By Callum Ludwig
Another Upper Yarra resident has shared a gripe with a residential road again littered with corrugations.
Near where Douglas Parade, Yarra Junction connects with the Warburton Highway, the road quality has deteriorated and bumps in the road have formed.
Douglas Parade resident Trish Roath said Douglas Parade is a busy road, as a through road to access Gladysdale and Yarra Junction.
“There is a construction zone behind as new homes are being built, the number of trucks increases daily, the dust levels are unacceptable as cars and trucks travel sometimes at 70km per hour, my car thinks I’m heading down an abyss as I enter from our drive as the potholes become deeper and wider and this is after grading,” she said.
“I am still unable to access the highway in my small Ford Puma as the shuddering has the potential to damage it, so I need to head down to Little Yarra Road each time I need access to the highway to travel to work and sometimes turning right on the corner of Little Yarra Road is difficult and dangerous when traffic is heavy during school hours,”
“Council seems to grade our road once every few months, the last was 17 January which achieved very little and the cost must have been significant and only a week later this time, the corrugation at the entrance to Warburton Highway was once again significant and that’s for our Ford Everest.”
Douglas Parade was set to be sealed under Yarra Ranges Council’s Roads for Community program which lost federal funding, one of many local roads in the project pipeline that had to be rescinded. Yarra Ranges Council currently manages over 720km of dirt roads.
Ms Roath said they only moved to the street in May 2024 but one of her neighbours told her that they all received communication that the road could no longer be sealed.
“I feel if Council is expanding the residential areas of Yarra Junction then infrastructure including roads needs to be part of their planning, we are part of the redevelopment zone, they have ensured that the new area in Timberbelle Place was done but I believe developers may have born the cost but to be just three houses from the made road is frustrating to say the least, she said.
“The developers may have paid for the road there, but the trucks use Douglas Parade, from the Warburton Highway to access the development, they will be significantly adding to the corrugation and certainly add to the dust,”
“If Council allows the building of homes on these roads, it is essential that they also provide sealed roads in due course… no one should come out of their home, in a built-up suburban area and be faced with potential damage to their cars and that includes Douglas Parade.”
When contacted for comment, Yarra Ranges Council had the same message for driving on unsealed roads that may be suffering corrugations, as well as some advice for residents seeking to find out more about their grading schedule and how to advocate on the issue:
Yarra Ranges Council advises that residents on unsealed roads can see their grading schedule on Council’s website at: yarraranges.vic.gov.au/Development/Roads-drains-footpath/Roads-and-Traffic/Road-maintenance/Road-grading.
The council spokesperson said driving on an unsealed road is very different to driving on a sealed road, with speed being the main contributor to loss of material on an unsealed road.
“Unfortunately, road corrugations are unavoidable on unsealed roads, so we ask that motorists adjust their driving accordingly when on an unsealed road and drive to the conditions of that road,” they said.
“If residents wish to have further sections of road sealed, they can submit a petition for Council to enter a special charge scheme, whereby residents agree to contribute to the sealing costs for the road,”
“While grading of unsealed roads helps maintain the condition of the road as best as possible, there are a number of reasons why road corrugations can occur, other factors that can contribute to road corrugations include weather conditions and traffic volume.”
Yarra Ranges Council encourages residents with concerns regarding local road conditions to email their local MP about the withdrawal of funding and to submit a petition to Council to enter a Special Charge Scheme for sealing.
Ms Roath said her rates are about the same as she paid when living on a made road with gutters and great drainage in Healesville.
“The people of Yarra Junction and all the beautiful areas of the Yarra Valley that are being built up to accommodate our housing needs deserve better, at the very least do a proper grading of Douglas Parade and others or simply bite the bullet and build the road,” she said.
“I can’t understand that the costs associated with continually grading are not considered, it must cost a significant amount although they do only take about an hour to do the roads around here, it’s a quick fix and only one or two weeks after their very light grading, we are always back to square one,”
“I love living in Yarra Junction, I love the tranquillity and I love being close to the river and the trail but the residents deserve better.”
