WTF: Spook loop, creek too significant and is this the worst intersection?
A local creek may not be flowing all that well but the council jargon sure is.
Geelong
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They’re the little – and sometimes not so little – things that can really irk us. We’ve asked the people of Geelong to point out the problems that irritate and exasperate and have us all saying, woah, that’s frustrating!
CREEK TOO ENVIRONMENTALLY SIGNIFICANT TO CLEAN
A resident’s attempt to have a sorry-looking section of the Waurn Ponds creek cleaned has hit a bureaucratic roadblock (or should that be creek block).
“Two years ago the creek flooded and ran over Rossack Drive briefly,” she said.
“The subsequent rubbish from the businesses along the park, which surrounds the creek, blocked the creek where it would usually flow under Rossack Drive.”
She said requests for a clean-up had “gone unanswered.”
“To date there has been no attempt to clean up the mess, nor any reply,” she said.
“So I’m sitting around waiting for the inevitable mosquitoes next summer, or a flood if we have rain in the spring.”
City of Greater Geelong acting executive director of city infrastructure Allana Bedggood said that due to that section of the creek’s “significant environmental values,” council wasn’t able to clean the mess.
“We’re aware of the rubbish in Waurn Ponds Creek at Rossack Drive,” Ms Bedggood said.
“We’ve been working through a process to minimise our impact on these values, which has restricted our ability to carry out clean-up works.
“This has included native vegetation assessments and threatened species impact considerations.
“Once this process is complete, clean-up works will take place.”
A JOG (NOT SO) WELL DONE
It seems there’s a dark twist in the tale of locals trying to get some light exercise.
One resident reached out to the Addy to illuminate what he says is a pretty gloomy issue – the lack of lighting around a popular running track around the Barwon River.
“I have to start work most days at 8am, so to get a run in I have to leave before the sun comes up,” he said.
“I think it’s pretty ludicrous that the Troop Loop around the mighty Barwon has no lights, it’s so popular, I spend my mornings nearly running into other near blinded joggers and riders.
“For me it’s less of a worry, but the women I’ve spoken to all say they would never ever use the track in the dark.
“In Melbourne they have the Botanical Gardens, which are lit from early in the morning and late at night, it would be so nice to get that around the river.”
But City of Greater Geelong executive director of city life Anthony Basford said the track probably wouldn’t be lit up any time soon.
“Management of the Troop Loop is split across various sections between the Corangamite Catchment Management Authority, Barwon Water and the City of Greater Geelong,” Mr Basford said.
“There are no plans to install lighting in the sections of the Troop Loop that we manage.”
When pressed on the numbers around how many people use the track Mr Basford said “we do not maintain data regarding usage of the Troop Loop”.
Although it might be hard to count what you can’t see.
WORST INTERSECTION IN GEELONG?
Is this the worst intersection in Geelong?
One local certainly thinks it’s at least up there.
“On the corner of McCurdy Rd and Hyland St in Herne Hill, there is essentially no line markings visible,” he said.
“It’s an atrocious intersection.
“Very unclear where you should stop and give way, and people constantly parked too far out etc.
“It’s a terrible stretch of road, not up to scratch for the traffic it gets.”
Reckon you have a worse one? Let us know at journo@geelongadvertiser.com.au
PLAYGROUND TO A HALT
Ah, school holidays in the springtime. The weather is warming up and thousands of energetic kids will be freed from the shackles of the classroom.
The little dynamos will be positively overflowing with youthful energy and looking for outdoor amusement.
What a time for one of our most popular playgrounds … to be shut.
Yep, as of Thursday, the council closed Rippleside Park’s playground.
The site will be demolished and completely rebuilt. The project will take nine months but apparently the work couldn’t wait just two more weeks.
Locals say the playground has been packed recently, too.
It seems some youngsters’ holiday fun will be going down the slide.
The original wooden playground was built in 2001 but will make way for a new facility.
The city has partnered with the Touched by Olivia Foundation and the federal and state governments to build what it describes as a flagship new play area for children of all abilities.
It will be called Livvi’s Place and council says it will “incorporate multi-sensory and nature play elements, with opportunities for physical, creative, social and passive play”.
That sounds pretty great actually. But it would have been nice for the current site to get one last hurrah during school holidays.
IDLE PARENTING
The message about the dangers of leaving kids unattended in cars is drummed into
parents – with good reason.
But it clearly flew straight over the carefully coiffed locks of one mum who
barely had time to stop her luxury SUV to dash into Bakers Delight, Geelong West, on
Wednesday.
Using her loaf just a bit, she had her child safely strapped in the back – unfortunately
with the engine still running on the busy Pako strip. That’s a stolen car and child waiting
to happen.
Even so, our mother of the year took her time to peruse the bakery treats while alarmed
passers-by spotted her abandoned tot.
Kidsafe reports it’s illegal to leave a child alone in a car in Victoria, with possible
penalties of a hefty fine (more than $4000), up to six months’ jail or both.
The bread run was obviously urgent. Wonder how it would compare with a taste of prison bread (and water)?
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