Thank you to all the Candidates. Clem Newton Brown, Neil Pharoah , Sam Hibbins and all those who attended the South Yarra/Prahran public debate earlier tonight. Live debate and community interaction is by far better than online social media and mail box drops.
We would like to also thank Herald Sun State Political Editor. James Campbell, for his role as moderator and a special thank you to Catherine Misson, the staff and parents of Melbourne Girls Grammar School South Yarra for the use of Ross Hall. Your support and engagement in the local community is greatly appreciated. – It was suggested that we should engage the students more and ask them to participate and ask questions. An idea I am keen to explore next opportunity.
Thank you all who attended.
Anthony van der Craats
Convener.
We recorded the event and hope to publish online the proceedings
#Prahran candidates have their say tonight @clemnewtonbrown @Neilpharaoh @Sam_Hibbins @SthYarra_net_au pic.twitter.com/qrbBQU9YIx
— Bianca Villarosa (@BiancaVillarosa) November 20, 2014
Questions that were submitted online but did not get answered due to time constraints.
Punt Road:
Punt Road has been a problem for over 30 years and divides our community and nothing has been done to address this issue.
Road widening is not the solution. Public Transport only addresses a part of the problem
Preferred solution is a road tunnel under Punt Road between the Yarra Rover and the Nepean Highway (4.1Km) with an exit tunnel at Dandenong Road.
Metro Rail Tunnel:
There is growing concern that the proposed Metro Tunnel which crosses punt road underground will impact on the possible future construction of an underground road tunnel along Punt Road.
What steps will you take to ensure that the design and construction of the metro tunnel will not prevent or preclude the design and construction of a road tunnel in the future?
Metro Tunnel:
Cannot the Metro Tunnel be designed to facilitate access to Flinders Street and a second branch to South Melbourne, Fishermans Bend and Spencer Street in the future.
Toorak Road/Clear Ways:
Will you support the Establishment of Clearways along Toorak Road in the evening 4-6:30PM?
This question was asked by the moderator. All three candidates said No .
The problem with traffic flow has gotten worst since the implementation of City Link Tolls and nothing has been done to address this issue. It is seriously affecting access for both businesses and local residents and our environment.
Municipal Review:
There is a need for a review in municipal boundaries within inner Melbourne
The State Seat of Prahran is covers three Municipalities (Melbourne, Stonnington and Port Phillip) the area between Queens Road and St Kilda Road should be under the City of Melbourne. South Yarra itself is divided . The differential in rates paid in each municipality is considerable.
The former city of Prahran has more in common with the City of Melbourne than Malvern or Chadstone
Will the candidates support the holding of a review of Municipal boundaries in inner Melbourne with the view of ascertaining support and merits of a merger or changes to municipal boundaries
Traffic Congestion and Traffic Management:
Traffic management in the inner city of non-existent the closure of traffic lanes on Princess Bridge and the construction of closed Bicycle lanes have caused congestion and displacement of vehicle traffic with no alternative access to the city provided to the East of Princess Bridge. Swan Street Bridge is poorly managed with the City of Melbourne denying any responsibility or control over Swan Street and alternative access to the City from the south along. There is no oversight or coordination of traffic management with the situation only getting worst.
What steps will you take to address these issues and provide oversight of the City of Melbourne to put an end to the engineering of congestion in the City and its impact on South Yarra and neighbouring areas?
St Kilda Road Bike Lanes:
The closed separation bike lanes along St Kilda Road have done little to nothing to assist cyclist and are having a detrimental impact on safety of other road users, families, the aged, the disabled and pedestrians.
A better alternative would be the City of Melbourne Haig Paulson “East Melbourne Claredon Street” open lane design which allows cyclists to travel outside the car door opening zone. For the cost of one segment of the so called Copenhagen closed lane design we could have an improved and safer bike path all the way from the Yarra to the St Kilda Road Junction.
What steps will you take to ensure that our money is widely spent and that all road users are taken into consideration when allocating funding for infrastructure development?
Bike lanes:
Bike lanes are becoming a problem in the inner city area. Alternative solutions need to be pursued Instead of taking up road space and placing narrow bike paths down busy streets which creates a false sense of security and safety with motorists thinking it is a safe zone for parked cars to open doors.
What will you do to encourage the development of alternative cyclist routes away from busy main roads?
Bicycle registration:
Should bicyclists be required to take out public liability insurance and registration as is the case with other road users? Recent media report of cyclist being liable for 1.6 Million dollars in damage costs and the increasing number o accidents involving cyclist and pedestrians give cause for concern.