Garfield resident Lisa Stovold standing in the damaged drain.
By Bridget Scott
LOVERS Lane is a misnomer after intense rainfall has turned this road into ruins.
Garfield resident Lisa Stovold said recent rains have ruined her road and made it nearly impossible for cars to travel along safely.
She said heavy rains had caused the road to soften and crumble, and downfalls in early February made conditions even worse. She has begged Cardinia Shire Council to take action, but to no avail.
Ms Stovold said the pipe, which contributed to the road damage, broke three years ago, and yet the council had done nothing to improve it.
“I’ve reported the drain for three years in a row; it was marked three years ago, but never fixed,” Ms Stovold said.
While the council admits it is aware of the issue, council operations team leader Mark Howard said the road was regularly checked and any required works were programmed on an allocation basis.
“Cardinia Shire Council is aware that certain sections of the drainage network in Lovers Lane, Garfield, require maintenance,” Mr Howard said.
“The works have been programmed on a priority basis.”
The broken pipe along Lovers Lane is the main concern for residents, as the run off largely contributes to the damage of the road.
Ms Stovold said if the pipe was fixed, it would mean significantly less damage to the road during storms. Ms Stovold said she recently noticed the broken pipe in the drain was now entirely covered with gravel and was essentially part of the road.
“I had a closer inspection of the drain on the corner and noticed the broken pipe now has road base all over it and has been incorporated into the road,” she said.
She said she had approached the council numerous times to help improve the condition of the road that was so severely damaged that only one car at a time could drive down it.
“I noticed while driving up the top of Lovers Lane that the road is washed away to the point where it is only accessible by one car at a time, which is very dangerous because you can’t move to the side of the road,” she said.
Mr Howard said drains couldn’t be expected to take so much rain in such harsh conditions.
“The drainage network in Lovers Lane is susceptible to minor flooding during times of intense rainfall; this is mainly due to the local landscape,” Mr Howard said.
“To date, complaints received by council appear to relate to intense rainfall events. The existing drains and proposed works still would not have coped.”
Despite the council’s response, Ms Stovold said she would continue to fight to have the road fixed.
