By Dongyun Kwon
A pair of roads in Gruyere are in bad condition, with a local resident concerned they aren’t being graded as often as they should.
Locals are suffering from the state of Spring Lane and Hyde Park Road which is uneven, rough and full of large potholes.
Gruyere resident Greg Conway said the issue has affected the safety of the municipal residents.
“We run businesses from our properties, employ people in the area and it’s simply not safe for residents or workers,” he said.
“We transport livestock and it’s quite dangerous for them as well.
“Yarra Ranges Council (YRC) hasn’t been dealing with the problem, even though we have on many occasions asked them to deal with it.
Mr Conway said he has been disappointed by the lack of cooperation from YRC.
Mr Conway said the Yarra Ranges Council delivered only 50 per cent of their commitment in 2023.
“In a meeting with the council, it was confirmed that Spring Lane would receive 6 services and Hyde Park Road would receive 3 services per year to maintain the road,” he said.
“And that hasn’t occurred. We only had three for Spring Lane and haven’t had any maintenance since August last year.”
The poor road condition has damaged the wheel rims of Mr Conway’s car.
Mr Conway said he found other roads were maintained while the two roads in Gruyere were still not in action.
“I called YRC at the end of November last year and complained about the condition and road access of Spring Lane,” he said.
“I was advised that when the equipment is in the area, the road would be attended to,”
“We noted that a grading was at Mcmeikans Road in Yering in the first week of December and another grading was at Boundary Road and Maddens Lane, but it didn’t happen to Spring Lane and Hyde Park Road.”
Mr Conway said he made another call to the council to complain again about the condition of the roads on 17 January.
“The council’s infrastructure team said our road would only be graded 6 times a year if they deemed it necessary and it was at their discretion, which was different from what we’ve heard last time,” he said.
YRC Director of Built Environment and Infrastructure Enrique Gutierrez said the team was notified of the storm damage on Spring Lane in Gruyere thanks to the community members.
“The road currently has corrugations – a standard issue on unsealed roads in wet weather – damage to the gutters from stormwater, and a hole caused by a damaged culvert that runs under and across the road,” he said.
“A team attended to the hole on Wednesday 17 January, placing a temporary cover and warning signage for residents while repair works are organised.”
Mr Conway said he wants the council to be more accountable for the delivery of services to the municipal residents.
“Now they are blaming the rain for the condition of the road, which is not true, if the roads and gutters were maintained to an acceptable and safe standard, they wouldn’t be in such an appalling and unsafe state that exists now,” he said.
“We’re annoyed because it’s putting people, property, livestock and equipment at risk.”
