We’ve received the following email and attachment from a resident –
“NOT GOOD ENOUGH
“The Caravan Industry Australia wishes to keep you fully informed of short-term road closures during the upcoming 2012 Caravan and Camping Show” has today (9th March) appeared in impacted residents letter boxes. Notification the day before does not constitute being “fully informed” and who the heck gave these people the right to limit my access to my property. During last year’s Spring Racing Carnival, the MRC pulled the same stunt, with one days notice. Calls to Council complaining resulted in Council denying all knowledge of the closures. About two weeks later, Council sent out a survey to local residents. None of the results of that survey have been announced or reported back to residents. Council is responsible for managing traffic movements and street closures in Glen Eira – Council has a traffic management department for this purpose.
- So why isn’t there a published traffic management plan for major events at Caulfield Racecourse
- Why haven’t impacted residents be allowed to review and comment (we know our streets better than anyone)
- Why is any Tom Dick or Harry allowed to close off my street
- Why is the closure notice presented the day before (these events are well known before hand and have had months of planning).
- Will Council enforce the parking restrictions in the surrounding residential streets?
Council is definitely failing residents in this instance.”
The flyer is uploaded HERE
Glen Eira Debates 
March 9, 2012 at 4:35 PM
Come on let’s face it. The MRC doesn’t have to tell Newton anything because they either don’t give a stuff about council or they know that whatever they do will be okayed by Newton and the gang. That’s what’s happened in the past and that’s what’ll happen all the time. Residents don’t matter whatsoever. Big bloody deal if a few streets are closed off. Expecting council to report back results is also pie in the sky. Another event and another to hell with residents. Gosh I hope Lipshutz lives right next to the race course – betya he doesn’t though.
March 9, 2012 at 6:06 PM
Council feedback is an oxymoron. It simply does not exist, especially if this feedback happens to be negative. But at least Newton can claim that residents were “consulted”. The subterfuge and deceit is extraordinary.
March 9, 2012 at 6:28 PM
The flyer says that council has contacted residents in “recent weeks”. Sorry, they haven’t. I agree wholeheartedly with the writer of this post. It’s unacceptable that locals are the last to be told anything and then to have the flyer write about “local community” when all the profit goes to the MRC is like flinging further mud in your face.
Glen Eira council has done absolutely nothing to ensure that residential amenity is maintained. There’s been no feedback and no results published. Yet they have 1000 staff and no-one can be bothered to pick up a pen and write a short note weeks in advance that is then mailed out or even letter dropped to every single affected household.
I’m not expecting an apology – that would be just too much to ask for. What I do expect is that my rates are used for the benefit of residents and not the MRC and their events which are now happening at the drop of a hat. How many have there already been in the past 12 months when there were only supposed to be 10 apart from races, according to the agreement.
March 9, 2012 at 9:10 PM
That Council has contacted residents in “recent weeks” is an absolute travesty. Nada, zippo, squat (and I could go on and on and on and on).
Not a word about the results of the survey conducted after the spring racing carnival. And the “word”, as always, is totally deficient – simply more of the same and no attempt to address residents issues or even involve them.
Council has abrogated it’s responsibility – despite us paying for a very expensive traffic management department.
Basicaly, Caulfield Racecourse, or anyone it chooses to name, can now determine traffic management in a significant area of Glen Eira – only place with grade separation of railwaylines and roads .
Once again Council sucks
March 10, 2012 at 8:51 AM
What a load of whingers. If they had the camping show with no traffic management then it would a disaster. If you think that the Council is telling porkies then write to the Ombudsman. His office is full of highly paid public servants waiting to investigate. No good writing to a blog. Beach Rd is blocked off many times a year for triatholons and fun runs. That impacts on alot more people. They also block access to the beach. Life goes on.
For the people that think that stopping the camping show is the answer then I can tell you that won’t happen. If the Council is telling porkies or not informing the residents then you can do something about that.
March 10, 2012 at 9:48 AM
You should read what’s been written carefully. No where does it say that the camping show shouldn’t go on. Nowhere is the resident against traffic management. The complaint is that surely there should have been more than one day’s notice and the question of whether council knew anything and didn’t do their job or simply weren’t informed by the MRC.
Your comparison with Beach Rd is a furphy. They don’t have 20 or so events a year that close down traffic and when they do you have plenty of notice. Thanks also for the suggestion about the ombudsman and probably the municipal inspector. We’ve had 3 of the latter and each has white washed those responsible. No reason to have faith in this system. Or there could already be 5 million complaints in at these bodies. Who knows?
March 10, 2012 at 12:02 PM
There are not 20 events each year at the race track. Most meeting have a very small crowd and that has been happening for quite a while. In fact the crowd is not as big as a home game of Caulfield Old Boys at the Glen huntley oval. The main events at the track are the Spring Carnival and Monash exams. The main point is that the council are not giving due notice of street closures. the event organisers should be made to hire those roadside trailers that they use in St Kilda to warn people of the upcoming closure.
March 12, 2012 at 11:22 PM
Residents of Glen Eira give the MRC cheap rates to run their commercial fantasy park too and never force the MRC or whoever to clean up alcohol cans and bottles all along the way from the MRC gates and you know it’s an ofence for us to carry drink form the local Pub or wine and spirits and walk pastthe racecourse. And of course it’s physically impossible for us to access the centre of the racecourse from the tunnel near the station for quite time.
And oh! Never a free ticket to all these performances.
And how would it work out if I were MUM OF YOUNG CHILDREN AND HAD PLANNED TO GIVE MY THREE YEAR OLD A PARTY LAST WEEKEND. hOW DO WE GIVE OUT ONE RESIDENT PASS OR SHOULD WE GIVE THE PARTY AT THE CORNER NEAR THE STREET CLOSURE SO OTHER PARENTS CAN SEE WHAT’S GOING ON?
MY CARPENTER HAD TO SPEND AN EXTRA HALF HOUR GPING ARPOUND ALL THE MRC DIVERSIONS … TALK ABOUT A QUESTION WITHOUT NOTICE… WHAT IS THE REASON?????
wHY CANNOT MRC COUNCIL OR SOMEONE TELL RESIDENTS A MONTH BEFORE.