Slip lane extension irks Anderson St residents

INLAND Rail’s plan to extend a slip lane on Anderson Street will force some unhappy residents to drive around the block just to enter their own driveways. The current slip lane connecting Railway Street to Anderson Street only affects one household, but the new plan will see Inland Rail extend the lane to near the corner of Anderson and Brock Streets, locking in another eight properties. An Inland Rail spokesperson said the lane extension will prevent flooding at the Anderson Street underpass, which they plan to construct next year to replace the overpass as they upgrade Euroa Railway Station. “Flood protection… requires the road to be built up so it withstands a flood event. The slip lane is the result of the difference in road levels between Anderson St and Railway St,” the spokesperson said. However, affected Anderson Street resident Don Santin has a message for Inland Rail. “I think the people who have designed it have finished their design, and don't think any changes are feasible, but they are,” he said. “And if they want me to help them in designing it, I'll do it free of charge.” Mr Santin and his wife Carole moved to Euroa from Gippsland just five months ago. The couple are not pleased by the proposed new inconvenience of needing to drive around the block to enter their driveway, or the potential loss of large, old English plane trees on their nature strip. “We've only been here five months… It's just lovely and green, with lots of trees, and we've come to a different climate now, and if we lose our trees, it's not good. We won't be happy,” Mr Santin said. An Inland Rail spokesperson said the removal of “some” trees would be unavoidable, but according to residents, Inland Rail told them the trees on the strip affected by the extension would be removed. Another affected resident, Nick Sayers, said the proposed extension could present practical difficulties in entering and exiting his driveway. “I'm a builder, so I've got trailers and stuff like that that I'm always needing to reverse into my driveway… it’s gonna become really challenging,” he said. “I just don't think that there's been any thought put into the people that live on the slip lane… like, how much it would actually devalue pretty much all eight houses along the street.” With young children at home, Mr Sayers and his wife Toni-Anne also have safety concerns over moving the road closer to affected houses. He suggested adding speed bumps or a reducing the speed limit if the slip lane needs to be extended. An Inland Rail spokesperson said an independent road safety audit will be conducted, and traffic calming measures “can be considered as the design progresses”. At least two affected residents are not overly bothered by the proposed extension. “Reducing access to the property will definitely affect prices, I can't see it doing anything else, but what can we do about it?” resident Angela Berry said. “If that's technically where it has to be, with all their current guidelines and slopes and everything else, then we don't really have a lot of choice. “And I think the underpass was ultimately the only way to go.” Her neighbour David McNamara agreed. “I can't do much about it, really,” he said. “It's just progress, I suppose; I'm pretty glad to see that eyesore [the overpass] go. “Sometimes you've got to give to get, don't you?”