Residents oppose Shire roundabout
THE message was loud and clear - the last thing Valentine Plains and Hills Avenue residents want is a $650,000 roundabout built on their road.
They delivered the message through a show of hands at a public consultation meeting on Wednesday evening.
The 60-strong audience was asked to raise hands if they supported the concept of the roundabout at the intersection of Valentine Plains Rd, Hills Avenue and the entry into the council's new administration centre. Very few arms were lifted.
Asked if they wanted the council to look at other options, they shot up.
Banana Shire Council held the meeting at the Civic Centre to advise residents living along the road how they had come to the decision that a roundabout was the best option to control increased traffic on the road once the administration centre was completed.
Paul Brosnan, who uses the road to service his piggery, asked council members if their minds were already made up.
"You are here telling us why you chose the roundabout but what if the majority of people here don't want it?" Mr Brosnan said.
"Are you going to listen to them or plough ahead and build the roundabout anyway?"
The council said it had considered construction of a four-way intersection, a staggered T-intersection and installation of traffic lights but the roundabout was the safest, most cost-effective method.
John Sheppard asked if consideration had been given to a T-intersection on the road in front of Discovery Caravan Park that would run parallel with the old railway line.
Alan Van Itallie suggested use of the existing access to the PCYC, then building a road at the western end of the PCYC car park to the centre. Mr Van Itallie said he was concerned that the council had proceeded with plans to build its centre on Valentine Plains Rd before considering access to the complex.
"If you were a private developer building a complex like this, you would be required by council to carry out a traffic management study and then provide a plan to handle this traffic before proceeding with the project," he said.
"But for some reason, council appears not to have done this work for their own project, like anybody else would be required to.
"They are worrying about it now and the building is half-complete."
