I knew it was going to happen, but now that it is, does not make it any easier to welcome its arrival.
The Geelong Advertiser - has as its front page news today - The Corio Tip is closing - good news for Corio - bad news for Drysdale because....
All the garbage is now coming to the Drysdale Tip:
"From Monday, January 2, 2012, 90 per cent of Geelong's rubbish will end up at the Drysdale landfill on the Bellarine Peninsula.
It means about 30 large semi-trailer sized vehicles will be funneled through central Drysdale en route to the tip each week.
Bellarine MP Lisa Neville said the addition of those heavy vehicles into the local traffic mix might have safety implications.
"These are very busy roads, particularly during peak times," she said..."
This is probably the understatement of the year; these trucks will be coming through the main streets of Drysdale, navigating the roundabout at the pub, down Murradoc Road - past my front door on their way to the tip.
Everyone in the area knows Murradoc Road is a very narrow road. The 2nd of January will also be the anniversary of a cyclist's death outside my front gate. Now the Council wants to put more heavy vehicles on the road. This will make it even more dangerous for cyclists right in the middle of the town's peak holiday season.
And into this mix, welcome to Aldi who is opening for business right opposite the hotel on Murradoc Road. Then of course there is a big vacant block right next door ripe for another big commercial venture. So add this extra traffic with the new supermarket and traffic will increase exponentially.
Then of course trying to get to the schools in the morning and afternoons - there will be no room for anyone to move. Tempers will fray, accidents will happen.
Perhaps, the Geelong Council should consider rerouting these trucks down the Bellarine Highway and up the Portarlington Queenscliffe Road to get to the tip. That would make more sense to me. But then since when were local residents ever consulted.
Where are our local council members - why are they not making noise about this?
Welcome to Drysdale - the home of Geelong's Tip
The 'Advertiser' article includes a claim by the City of Greater Geelong that, 'it had been preparing and budgeting for the closure (of the Corio tip) for years'. If this is the case, two questions arise. First, why doesn't the council know what it's going to do with the site? The article reports that a proposal to make it an open space is 'being discussed'! Second, why is there no traffic management plan in place to deal with the significant increase in heavy vehicles through Drysdale?
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