Rumours abounded last week that the Fish Creek 1884-1984 centenary sign, composed of white rocks embedded in the embankment of Falls Road as it curves past the rail trail, was soon to be dug up and carted away, with some residents understanding that it would no longer be ‘compliant’ after the current roadworks are completed.
However, the Council has reassured the Prom Coast News that the sign will be saved, stating that it is planning “to preserve, but realign the Fish Creek sign to accommodate the streetscape works.”
The vegetation at the top of the slope was not so lucky, and was bulldozed last week. In the same statement, the council said that the “work was undertaken by Council’s Open Space team who removed ageing and declining shrubs in preparation for replanting. The garden will be rejuvenated with native plants sourced from a local nursery, with planting and mulching to take place in the coming weeks.”
The manager of one local business is also anxiously awaiting the submission of his petition at the council meeting this Wednesday on the matter of the parking realignment currently underway outside of Fish Creek’s main street of shops, which are set to eliminate the car spaces outside Fish Creek Hardware.
But Manager Brad Anderson is not just concerned about car parking, he’s also worried about whether semi-traillers will continue to be able to safely deliver goods to his store, and has questioned the calculations used by council planners in their designs.
“In regards to the diagrams provided by them [the council], I believe they have used a smaller semi trailer template which is not the template of the trucks we have delivering goods to the store… Also, it’s interesting to see how the semi is driving into the street and driving out in a forward direction. Their modelling isn’t showing how the truck actually turns in the court? I would have thought they would have allowed it in the design considering it’s a no-through road,” Anderson said.
Anderson says many of the hardware store’s suppliers have already indicated they will be unable to continue delivering if the junction is modified as proposed, and is urging the council to reconsider the changes. He says his preferred option for the Ryan Street intersection is to retain the existing bitumen and kerbing/guttering in-situ, with line-marking to improve safety and traffic guidance, rather than removing otherwise sufficient and costly infrastructure. Cara Schultz
