Since State Government plans were announced to close a level crossing at Progress Street in Dandenong South, businesses have been pleading for what they say are safer options.
After the closure, traffic will be diverted onto Fowler Road.
With 38 active driveways, businesses say the road is too narrow and dangerous to handle the almost 8000 vehicles a day, including A & B Doubles, trucks, cars, Australia Post e-bikes, semi-trailers and pedestrians.
They have been raising safety concerns for their staff as well as massive impacts to business operations if forced down what they have termed a “goat track.”
Another concern is the project doesn’t include a footpath along the bridge on Fowler Road. Instead it will finish works and leave it up to the City of Greater Dandenong Council to install a footpath after the bridge is open to traffic.
Accredited Distributors owner and managing director Craig Bain says the entire thing is a “nightmare.”
Based at Nathan Road, they have been operating in the area for 22 years with around 170 staff employed.
He says the company hasn’t heard of one fatality at the level-crossing, this is also confirmed by Andrew Hamer from Pakaflex located right next to the crossing.
Mr Bain says the current detour down Hallam Valley Road and the foreseeable traffic congestion on Fowler Road after works have completed will add significant time – about 30 minutes – to his suppliers’ delivery times, which may result in an increase in delivery charges.
Accredited Distributors’ supplies come from multinational companies such as Nestle, Mars Wrigley and Arnott’s.
“We have no choice – the only way in and out to our business is that one way (Fowler Road).
“I’m saying if their drivers are complaining to send it to (Transport Infrastructure Minister and Dandenong MP) Gabrielle Williams’s office. Hopefully these multinational companies may have more clout with the MP than we do.
“If it costs more to deliver it, we have to pass those costs onto retailers who will pass it onto the people.
“This is a glaring problem. We never had to incur that problem before, we had easy access to our business.”
Before, staff commuting by bus would alight at the top of Progress Street and walk down to the work site. But now Bain can’t imagine his staff walking on Fowler Road to get to work alongside the traffic.
“In the long term it’s not a safe and viable option for them to go down Fowler rd- which is a nightmare anyway when it opens.
“Staff and the warehouse manager give them a lift at the moment to where they can get on the bus.”
In response to concerns, the Level Crossing Removal Project (LXRP) added measures to their final design which includes widening Fowler Road from 8 metres to 10 metres.
Despite this, Colin Smith from JDN Monocrane on Progress Street says their longest load of oversize and over-mass (OSOM) vehicles still wouldn’t get onto the bridge.
“We can get small trucks on the bridge but of course they’ve only designed it around A and B Doubles. They have not considered us.
“We’ve had multiple meetings which have been terrible, totally inconclusive, very problematical.”
He says the LXRP have suggested “ridiculous” swept paths to manoeuvre onto the bridge and South Gippsland Highway.
Some of the proposed options would potentially stop traffic on both sides of Fowler Road as they navigate the turns.
Another option shows them turning on the wrong side of the road at traffic lights at South Gippsland Highway and over the median strip.
JDN Monocrane has designed, manufactured, installed and serviced cranes, hoists and parts for almost 35 years.
It requires delivery of those cranes and parts on oversized and over-mass permit vehicles to operate on the road at 3am on South Gippsland Hwy.
Despite raising these concerns with the project team, Mr Smith says no solution has been provided.
“They’ve said things like, ‘that’ll be okay’, I don’t understand how professionals can say that!
“It shows our vehicles driving over the other cars. I said what are you doing here, can’t you see the risk you’re multiplying?
“Your own information shows this, ‘oh no, it’ll be okay, it’ll be at three in the morning.’
“If there’s a death – which we’re predicting – it’s just a matter of when.”
Mr Smith says whether it’s in the middle of the night or during the day, there’s always vehicles on South Gippsland Highway.
According to the State Government, Progress Street accommodates around 5200 traffic movements daily which will be diverted down the bridge on Fowler Rd which has an existing daily traffic level of 2700 vehicles.
Fowler Road consists of about 40 manufacturing businesses with 38 active driveways. Out of them, 34 driveways are narrow and require trucks to reverse in and out of the driveway or to make right and left manoeuvres that interfere with the traffic on Fowler Road.
Despite a report from the National Safety Regulator – discovered under Freedom of information (FOI) – that stated the crossing has negligible risks, the State Government remains committed to “remove the dangerous and congested” level-crossing.
According to the LXRP, “dangerous interactions” between trains and vehicles were set to increase, with more services to come on the railway line.
“More trains mean longer periods of boom gates being down, which can fuel risky driver behaviour and ultimately risks lives.”
The project’s design was chosen because it permits future rail upgrades, minimises impacts to utilities and local businesses and is less disruptive to commuters.
Other options were ruled out because they would have caused significant disruption to the rail network and required extensive compulsory land acquisition.
“The new Fowler Road bridge provides a safer way for traffic to travel through the area and will provide a more direct way for many local businesses to access South Gippsland Highway, which will have a new signalised intersection at Fowler Road for improved safety,” an LXRP spokesperson said.
“The Progress Street project has been independently assessed by safety auditors, and includes additional safety measures such as indented parking on Fowler Road to increase the driveable width, a new pedestrian footpath on the south side of the road, and a new signalised intersection at South Gippsland Highway to keep traffic flowing.”
