Residents remind mayor what it’s about

By Sarah Schwager
RESIDENTS of the Hunt Club Estate in Cranbourne East had mixed reactions after meeting with Casey mayor Kevin Bradford to discuss the proposed Cranbourne Bypass.
Cr Bradford said he had cleared up several misunderstandings at the 3 April meeting, including which road works were going ahead.
“All of the residents had opportunities to ask a lot of questions,” Cr Bradford said. “A couple of residents even came up to me after the meeting and said they would now be supporting the bypass campaign.”
But Hunt Club Estate resident Karen Sellenger said Cr Bradford did not address the issues most concerning residents.
“He spoke at length about the concerns of local traders in High Street, and how necessary it was for this shopping strip to be revamped,” Ms Sellenger said. “(Luckily) some residents interrupted this grand vision to remind him that he was, in fact, at a local residents’ association and that our immediate concerns were … more to do with heavy traffic, noise, pollution, property values, safety, and ease of exiting our estate.
“To give him his due he turned up, he stayed a long time, and he attempted to answer any question that was thrown at him as best as he could.”
Ms Sellenger said a more urgent issue for residents was the need for footpaths and traffic lights outside the Hunt Club Estate.
The duplication of Narre Warren-Cranbourne Road was also raised, with Cr Bradford saying it had to be done as early as possible and he would lobby on residents’ behalf.
Cr Bradford launched the campaign in February to lobby the State Government and VicRoads to fund construction of the Cranbourne Bypass.
The council has highlighted the bypass as its number one main road diversion priority.
At last week’s council meeting, the council decided to apply to AusLink for the construction of the Cranbourne Bypass, along with the O’Shea Road connection and the unsealed lengths of Manks and Dalmore roads.
The council also agreed to send a letter to local MPs Greg Hunt, Anthony Byrne and Jason Wood advising them of the applications and seeking their support.