The unsealed section of Grevillea Way was one of the most commonly raised topics during my door knocking. It was clear, there is a lot of urban myth making about it, resulting in the many different stories that I heard. To try and clarify the history of the unsealed section, I put a number of questions on notice so that there is a public record of its history.
You can also click here to download the full answers from the City of Mitcham, including past Council resolutions and more.
Could a short history behind Grevillea Way (the unsurfaced section) please be provided?
The management of this section of Grevillea Way has been the subject of several investigations by Council over a long period. The gravel section of Grevillea Way, defined as a “fire track”, is quite steep and does not meet the design standards for a sealed road. Further details regarding the history to the surfacing of Grevillea Way can be found in the two previous Council reports included in Attachment A: Council Report Grevillea Way, Blackwood July 2008 and Attachment B: Council Report “Unsealed” Section of Grevillea Way, Blackwood May 2011.
How often does Council grade the unsurfaced section of Grevillea Way?
The unsealed sections of Grevillea Way are graded approximately every three months.
How much does Council spend per year on grading the unsurfaced section of Grevillea Way?
On average, the cost for grading (including materials) is between $6,000 to $7,000 and is affected by winter rainfall. This annual cost equates to between $24,000 and $28,000.
What plans (if any) have been created in the past that look at surfacing the unsurfaced section of Grevillea Way?
Several proposals have been put forward to the community over the years and there has been strong local opposition against upgrading the fire track to a fully sealed road.
The public debate concerning the unsealed section of Grevillea Way culminated in Council embarking upon a “road closure” process, which was terminated due to an investigation and assessment by the Ombudsman’s Office in 2008. This resulted in Council ultimately resolving the following at its Meeting held on 27 January 2009:
(1) That the Grevillea Way Project be deferred for a period of at least 12 months from 27 January 2009.
(2) That appropriately worded signs be installed to replace existing signage at both ends of the unsealed section of Grevillea Way to ensure that all efforts are made to advise and warn the community of the change in road surface conditions and the steep gradient of this section of Grevillea Way.
(3) That a notification process be undertaken to inform the local community including information in the local newspapers, Mitcham Matters and on the Council website regarding the appropriate use of the unsealed section of Grevillea Way.
(4) That Council continues with the regular maintenance program, regular inspections and grading of the unsealed section of Grevillea Way, as required.
(5) That the local residents be advised of the Council decision regarding this matter.
(6) That the Ombudsman be formally advised of Council’s decision regarding this matter.”
Following this Administration distributed correspondence to action the above resolution and arranged signage accordingly.
Since that date arrangements have been made to routinely inspect and as required conduct maintenance on the unsealed road surface.
A review of the signage, delineation and management regime of the “unsealed section” of Grevillea Way was undertaken and improvements were implemented to increase road safety for users of this link. A plan outlining the signage and delineation improvements can be found in Attachment C: Traffic Control Layout – Grevillea Way.
Has there been any traffic analysis undertaken to look at any potential impacts that surfacing the unsurfaced section of Grevillea Way would create?
A review of traffic data in May 2016 indicated that there has been one crash along the unsealed section of Grevillea Way during the previous 5 years. This was a property damage only crash where a westbound vehicle hit a fixed object during daylight hours.
The results of a traffic count undertaken in May 2016 indicated that the 24 hour two way traffic flow on Grevillea Way in the unsealed section was 540 vehicles. This total was evenly split by direction. This suggested that the same drivers used the road for their outward and inward journeys. Given the location and nature of the road it is considered that the majority of the traffic is local traffic.
Click here to download the full answers from the City of Mitcham, including past Council resolutions and more.
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