By Goya Dmytryshchak
Hobsons Bay council, pedestrians and cyclists have launched a campaign calling for a safe crossing over the Queen Street road bridge at Altona Meadows.
They say it’s unsafe for people on foot or bikes, who have to go 600 metres out of their way to safely cross Laverton Creek.
Major Road Projects Victoria, which is upgrading the bridge to strengthen it, is being urged to include a pedestrian and cycling link.
The bridge, which has about 20,000 vehicles going over it each day, is the main arterial connecting Hobsons Bay’s east and west.
Mayor Jonathon Marsden said the state government had for years ignored numerous calls to create a safe crossing over the bridge for pedestrians, cyclists, joggers and people with disabilities.
“People risk their lives every day walking on the road bridge to cross here,” he said.
“That bridge has created a divide in our community for decades; it was never fit for purpose as just a road bridge and the proposed upgrade looks to repeat that same mistake.
“We have this absurd situation where council has built these fantastic cycling and pedestrian shared trails on both sides of the bridge and finally there is a chance to link them but the state government just wants to maintain the road for cars.
Cr Marsden urged people to get involved in the campaign by contacting the road authority or sending it a postcard provided free by the council and available from the Altona Meadows and Altona libraries and Hobsons Bay Civic Centre.
The council has distributed postcards to nearby residents and has also launched an online petition.
Major Road Projects Victoria project director Frank De Santis said: “Bike lanes on the Queen Street bridge will reopen once work is complete, and pedestrians can continue to safely cross Laverton Creek on foot using the pedestrian bridge on the Laverton Creek Trail.”
