Upgrade welcomed

By Kath Gannaway
RESIDENTS of Romeo Road in Healesville have welcomed news a degraded section of Monda Avenue will be maintained ahead of the fire season.
A steep section of Monda Avenue between Romeo Road, at the base of Mt Riddell, and Juliet Avenue provides an alternative exit to Don Road, but has not been upgraded for many years.
Residents have been lobbying the Shire of Yarra Ranges for a number of years to have the road maintained but say they have been unsuccessful.
Romeo Road resident David Hill said he had renewed his efforts following the February bushfires and had also made a submission to the Royal Commission.
Yarra Ranges communications manager James Martin said last week the council had sought advice from the CFA in relation to Monda Avenue as part of the shire’s bushfire preparation work and based on advice would upgrade the track to make it suitable for emergency access purposes.
“Vegetation along the section of track will also be assessed to determine if there is a need to undertake any pruning to allow emergency vehicle access,” he said.
Romeo Road resident Steve Matthews and Juliet Avenue resident Beverley Oliver called for boom gates to be installed to close off the area in winter to avoid the type of degradation that has made the road unusable in the past.
They say the track has been torn up over winter by people using it as a 4WD track and that it is has also become a dumping ground resulting in the shire being reluctant to maintain it.
“It needs to be accessible in summer and closed off in winter,” Mr Matthews said. “The gates would save the shire maintenance costs in the long run.”
Work on the upgrade is expected to start this month.