Kingston's Bay Trail

I am opposed to the narrowing of Beach Rd based on safety for cyclists. I am not a cyclist myself but I admire the thousands who take to Beach Rd regularly for their fitness and health. I would love to join them but the ride from my home to Beach Rd requires riding on Warrigal Rd which I am not prepared to attempt.

I am a bike rider and any narrowing of Beach Road will be dangerous for the bunches that ride mid week between 6:00 - 7:00am; especially over the rise at Mentone Hotel. There has been an truce between the early peak hour traffic and bunches, cars in the right hand lane and bikes in the left. Any narrowing of these lanes will force bunches passing other bunches into the right hand lane which will be dangerous when vehicles coming over that rise at 60 kpm and finding a bunch in the right hand lane.
I ask that staff making this decision view the bunches mid week between 6:00 - 7:00am.
There is an existing track through the bushes and should be the preferred route for the bike path.
I walk through there often and any clean up of the scrub along the top would be welcome.

Thank you for the opportunity to provide feedback. This plan is ill conceived and fails to properly assess safety issues for all users. It is being driven by the protection of vegetation as a priority. All reasonable people understand that our environment must be protected, but not at this cost. We are making it safer for cyclists on a bay trail and more dangerous for road users, and cyclists on the road. One lane each way is the effective outcome. if you travel this road regularly as I do this is the inevitable conclusion.

As for parking - we are making it harder for the public to access safely our community's greatest asset, a safe family beach. I am dumbstruck by this decision, and the paucity of consultation simply frustrates me more. Listen to the people who use this space, and build the bay trail as it was originally planned, increase parking and safe access for beach goers. vegetation offsets are available and with some smarts can even be achieved along this foreshore area.

Seriously why are we still talking and not doing what the residents want, as proposed back in
2016. Why is the Council wasting OUR MONEY on further consultation? Vic Roads have agreed with the proposal 2016 and now need the Council to show why with public support they need to change the original plan. Do any of the Councillors who opposed the original plan ride a bike? Might be a good idea if they did, espically at school time or the weekend!!

I am all for the bay trail. My only concern relates to the narrowing of Beach Road due to the number of cyclists who insist on travelling two or more abreast when passing a parked car and travelling into the second lane. It is very hazardous and very selfish on the part of the cyclists who do this. I would love to see this policed for a while which would hopefully get the culprits out of the habit they are in.

I am really struggling to understand why the continuation of the Bay Trail approved by the councillors in 2016, together with all their residence consultation and expert reports has been thrown out with the new councillors….why is my money as a rate payer being spent on this change.. I feel it is a complete waste of time, money and resource. More than 80% of the residence were happy last year, why change.

I do not support the latest proposal for the completion of the Bay Trail (as accepted by Kingston Council in March 2017). I participated in the full consultation process held in 2016, and I firmly support the outcome of the process that resulted in the proposal for the Bay Trail accepted by Kingston Council in September 2016. I believe that the September 2016 proposal achieved such a great public acceptance (82%) because it carefully balanced all aspects under consideration, in particular the retention of vegetation and the use of offset replanting.

In particular, I am heartily disappointed and disgusted by the replacement of the September 2016 proposal by the March 2017 proposal, a proposal that:
• Significantly changed the impacts associated with variable lane narrowing, allowance of kerbside parking on both sides, reduction in off-road parking, and the introduction of new no-standing zones and periods.
• Provided for minimal reduction in the amount of “low value scrub” vegetation removal, by 0.15 hectares from 1.0 hectares to 0.85 hectares.
• Was created without any public consultation in spite of the introduction of significant new planning aspects (see first point above).
• Did not consider the impact on the amenity of beachside residents.
• Was short on detail and risk assessment in respect of traffic and cyclist flows.
• Was likely to be challenged or changed when fully detailed plans were provided to VicRoads.

I find it hard to believe that we could be faced now with a major arterial road being narrowed, and, at times, restricted to one lane each way in parts. Especially when it is accepted that traffic and cyclist volumes are increasing, and when road planners are now looking to widen roads and create or enlarge cyclist lanes throughout greater Melbourne.

I would also like it to be known that I am not a “tree-hater”, and object to being labelled as such by one of my ward councillors during the March 2017 council meeting. In fact, I deem myself to have been most fortunate to have walked and run through the very verdant beachside area in question on most days for the last 40+ years. I also have much joy in maintaining several large trees on and around my property.

Last year, the community was consulted and it was found the majority preferred a path that now differs to what is being proposed by Councillors. Please listen to your community. Stick to the original path that was recommended last year.

Available Parking – Many beachgoers park on surrounding side streets. With the removal of Beach Road parking in this popular Bayside area, it will become increasingly difficult for residents and guests to find parking in the residential streets within a block or two of Beach Road during the warmer months.

The same issue will be present for all neighbourhoods within one or two blocks of the beach from Mentone to Mordialloc. This will create problems in providing adequate parking for beach goers, but also for the Mentone Lifesaving Club, Mordialloc Lifesaving Club and Parkdale Yacht Club users, as well as café patrons for various establishments along the Bay Trail. Additionally, parents doing school pickups at Mentone Girls Secondary College & St Bede’s College, among others will find reduced side street parking, creating even more headaches for local residents.

2. Lane Reductions – Lane reduction to one way in each direction is a dangerous option that presents a risk to motorists and cyclists. Beach Road is a popular cycling route, especially on weekends. Reducing vehicle traffic to one lane in each direction will mean a tighter space and increased risk of collision between motorists and cyclists. At present, it can be difficult to safely pass groups of more than three cyclists with the existing two lanes of traffic (when cyclists are occupying the full width of the far-left lane). Reducing traffic flows to one lane will mean that cyclists and vehicles will be occupying the same lane. This is a dangerous proposition that clearly does not take into account the popularity of Beach Road as a cycling route.

Ignoring Community Consultation – Previous community consultation was held and the overwhelming response was for the Bay Trail to be back of kerb with no loss of Beach Road parking. This follows the same design as constructed for the already completed leg that runs along Beach Road to Charman Road and the Mentone Lifesaving Club. The Council already confirmed this option for the final leg of the Bay Trail. The community has voiced it’s opinion and desires on this matter and to have officials (who purportedly don’t live along Beach Road and the surrounding side streets) push for an option which actively opposes the confirmed views is insulting and wasteful. How much time, money and energy has been spent to date in gaining community feedback, only to ignore it when it didn’t produce the results some Council members were hoping for? How much more time and money is to be spent in design rework to accommodate new design plans, which the community does not support?

This plan is dangerous and badly thought out. It will impact on cyclists, drivers, those wanting to visit the beach and local cafes. People want to enjoy all the amenities of the area and this ridiculous plan will thwart that.

With the population growing and traffic increasing exponentially we should be looking to make our roads more usable and safe not less. Beach road is not only a major thoroughfare to our city which should not be chocked, it is also a scenic asset that draws tourists another asset our businesses can't afford to lose. My opinion is to leave the at trail as per the original plans which the people of Kingston City have already agreed to.

Council should not narrow beach road. This is not what residents want. Safety should be a priority. When there is a "fatality" it will be no good to say "we tried to tell you".

I have not been across the politics and processes of this decision, however, as a daily cyclist on Beach Road my concern is that motorists do not stop at the off road shared footpath they stop at the road as that's where their thinking is- not paths!!
So thats my thing- the cycle path should take up,the small part of Beach Road for the safety of cyclists!

If you narrow beach road think of all the schools and local communities that will suffer, listen more to the people that live in Kingston after all you can always replant a tree!!

Any narrowing of beach road is dangerous for the many road users. It's s congregation end used by bike riders, a merge end for cars traveling to and from Frankston as well as a busy school traffic zone. Our great schools bring many children to a very limited section of beach road at Mentone and they are not worth risking to avoid replanting as seems to be the famous fives only priority. Time to listen to rate payers not run your own agenda.

1. I don’t support any move by Council to narrow Beach Rd.

2. Where is the Council Risk Assessment in relation to public safety? Eg: cyclists, traffic management, pedestrians?

3. Where is the support for local clubs like the Parkdale Yacht Club for parking?

4. What is the impact to the net loss of car parking spaces for local residents?

5. What about the influx of people going to the beach in summer? How will beach rd cope?

6. Other people outside Kingston use Beach Rd. It’s a major thoroughfare to the city. How will Kingston Council consult those people?

7. Why is Kingston Council consulting residents now, *AFTER* the decision has already been made and voted on by Councillors?

Nobody voted for Council to close Beach Rd.

As both a resident of Kingston and a vulnerable road user of Beach road, my greatest concern is one of safety.

Narrowing Beach road from 14 to 12 meters at the narrowest points, placing many of the vulnerable road users at risk of entering into traffic lanes placing their safety at great risk.

Having the vulnerable road users entering into traffic lanes will no doubt escalate the frustration experienced by all road users and will generate potential of increased impacts between road users.

I understand the need to keep vegetation where there is an issue of significance, however on this occasion it would appear that the councils decision is to place road user safety down the list.

I would request that you all review the councils decision, road user safety and community feed back and request that any issue of safety be considered more importantly over vegetation.

Do not Narrow beach road
Dodster

The proposal as passed by the council re the Bay Trail completion is NOT what residents initially approved. The proposal will create an unacfeptable level of risk to users including but not limited to pedestrians and cyclists. As a rate payer i DO NOT expect previous community consultation to be completely disregarded and a new plan implemented (steam rollled) through council! Since when did vegetation become more important than human lives? I am totally disgusted with the behaviors and lack of representation of the responsible councilors and Kingston management on this pertinent community issue. They do not deserve the office they bear.
Next on my list is to write to the government as first on my list.

Please don't narrow beach road. It will just slow down traffic

We are totally against the narrowing of Beach Rd. As a resident who lives one house back from Beach Rd, I experience and witness the already chaotic and dangerous traffic everyday and that is without the narrowing. There are cars, busses, pedestrians and cyclists all competing for the road. We have frustrated drivers tearing up and down our street to get away from the bank of traffic and congestion. We have people parking across our driveway on weekends. Would have to imagine what will happen if narrowed. We also witness many accidents and pedestrians being hurt . I find this a very ridiculous proposal as it will with out a doubt create serious accidents, further congestion, road rage, and deaths. This does not only affect us rate paying residents but also people who visit Beach, people who excercise, cyclists, tourists, surf club members, yacht club members and people who visit Mordi. There are other options. Its is a discrace that the council is putting public safety in front of a few replaceable trees. I just don't get it.