Blue Gum Court residents Lillian Keogh and Chris Groninger, holding Morrison, are concerned that several roads in their area are unsuitable for emergency vehicle access.
By Callan Date
RESIDENTS in Pakenham’s Silver Gum estate believe their narrow streets are a potential death trap.
They say several roads are so tight for space that large emergency vehicles would find it impossible to gain access to houses in the area.
Blue Gum Court property owners have voiced their concern at the cramped roads and believe their court is one of the worst in the whole estate.
Lack of car parking in the area is also contributing to the safety hazard with many residents having no option but to park on the street.
Resident Evan Feore said the issue was a major worry for the estate community and poor design and planning of the roads was to blame.
“If a fire truck needed to come into the street in an emergency it would have no chance of getting through safely,” Mr Feore said.
He said several of his neighbours had to park on the road and as a result safety was an issue on many levels.
“It’s almost impossible to get through in your car if there is a car parked on either side of the road.”
Mr Feore said the lack of space also made it hard to have a party or gettogether with friends, as there was no space for them to park their cars.
Cardinia Shire councillors are eager to make sure that all future roads in Pakenham are wide enough for easy emergency access, hoping to set the minimum width at 6.5 metres.
Councillor Bill Pearson said many of the small roads were a potential disaster in an emergency and council would be doing everything in its power to make sure future roads were safe.
“The biggest tragedy is we can’t do anything about the small roads that have already been built,” Mr Pearson said.
Cardinia Council communication manager Doug Evans said the minimum width of each road was based on many factorsincluding the amount of traffic and connecting roads in the area.
“The State Government set the measurements for all the roads and they are currently reviewing that particular policy,” Mr Evans said.
