South Kyneton residents are backing a petition that calls for better connectivity into town.
The petition is calling for two critical pieces of infrastructure to be built; a pedestrian path to Kyneton Train Station from the end of Mollison Street, and a second vehicle bridge over the Campaspe River from Edgecombe Street.
South Kyneton Connectivity Petition spokesperson Rick Lander said the infrastructure links are essential as South Kyneton continues to grow.
Mr Lander said Macedon Ranges council has identified both projects in the Kyneton Movement Network Plan, however funding continues to be a constraint.
He said the issues, especially with the path to the station, stem from the land needed being owned by VicTrack, which he said has dismissed the community’s calls for almost a decade.
VicTrack said the land identified for the proposed shared path is currently used by V/Line for railway operations and maintenance, and therefore is not suitable.
Council assets and operations director Dom Testoni said both projects continue to be a priority, with the second bridge over the Campaspe River outlined in the Kyneton Structure Plan.
He said a pedestrian crossing will be installed at Campaspe Drive and Mollison Street to help pedestrian access to the station, separate to the VicTrack-owned land.
“Council has also worked with the developer in advocating to both VicTrack and V/Line to unlock a parcel of land to assist in the delivery of a proposed pedestrian path from the existing Kyneton South area to the train station, but this has been unsuccessful to date,” he said.
Mr Testoni said a concept design for the bridge has been developed and developer contributions have been secured to partially fund the bridge.
“At this stage, the project is considered a medium-to-long-term infrastructure priority, triggered when traffic volumes exceed the current road network’s capacity,” he said.
“An estimated cost of the project is approximately $12.7 million (excluding GST). There is no confirmed timeframe for construction at this stage, as delivery is dependent on the progress of development in the area and securing the remaining funding from other levels of government.”
Petition: kynetononriverside.au/south-kyneton-connectivity-petition
