By CASEY NEILL
THE wrong choice for the Abbotts Road level crossing’s future could jeopardise manufacturing in the region, a Dandenong South businessman says.
David Knowles from accounting firm Pitcher Partners also slammed the Level Crossing Removal Authority’s (LCRA) admission at an industry forum on 17 March that it “had not considered economic aspects in their assessment whatsoever”.
He said the area was nationally significant for manufacturing and employment and contributed significantly to economic growth.
“For an area of stated national economic significance, that seems like a critical oversight,” he said.
“Pitcher Partners believes the area is so significant that we opened our second Victorian office in Dandenong South just off Abbotts Road in 2014.”
The LCRA revealed late last month that it planned to close Abbotts Road and build an overpass connecting Remington Drive to Pound Road West.
Mr Knowles said that at the meeting, the LCRA accepted responsibility for “their poor consultation process so far” and unveiled four new options.
“This is better than the fait accompli Abbotts Road closure we were initially presented with,” he said.
He said that the Pound Road West-Remington Drive overpass 1.5 kilometres north of the current crossing was not a bad idea.
“Connecting those roads would undoubtedly relieve some of the strain on other local arterials, but all of that benefit would be lost by closing Abbotts Road permanently,” he said.
“You don’t have to be an expert town planner to work out that closing a key arterial road carrying 23,000 vehicles per day in a key industrial area, that is already choked with traffic, will simply push that traffic onto other already-congested local roads.”
Mr Knowles called for a more holistic and integrated approach from “an authority whose only mandate it would seem is to remove level crossings”.
“Realistically, prioritising an overpass at Abbotts Road is the most sensible solution and that’s the feedback our clients in the region are giving us,” he said.
“Ultimately, failing to invest in more infrastructure in Melbourne’s south-east will have a series of knock-on negative economic effects.
“The State Government has a real opportunity to invest in future capacity and make Dandenong an even more attractive investment destination, but it’s in danger of producing the opposite effect.”
LCRA CEO Kevin Devlin said he was really pleased with the turnout at the forum and “appreciated the opportunity to hear from the local industry on what was important to them and their businesses”.
“With all five possible options now on the table it was a great first step to gather feedback on important considerations we need to develop our options and then select a solution,” he said.
Mr Devlin said the LCRA was now undertaking an extensive consultation program over the next eight months to determine the best way to remove the Abbotts Road level crossing.
“The industry forum will be followed up by further interactive community sessions in April,” he said.
