St Leonards residents band together in bid to get council to fix dangerous roads in Lower Bluff area

St Leonards residents have banded together in a bid to get the Greater Geelong City Council to fix roads in the Lower Bluff area which residents claim are dangerous and destroying property.

St Leonards resident Nick Martin is concerned about the roads in the Lower Bluff area. Picture: Brad Fleet

Potholes have become ponds for wildlife along a number of neglected Bellarine Peninsula roads, locals say.

St Leonards residents have banded together in a bid to get the Greater Geelong City to fix roads in the Lower Bluff area, claiming they are dangerous and destroying property.

Residents Bruce Cook, Nick Martin, Alison Murphy and Steve Murphy are fed-up with what they say is a lack of action from the council and have formed the St Leonards Lower Bluff Road Action Group.

The Facebook group has more than 80 members.

They claim ever since the council covered the unsealed roads in 2019 with a new type of gravel, known as tucker gravel, the roads have been covered in potholes and slushy when wet.

A flooded driveway in Beach Road in the Lower Bluff area of St Leonards. Picture: Nick Martin

They also claim the tucker gravel is producing an excess amount of dust and causing drainage problems, leading to flooding in residents’ driveways and backyards.

Mr Martin said the roads had become extremely slippery and were filled with “amazing potholes”.

“Sometimes you see the wildlife or ducks bathing in the potholes,” he said.

Potholes in Ord Street in the Lower Bluff area of St Leonards. Picture: Nick Martin

Alison Murphy called the gravel “an absolute disaster” and said she was concerned about the health effects of the dust.

Ms Murphy said she was happy with the unsealed roads prior to the installation of the tucker gravel.

A road in the Lower Bluff area, St Leonards. Picture: Bruce Cook

The council’s acting executive director of city infrastructure, David Greaves, said the council had made extensive efforts to address the issues and the roads were being maintained within roads management guidelines.

“Should the community wish to see further changes, the only option to upgrade the roads is by way of a special rate and charge scheme where users receiving direct benefit would contribute to the cost,” he said.

“While we acknowledge that opinions may differ, we firmly believe that every avenue has been explored and that we’ve made considerable effort to engage and collaborate with the community on this issue.”

St Leonards resident Nick Martin stands next to a sign installed by the council in response to residents’ concerns about the roads. Picture: Brad Fleet

The council’s 2021 proposal to seal the roads was not supported by the community.

Residents say “less speed, less dust” signs installed by the council have failed to rectify the issues.

The St Leonards Lower Bluff Road Action group will meet this Saturday to discuss a path forward.

Originally published as St Leonards residents band together in bid to get council to fix dangerous roads in Lower Bluff area