DANDENONG
dandenong.starcommunity.com.au
Tuesday, 9 April, 2024
/DandenongJournal
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Residents plead for hub co-design
Stud Road speed reduction underway
Fight for historic home continues
Dandenong celebrate top win
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Art for all Acclaimed artist Toshi Handa joined forces with the Noble Park Community Centre (NPCC) to deliver an artistic project aiming for inclusivity. The community centre held the exhibition on Friday 5 April. Mr Handa has taught art for people with disabilities at NPCC for almost seven years. Full story on page 5
Toshi Handa stands proudly in front of his students artwork which he helped to workshop. 398488 Picture: STEWART CHAMBERS
Closure slammed By Sahar Foladi A petition has been launched to stop the State Government’s level-crossing closure in Dandenong South by an opposition MP. As part of the free Pakenham line plans, Progress St level-crossing will be permanently closed, diverting traffic down Fowler Road and onto South Gippsland Highway. The intersection will be upgraded and signalised to accommodate “increased traffic and heavy vehicle movements,” at South Gippsland Highway. Member for South Eastern Metropolitan region MP Ann-Marie Hermans has launched her petition, sitting at 310 signatures so far, closing on 20 September 2024.
“We need people to stop and look at the decision they’re making and make sensible decision with our hard-earned money taxes, and this is not a sensible decision,” she said. The petition is in support of surrounding heavy-transport businesses who have advocated against the State Government’s levelcrossing closure on Progress St, and raised safety concerns over its design plan, including AusPost. Australia Post spokesperson said, “The safety and security of our people is the highest priority for Australia Post. We have raised our safety and operational efficiency concerns directly with the LXRP and have requested additional details regarding safety assessments. “Our focus remains on working with the
LXRP to mitigate our concerns. “The Dandenong Letter Centre processes the vast majority of all letters sent within Victoria, along with some small parcels. “ The spokesperson has confirmed they haven’t heard back from the LXRP regarding their safety concerns. A Victorian Government spokesperson, however, says Fowler Rd solution will be safe. “The Level Crossing Removal Project has been engaging with businesses in the area over the past 18 months - and they have listened to their concerns and made changes to the design at Progress Street including adding additional parking, upgrades to Fowler Street and ensuring accessibility for oversized vehicles.“ Andrew Hamer, managing director of Pak-
aflex located next to the level-crossing, is one of the first to fight against this “bad solution” which he believes to be a “lousy solution for a political headline.” “They can build the bridge, but you can’t close Progress St and that’s what the petition is about. “We’ve tried to speak with the government sensibly about it, we’ve had the lobbyist, there’s no appetite for change is what one said.” Despite a report from the National Safety Regulator – discovered under Freedom of information (FOI) – that the crossing has negligible risks, the State Government remains committed to “remove the dangerous and congested” level-crossing. Continued page 3
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