.com
WED 2-3ft building, S 24° THU 2-3ft solid, S 26° FRI 1-2ft+ windy S 24° SAT 3-4ft solid NE 27°
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