By Alesha Capone
Wyndham councillors have labelled the level crossing removal plan for Hoppers Crossing “substandard” and “short-sighted” for not including a disability access ramp to the station platform or a shared path over the rail crossing.
The level crossing at Old Geelong Road, Hoppers Crossing is being removed, along with the Cherry Street level crossing in Werribee, as part of a $355.5 million state government project.
The Hoppers Crossing removal will result in the existing crossing being closed to traffic and a new road built over the rail line, connecting Princes Highway to Old Geelong Road.
At a meeting last week, Cr Jasmine Hill said Wyndham council should “urgently” write to several state government ministers to ask for a shared user path – for pedestrians and cyclists – to be built over the rail line to connect with the Federation Trail.
Cr Hill said it was also “essential” that a ramp be built so people with mobility aids, senior citizens, parents with prams, cyclists and others could access the station platform.
Cr Hill said the existing crossing removal design was “sub-standard” as it did not include these features.
“Limiting a rail line crossing to only lifts and stairs at the train station presents barriers to many people in our community, who can otherwise be independent adults,” she said.
Cr Jennie Barrera said a number of Chaffey ward residents had contacted her about the level crossing removal’s design.
“I think it’s incredibly disappointing, that despite community consultation, that the design for Hoppers Crossing station is incredibly short-sighted and excludes – or makes it, at the very least, incredibly difficult – for cyclists, residents with mobility issues and others to access the station,” Cr Barrera said.
“It’s incredible in the 21st century, to me, that we would be designing something like this for people to use.”
Cr Barrera said it was “incredibly short-sighted” to only have lifts in the design.
“We’ve all heard the stories at Laverton station, we all know the people who are forced to get off at Aircraft when the lifts have been vandalised or when the lifts stop working,” she said.
Tarneit MP Sarah Connolly said the Hoppers Crossing level crossing removal project “will free up the notorious Old Geelong Road bottleneck for the 18,000 vehicles who use the road each day – with boom gates down for up to 36 per cent of the morning peak”.
“Major construction is now well underway on both a new road bridge and a brand new overpass for pedestrians and cyclists, linking the north and south sides of the rail line and delivering better access to the station platforms for the whole community,” she said.
“Installing a new ramp for the new overpass would mean greatly reducing the number of parking spaces at the station and nearby shopping precinct – something we know the community doesn’t want. “We’d also need to relocate a rail substation, meaning additional rail line closures for Werribee line commuters and a significant cost increase for the project.
“At 4.5m2 the lifts up to the overpass are classed as ‘oversized’ meaning they can comfortably fit a mobility scooter and a bicycle at the same time, or multiple shopping trolleys. There will be two of these big lifts on each side of the overpass, with backup generators installed in case of a power outage.
“Cyclists have other options to cross the rail line nearby, including at David Court just 1.6km from Hoppers Crossing Station. We have worked closely with the Bicycle Network through the design of this project.
“Including ramps at Hoppers Crossing would also have negative impacts on plans for Wyndham City Council’s future trackless tram interchange, and future expansion of the station’s bus interchange. This would also mean reducing the forecourt space and landscaping at Hoppers Crossing station.”
