Deafening silence

By Jim Mynard
ANGRY Beaconsfield residents have told Labor and Liberal candidates for Narre Warren South that they are fed up with broken promises and rubbish put to them over failure to build barriers along the Monash Freeway.
Candidates Judith Graley and Michael Shepherdson were invited by the Beaconsfield in Casey Residents Action Group to a meeting to address the issue but neither offered any assurances that anything would be done to protect residents from persistent noise well above the legal limit.
Residents have expressed disgust about the off hand treatment they have received and lies about when the barriers would be built.
They said when they were buying their homes that they were assured the barriers would be built.
They also expressed concern that people illegally crossing the freeway on foot could be involved in or cause a serious accident.
Nearly 40 people at the meeting went away disgusted about the treatment they had received and many foreshadowed strong action if a statement was not issued from both political parties on the status of the barriers.
Several speakers said the State Government had no power against bureaucrats in VicRoads and demanded to know from both candidates who they thought was running the state.
Both candidates promised to bring back statements from their respective parties, but neither has.
A Brookvale Close resident said that since residents began to lobby for the barriers in 2000 they had seen cars over the embankment, people crossing the freeway on foot and on one occasion a woman pushed a baby in a pram across the freeway.
“The noise is considerably worse than when noise tests showed the level well above the legal limit, but we get no indication of when we will get barriers.
“We can’t enjoy our backyards on summer nights because of the continual noise. This is not good enough,” she said.
Speakers said they could not have a barbecue in the yard without people looking down on them.
BICRAG spokesman Ray Fleming said the community wanted answers.
“We have been fobbed off,” he said.
“We were sixth on the priority and we now see another area that was number eight getting noise barriers.”
Ms Graley said VicRoads advised her that Beaconsfield was on the work list, but would not say at what priority.
“I agree this situation is unsatisfactory,” she said.
“The Minister for Roads said the matter was being looked at.”
Mr Shepherdson said the Liberal Roads spokesman Terry Mulder had also acknowledged the problem, but could not say whether the barriers would be built from the first budget if the Liberals won the election.
“I acknowledge there is a problem,” he said.