2018-08-24
Ms PENNICUIK (Southern Metropolitan) (18:04:12) — My adjournment matter this evening is for the attention of the Minister for Roads and Road Safety. It concerns the Walmer Street land bridge construction. The City of Boroondara, which is responsible for the Kew section of this bridge, has raised this issue with me. Since early 2013 the council has been actively monitoring and responding to safety and usability concerns about the Walmer Street bridge. It is comprised of three components: the land bridge in the City of Boroondara, the river bridge across the Yarra and the land bridge in the City of Yarra. It provides a strategic link into the Melbourne central business district and a vital link for the communities of Kew, Richmond and Abbotsford. It is a key connection across the Yarra River which enables people to cycle and walk with easy access to the Victoria Gardens Shopping Centre, for example. It is identified on the principal bike network as a bicycle priority route. Daily weekday numbers show usage in excess of 2200 people, with over 1300 cyclists and almost 900 pedestrians. On weekends there is also high usage, with daily figures approaching 2500 with an almost equal split of pedestrians and cyclists.
The land bridge section is not disability compliant, it is excessively steep — known locally as the big dipper effect — and it has a clear width of only 1.73 metres. An independent road safety audit has also confirmed these safety issues. In addition to the safety concerns created by the geometry and the width issues, the land bridge is showing signs of structural failure. It has been supported since January 2013 with temporary scaffolding and props. Boroondara council says that without urgent attention and reconstruction the land bridge is expected to deteriorate, and everyone is aware of this. Council has developed a detailed design for the bridge reconstruction and all the approvals are in place for it.
The Minister for Planning, on 4 August, said that he had $200 000 for a scoping study. The council and others agree that all the parties need to be brought together, but the problem is the community needs to know that the bridge will actually be built after the scoping study is perhaps — hopefully — completed by the end of the year. We need a 5-metre-wide bridge that is grade separated, and we need the funding to be confirmed prior to the election so that the funding for this bridge will be provided in the next budget.
The PRESIDENT — What if they are not the government?
Ms PENNICUIK— Thank you, President. Can the minister provide assurances that if they are in government, they will provide the funding required for the Walmer Street land bridge?