Kingston's Bay Trail

Hi I am appalled that the councillors that are pushing for a narrowing of Beach Rd do not even live on Beach Rd and therefore do not have any first hand knowledge of what the ramifications would be if the road was narrowed. I do live on Beach Rd and see first hand the large packs of cyclists that use Beach Rd and the beeping of horns from frustrated drivers trying to get past them. Mind you this is happening while Beach Rd is at its normal width. Then there are the hoons that are hitting high speeds in cars and on motor bikes even in the middle of the day and various times of the night on different days.
How can anyone not see narrowing Beach Rd will create dangerous situations for everyone concerned.
Maybe these councillors would like to try and get out of a driveway on Beach Rd at peak traffic times to see how absurd to think that narrowing it would be safe in any way. The complete arrogance of these councillors to completely ignore the original plans for this bike trail and also ignore VicRoads advise against narrowing due to safety issues.

Dear Pro road narrowing Councillors, I am appalled by the total lack of consideration for road users, especially the safety of cyclists, in your efforts to reduce Beach Road to one lane, all for a bunch of weeds. Fortunately I have faith that the State Govt will block this insane idea.

Hi. I am against narrowing of beach road, reducing car park spaces. This compromises safety for pedestrians & motorists. It will increase parking in side streets causing more safety issues. Also it can deteur tourists away from Mordialloc & Parkdale.

I am a resident of Beach Rd and am strongly opposed to any narrowing of this important road

This road is shared by cyclists and motor vehicles will endanger cyclists particularly on weekends

Ian Jennings

I am a resident of Beach RD and I a completely against narrowing Beach rd.
Beach rd in its present condition cannot afford any kind of narrowing.
For example if you look at Saturday and Sunday where we experience large number of cyclist in packs over 50 at a time, they consume a full lane and overflow over to the next lane and that cause a dangerous condition. By narrowing Beach rd this condition will increase the danger for motorists and cyclist together and also pedestrians. All this for what? So we don't remove a slice of the green vegetation.
I believe this is not wisdom.
Also democracy stress that the council who is supposed to look after the residents request , they preferred to take the opposite.
Finally this attitude will result that councillors who choose that path will loose the confidence of Kingston residents.
Regards
Joseph Boulos

As an emergency responder any narrowing of this busy road area is a recipe for disaster. this is about listening to the voters and caring about their welfare and safety not councillor personal agendas. Grow some integrity and be the leaders and show leadership and change your plans to the honorable 4.

Council should be ashamed by the lies and bluff in order to support a desire from one councillor to save a few trees planted in the 80's. Get on with what you agreed to do with the previous plan. A few trees or the safety of all users of Beach Road. DO NOT NARROW BEACH ROAD.

As a resident and rate payer living one block from Beach Road, and a regular driver, cyclist and walker I am totally opposes to the:
- narrowing Beach Road
- removing the current gravel track

I am in FULL SUPPORT of finishing the Bay Trail and removing the low grade shrub.

Six weeks ago I was knocked off my bike, when a car pulled out of the Beach Cafe. It has taken me a full six weeks to recover.
Being unable to cycle due to a shoulder injury, I have walked the gravel track every day.
Until my dog died six months ago I walked my dog along the gravel path every day for 10 years. I love walking the gravel path, as opposed to the lower path and often alternate between cycling Beach Road and walking the path.
As a 'older' road cyclist, due to the congestion at the weekends, it would be my preference to ride the Bay Trail,rather than Beach Road.
As I get older I would prefer to use the Bay Trail in preference to the road.
More people, young and old are cycling, it has become a wonderful past time, and major form of exercise, surely council should continue to encourage and embrace this.
Finishing the Bay Trail will bring more leisure cyclist as far as Mordialloc, enhance the area and increase business for retailers, with people stopping at the end of the Bay Trail for lunch or coffee and even to shop.
The substandard vegetation should not stand in the way of this.

With the council approving sub-standard apartments being built, the increase in population living in Kingston, with no thought to the infrastructure, and no insight with our roads are becoming more congested and dangerous.
The narrowing of Beach road, will do nothing but increase everyones frustration and increase the risk of danger for all that use Beach Road.

GET ON WITH THE BAY TRAIL, DO NOT NARROW BEACH ROAD AND LEAVE THE GRAVEL TRAIL AS IT

We have lived on Beach Road for the past 27 1/2 years and have used the road for over 50 years. In that time the traffic density has increased quite dramatically and bicycles have become a most significant part of the mix. Why then would anyone give thought to narrowing such a busy road and in so doing increase the risk of danger to all users including pedestrians?
The Bayside Trail plan approved by Council after community consultation, allowed for minimal removal of vegetation without the need to narrow the road and for certain Councillors to claim some of the existing vegetation pre-dates white settlement is an extraordinary claim. In fact if one would take the trouble to walk the rough cliff top track between Naples Road and Dixon Street
one would discover evidence of previous formal gardens with low bluestone walls. The area is now supporting a few casuarinas which obviously post date white settlement. Please stick to the original approved plan.

Any proposal to reduce the capacity of a major road is impractical and lacking in foresight, given current road congestion issues, and with future population growth putting more traffic onto the roads. The loss of the scrub growing next to road could easily be offset by some intelligent improvement of the remaining open areas, by removing poor specimens and invasive pest plants and back planting with good quality indigenous plants.

I'm a bit over all these people whining about "narrowing Beach Rd". Beach Rd in Kingston is currently a dog's breakfast of width. Bayside Council built Beach Rd to approximately 12m wide (as opposed to a minimum 12.7 m in Kingston's proposed plan). They made an executive decision to conserve their foreshore landscape. I applaud them for that and no other authority or representative body has had a problem with that. The foreshore reserve helps to define our regional character. ambience and amenity. Seriously, how does removing more foreshore vegetation help any of us other than this noisy self-interested minority? They want to turn Beach Rd in Kingston into a rat run. No. Don't go there. I grew up here, I know what gives this area its character. These blow ins looking to make a profit by degrading a communal asset can "go away". KIngston should conform to the 12m Bayside standard. Where was Murray Thompson when Bayside built Beach Rd to 12m? He didn't have a problem then but he does now? And Tim Richardson? Who's he? Did he grow up here? What's his affinity with this place? Local member? Pfft!

We object in the strongest terms to the revised plan for the Bay Trail extension.It is inconceivable that our/any Council could even be considering a project which will narrow a major arterial road and reduce parking when our population is burgeoning, all types of infrastructure are struggling and vehicle and cycling traffic on Beach Road is growing exponentially.
Add to this overarching theme the obvious public safety risks which will result from a narrower road and reduced kerbside parking. If our Councillors could just observe the current operation of Beach Road in both peak periods and on summer days they must surely understand the folly of their decision and the reason for all the community concerns.
Surely the preservation of an extra 0.15 hectares of low grade scrub out of the 1.00 hectares included in the original (and previously approved) plan cannot be an appropriate justification for the reduced safety, access to beaches and amenity for motorists, cyclists, pedestrians and residents.
The Council should stop spending more of ratepayers funds in attempting to justify an indefensible decision, recognise the strength of community disquiet and get on with building the Bay Trail to the original plan. Hopefully VicRoads can/will exercise their authority to "leave the road alone" !

I strongly support the council's plan to complete the bay trail. We should not destroy any more of the foreshore and bush land. Looking forward to taking my grandchildren for a ride. Council just needs to stop arguing now and get on with it.

Further to our previous correspondence, I wish to advise that, having attended the consultation meetings conducted by council, our opposition to the revised plan for the Bay Trail is even stronger.
Details of the revised plan, including the maps depicting the various areas were discussed with us. We have also consulted with a multitude of other Kingston residents. We would like to make the following observations, comments and objections:
• It is only logical that any narrowing of a major thoroughfare such as Beach Rd is going to increase danger to users of that road;
• It is only logical that any reduction in parking along Beach Rd will, in peak times (i.e. summer weekends) result in increased parking in side streets impacting significantly on residents and increasing dangers to pedestrians and particularly young children;
• It is evident that the ecology report on the vegetation along the trail proposed and accepted by Council in September 2016 has not changed since that time. The vegetation was identified as low quality scrub in the report forwarded to council at that time by professional ecologists. It is still identified as low quality scrub by the professional consultant ecologist ;
• The loss of vegetation under the “initial” plan was estimated to be around 1 hectare; the loss under the current revised plan is estimated to be 0.85 of a hectare; a loss of 0.15 of a hectare of low quality scrub. If I am correct, regardless of the figure, the process provides for a corresponding amount of planting elsewhere within in the port phillip region. It would appear that:
o 5 councilors obviously consider it is more important to retain 0.15 of a hectare of low quality scrub along the trail area (which is replaceable elsewhere), than about the increased level of danger to both residents and other users of Beach Rd and and worrying about the impact on residents by increasing the existing level of side street parking;
o 5 councilors obviously consider it is more important to retain 0.15 of a hectare of low quality scrub along the trail area (which is replaceable elsewhere), than listening to and heeding the wishes of the vast majority of ratepayers living in the impacted area;
o 5 councilors obviously don’t mind wasting council (ratepayers) funds and the many hours of ratepayers’ time, council members’ time, politicians’ time and public servants’ time as long as they can indulge themselves in their attempts to impose their will on the community which they pretend to represent.
Michael & Eileen Carter.

We are in favour of extending a bike track from Mentone LSC to Mordialloc.

We are not in favour of the proposed scheme reducing the width of Beach Road lanes & parking on Beach Road in lieu of indented parking similar to Stage 1.

As residents on Beach Road, we see the congestion during peak times & on hot days when the beach is crowded. The scheme should address the existing issues along the area & not ignore them.

The proposed bike track plan appears to have a negative effect on the existing traffic & parking arrangements with no technical advice supporting the proposal.

We seek your consideration to look at an alternative solution to the proposed scheme.

We also seek an undertaking that if the proposed scheme is implemented that 'no standing' signs are not introduced to address traffic issues.

Removed by moderator.

I support the narrowing of Beach road to Vic roads standard.
I support maximising the retention of trees and vegetation, so important for our ecology.
I am a cyclist and cyclist's safety is paramount when riding along Beach Road, and for the same reason that there is no parking on Beach Rd on Saturday mornings, it is important to restrict the number of vehicles parking along Beach Road.
As a former Councillor I have a good knowledge of the Bay Trail options and the current option adopted by Council is a good decision that is safety for cyclists and benefits all community members and helps protect our foreshore for future generations and our precious environment.

I do not support the Kingston Council's changing of the original agreed Bay Trial Plan. Why have community consultation if you do not abide with the result. Poor governance on the part of council ie misrepresenting Vic Roads and the size of cars shown in the literature is a very poor reflection on the council. Unnecessry spending of money to achieve some councillor's ends should be investigated.

I totally object to the current proposed Bay Trail and I definitely object to Beach Road being narrowed. The safety implications of narrowing Beach Road are numerous.

The current Bay Trail proposals were not put out to proper consultation with the community. Major stakeholders have not been properly consulted. VicRoads has been deceived by Council with this current proposal. VicRoads has definitely not approved the narrowing of Beach Road – in fact they have concerns about Council’s consultation process to date.

Bicycle Network Victoria’s verbal position is that they would have real concerns about Beach Road being narrowed because of all the obvious safety issues with proximity and interplay between cars and bikes. Particularly with the ever increasing volume of traffic along Beach Road.

Bicycle Network Victoria and their members see the first Kingston stage of the Bay Trail as working very well. (This leg that has had no narrowing of Beach Road and has had the verge converted to safe indented parking and has two usable trafficable lanes.)

There is minimal difference in the amount of vegetation required to be removed for the Bay Trail whether Beach Road is narrowed or not. The vegetation that Cr West and the other councillors want to save has been classified as ‘low quality scrub’. This classification of vegetation along the proposed Bay Trail route was reconfirmed this week by respected environmental consultant, that it is indeed only ‘low quality scrub’ and there is nothing of significance. And yet Council and Councillors are willing to put this low quality scrub ahead of people - it just beggars belief!

Cr. Eden’s statement that there is remnant coastal vegetation from before European settlement is not the case at all, this has been confirmed by the same environmental consultant. The information being conveyed to the community by Council and Councillors is far from correct.

The Community outrage over the proposed narrowing of Beach Road and the proposed Bay Trail is unprecedented in Kingston’s history. Yet Cr. West and the other four councillors repeatedly ignore this community outrage.

How Cr. West and the other four councillors, none of whom live in the Beach Road precinct, can cold-heartedly dismiss the safety concerns of residents, the community, bike riders and drivers all for their personal agenda of saving a small amount of ‘low quality scrub’, is just beyond comprehension.

Aren’t Councillors meant to listen to their constituents – the very people that voted for them? To act in the best interests of, and on behalf of their community?

Why would you want to narrow a perfectly good road? Council and Councillors, this is clearly backward thinking….not forward thinking! To ignore the increase in traffic on Beach Road that occurs every single year is not future-proofing – it’s quite the opposite – it is very irresponsible!

Councillors and Council - listen to the community - DO NOT NARROW BEACH ROAD!!!!

I object to any method of narrowing Beach Road and reduction in parking. Beach Road is a high traffic area where pedestrian, bicycles and motorists are already in close proximity. Any development which decreases the road space available for motorists to traverse increases the risks to bicyclists and pedestrians. The vegetation you are so anxious to preserve is low quality vegetation and deemed so by council's own assessors. Any vegetation lost or damaged can be replaced by replanting appropriate species. I use Beach Road regularly for business and pleasure and I am often forced to travel out of my lane to avoid "the peloton". Even 2 riders abreast can cause issues as they rarely travel within the bike lane, but it is diabolical travelling along Beach Road on weekends if you are unable to pass around the riders and into the middle lane. Do not narrow the road.