Report on the VicRoads meeting

First a quote from VicRoad's response to the meeting:

Daya and myself came away from the meeting reflecting on what a great meeting we just had with a thoughtful and understanding community group.

Now the details - well worth a read as there were some exciting new ideas

ROAD SAFETY IN NEWSTEAD - SESSION NOTES

APRIL 24TH, 5PM NEWSTEAD PAVILION

Attendance: Michael Redden, Don Culvenor, David Stratton, Helen Waters, Ken Smith, Bronwyn Smith

VicRoads : Jim Mensforth -  Team Leader Road Safety & Traffic Engineering

Daya Govender.Manager Planning

Apologies: Mayor - Christine Henderson                   

                 Ben  Grounds - Manager Infrastructure Mt Alexander Council - emailed

“I won’t be able to make it next Friday (and unfortunately neither can either of our relevant engineers). I’m sure with Jim there he’ll have a lot of useful information about road safety and the considerations VicRoads make when assessing the issues. I’m happy to provide input before or after the meeting on any specific Council questions – possibly after a good discussion with Jim there’ll be some specific questions for us?”

Main Topics:

Once again, despite small attendance, this Rocket Science Session provided a quality discussion with positive outcomes.

1. Pedestrian safety on road bridge
2. Pedestrian Crossing in Centre of Town
3. Speed Limits

1. Pedestrian Safety on Road Bridge

• Possible to change the centre strip on the road to narrow lanes to provide a bit more space for a pedestrian railing or barrier.
• VicRoads to investigate potential railing. Risk factor is potential vehicle impact that could ensnare pedestrians to be balanced against safety for pedestrian deviations
• Speed Alert Trailer could be brought to Newstead to warn traffic of required speed on bridge approach
• Council is aware of Pedestrian Railing issue and is onside - support given at previous Rocket Science Session “Footbridge Over the Loddon” - August 21, 2014

2. Pedestrian Crossing in Centre of Town.

• Arterial roads such as Pyrenees Highway is a VicRoads responsibility and is designated for B-doubles with regulations regarding acceptable pedestrian crossings. No zebra crossings permitted on Arterial roads. Pedestrian Operated signals are allowed - but costly
• Parking restrictions apply either side of crossing - awkward in middle of town - trade-off angle parking to create space for pedestrian crossing in busiest part of town. A concrete  median strip and barriers act as traffic calming device and a refuge where people can wait to cross each lane of traffic rather than risk lengthy wait or dashing across major highway. Elderly with limited mobility or poor eyesight reluctant to cross from one side to the other near  Dig to General Store or Bus Stop to Butchers.
• Funds short or restricted for pedestrian crossings - VicRoads chronically short of funds
• Pedestrian Refuge - suggested as a lower cost option to assist elderly, children cross busy arterial road in safety. Still costly, requiring concrete median strip and safety lighting.
• No parking ramifications and could be either side of Panmure St
• Provides safe place for pedestrians after crossing one stream of traffic
• Psychological impact on drivers speeds
• VicRoads criteria explained. Councils in the region set priorities supported by a business case. In October VicRoads seeks Councils’ input, projects costed by VicRoads - competition for limited funds for what is considered to be a good project.
• Business Case - set out benefits for local access to key parts of town - busy intersection - Council needs to justify need for a crossing in Newstead.
• If Council has funding for median strip,  VicRoads will consider this proposal
• Country roads &, bridges are a local govt responsibility.
• VicRoads unaware that there is currently no school crossing in Newstead

3. Speed Zones

• Variation in zones on approach to Newstead from  60km to 40km to 50km  over the bridge then  80 km before turning left onto Campbell Street to Creswick or Daylseford Road 60kms zones - confusing for drivers. Jim to look closely at these highway speed signs.
• VicRoads allows 50kms zone for commercial precinct only. Will consider extending to Police Station, Post Office & RTC.
• Jim (VicRoads) will look into the issue of speed signs as the CBD is larger than he realised.
• School Zone 40kms - if gates are removed from Pyrenees St frontage (opposite RTC) then the 40kms school zone is no longer required and can be removed. Then 50km zone could be extended as far east as the RTC.
• Don Culvenor to approach School Council requesting removal of unused school gates front Pyrenees Highway opposite RTC. These gates are currently unused and wired shut, but need to be totally removed if 50km zone is to be extended.
• Newstead is a junction for highways carrying increased traffic, especially trucks, to major towns - Ballarat, Maryborough, Bendigo Daylesford, as well as Maldon & Castlemaine.

General Comments:

• Concern re vehicles, big trucks, caravans double parked or parked illegally in centre of town, on corners and outside supermarket and Crown Hotel. Dangerous for pedestrians and obscures oncoming traffic. “No Stopping” signs suggested as a solution and possible revenue raiser.
• Post Office parking area - overcrowded and dangerous, busy area with more vehicles parked than allocated spaces allow.
• Reduction of speed to 50kms on approach to Post Office might slow speeding traffic. No answer to parking congestion, an ongoing issue.
• Newstead hosts events attracting large crowds during the year - Newstead Live, Chopped.On the night of this Rocket Science Session, over 1,000 British Motor Bikes were in town for the annual gathering at the Race Course - biggest such event in Victoria. Visitors to town, whilst welcome, generate extra traffic and greater risk for road safety on highways in and out of town.

Road Safety in Newstead - with Jim Mensforth from Vic Roads

Link to the Conversation  - Post by email

Road Safety in Newstead - Vic Roads public meeting

With Jim Mensforth

Newstead Pavilion, Friday April 24, 2015 at 5 pm.

The series of Rocket Science sessions supported financially by Mount Alexander Shire continues - this is the 8th session and looks at the Road Safety 

Priority ten in the Community Plan was A road safety focus to minimise traffic impacts and create a safe and
quiet township Since Newstead is so dominated by the main roads this very largely becomes a Vic Roads issue.

We have shifted Rocket Science to an unusual time to fit in with this being a Vic Roads public meeting.

Come along and ask questions and be a part of the discussion.

Some possible questions:

• A safety barrier for pedestrians on the road bridge
• A pedestrian crossing in the centre of town
• A less irregular set of speed limits
• Perhaps flashing lights for the school hours speed zone, there are so many variants of speed zones through here (as mentioned ^) that it is just another confusion.
• Or perhaps 50 kms right through town (after all - the Steiner School zone is 60...)
• Maybe 50K speed limit signs with radar detecting and displaying actual speed

Please take a minute to give us some feedback

What happened at the Newstead Business session

ROCKET SCIENCE - BUSINESS IN NEWSTEAD - 29TH MARCH, 2015

Welshmans Reef Winery

NOTES

Although it was a record breaking session in terms of attendance (three bona-fide guests only) it felt that we made up for quantity in terms of quality. The discussion was excellent and far-reaching.

The low turn out gives us something to think about given that this was one of the ten most spoken of issues when the Community Plan was put together.  Did you know it was happening - in other words how was our publicity? Did you decide you were not interested? Are you sick of these things? Please let us know by leaving a comment below which can be anonymous

Doug Bell - Apologies

Genevieve Barlow -  Maldon & District Community Bank

• $2millionth in community grants -  concern that some community groups are relying on support from Maldon & District Community Bank grants rather than becoming self reliant.
• The bank is presently reviewing Community Investment Strategy - large grants for the whole community rather than a series of small grants?
• The Community Bank is sponsoring Mount Alexander Business Awards 2015 - entries closed March 30th.
• Mums Workshop by www.careerchangehappens.com - April 21 in Newstead.
• Renewable Newstead encountering funding delays due to bureaucratic process.
• Genevieve spoke of her involvement with Holy Goat cheese producers and their success in mentoring interns, trading at farmers’ markets and ability  in living, sharing their values. http://holygoatcheese.com/work-placements

Ron Snep -  Welshmans Reef Winery; Business Mount Alexander.

• Ron has been in business for most of his life which allows him to develop a true alignment between his values and business activity. Whatever he gives he receives so much more in return.
• School of Social Entrepreneurs - attended a course in Bendigo in 2014 http://sse.org.au/
• Passionate about building sustainability in the community.
• Outlined his recent venture to assist Mildura grape growers faced with a wine glut, cancelled contracts & unsaleable harvests. Rather than waste a year’s effort and destroy a harvest, Ron devised a scheme whereby grapegrowers supplied their grapes and he made the wine for free. His role is to develop markets for the wine then share the profits 50/50 with the growers on the sale, after deducting costs of packaging. He personally developed a new market, capacity has increased hugely since 2012,  with  2000 cartons of wine exported to China. Mildura grapegrowers are now earning higher returns than with the previous contracts in their district.
• A Social Entrepreneur sees an issue or problem then finds a way to remedy through business. An Entrepreneur sees an opportunity and develops a business to exploit it.
• Ron is Deputy Chair of Business Mount Alexander -  an organisation dedicated to supporting, connecting and promoting the business community in Mount Alexander Shire. Four networking events held annually. http://businessmountalexander.org.au

Melissa - Trouble Magazine

• Started Trouble magazine 11 years ago serving central Victoria with 20,000 copies - after eight years circulation grew to 1 million. The GFC and Digitisation combined as a double hit to their street press magazine. The publishing sector is particularly vulnerable to shifts in the economy, advertising revenues are down, funding  to Arts slashed, particularly large universities - just when Trouble’s readership is growing.
• Print media still adjusting to the rapidly shifting world of social media and digitisation. Marketing is a real challenge, gauging returns on investment, specialised skills required.
• Both Steve and Melissa are working away from their core business while they grapple with issues of viability for the future of Trouble Magazine - at a crossroads. Their profile has never been higher nor their financial position less assured.
• Melissa has worked with the Collective Impact Team - Go Goldfields Alliance - Central Goldfields Council, which  “Utilises the arts in everything it does to foster learning; build confidence; motivate; and deliver social connection.” as part of a collective approach to disadvantage.
• Creative Arts is the fastest growing sector in the economy especially booming graphic, internet video gaming businesses. Melissa quoted $86billion GDP in the creative economy compared to $89 billion in the finance sector but it is the finance sector that captures most attention.
• Artists, creatives, many in micro-businesses, battle the perception that they don’t make much of a contribution to the economy,  “Artists as bludgers” and are undervalued.

Nick Hudson - Hudson Publishing

• Brief recap of how a new graduate found himself on his way to Australia for Heinemann Publishing & how the business grew from 1 person to 28 employees with a best seller that sold 8 million copies. After a corporate restructure in the UK, he started Hudson Publishing  which continues to innovate with Print on Demand and a digital, boutique approach in Newstead.  There is a boom in opportunities for self publishing - poets can POD for a gig make direct sales and reap rewards, offering an immediate reach to readers thus overcoming barriers of finding publishers, distributors and sellers who eat into margins.

Anthony Santamaria - Newstead Community Lunch

• Passion for community building.
• Working with volunteers has its own challenges.
• Takes donated food that would be composted and turns into nutritious delicious lunches for all in Newstead - a new and expanding business model. In France this model has 7,000 outlets providing nutritious affordable meals for all.

Discussion

Newstead Needs :

• A list of businesses currently operating in Newstead. The listings on  the http://newstead.vic.au/business site are out of date and a volunteer is needed to manage entries.

• A Business Skills Register
• Local  skills exchange, time bank, labour skills sharing register. Saide spoke of how years ago in the Dandenongs, the local Community House hosted a successful “LETs” scheme that allowed artists and others on low incomes to access the local economy. Cafes and other businesses remained viable, despite a drop in income, offset by ‘trades’, and community goodwill. Alternative currency  created a dynamic, vibrant local economy that beneffited all.

• Newstead Foundation - non profit with Tax Deductible status (Ron Snep) a source of untied funds.  This works in Benalla, many former residents make donations to assist local initiatives, money collected and distributed free of external constraints from grant providers.

Lively discussions on the following:

• Values, Business Lifestyle Balance a topic for us all.

• Internships - offer potential for local businesses to ‘employ’ new graduates and seniors who lack specific experience. Internships offer CV references and a pathway to future employment openings. Problem of exploiting unpaid workers an issue. Some Visa requirements for travellers include 80 days work in rural areas to extend a visa - could include Newstead.

• Putting back into the community, supporting and partnering with other local businesses, making a contribution, “spending local” needs to be a conscious, ongoing commitment for all of us. Newstead’s envied reputation as such a dynamic community owes much to the multigenerational commitment of locals.

• Virtual Red Dot Gallery for Newstead to promote arts and expose up and coming and local artists of all kinds to a wider audience. (Dave Stratton)

• What can we get going in Newstead that will create employment? Internet, Broadband makes normal what would seem improbable 20 years ago. Internet is the best research tool available, all the resources available fingertips cf visiting a major reference library.

• NBN offers Newstead an immediate edge over Castlemaine. Many in Castlemaine lack access to internet, or speed is slow. Trouble Magazine took 15 hours to upload with constant risk of dropout, same content in Newstead Broadband is 15 minutes!  Aggregation, Hot Desk, Business Hubs offer potential to places with fast Internet service.

• Partnerships with corporations - develop long term relationships for mutual benefit. Potential for Renewable Newstead and Arts.

• MASG about to release a Waste  Survey of Mount Alexander Shire could offer potential opportunities for Newstead and local businesses & Community Garden.

• Currently, people over 55 need to undertake 30 hours of voluntary work a fortnight to remain eligible for social security payments.  The RTC is so far the only body in Newstead using this pool of labour. A register of eligible community groups and organisations in Newstead needs to be set up so more local unemployed can offer their time and skills within Newstead.

• The Convent in Abbotsford  has a carpark that provides its major income stream for a huge variety of artistic creative activities.

Once again, people in Newstead are at the forefront, actively  considering the many business opportunities that social entrepreneurship, fast Broadband, and community building bring in these uncertain times. Could such networking be ongoing?