RMIT urban policy expert Dr Crystal Legacy says the government has done “a very poor job” of consulting residents on the Cranbourne-Pakenham sky rail project.
Speaking to The Herald Sun, Dr Legacy described the lack of communication as a “blunder”.
Opposition leader Matthew Guy agrees.
“Everyone supports the removal of level crossings but Daniel Andrews never said before the election that he’d build a cheap and nasty sky rail through our suburbs,” Mr Guy said.
Dr Legacy and Mr Guy join an increasing amount of locals who are speaking up regarding their disappointment in the government.
After consulting realtors, residents say that properties surrounding the future sky rail could devalue at up to $200,000.
North-facing properties will be partly shadowed by the concrete structures of the elevated rail.
Carnegie local Michelle Bennett, who is part of the No Sky Rail Group, says the $1.6 billion project has already impacted her family.
“We live in a full blown construction site now,” she said.
“Our street has been reduced from a two lane avenue, to a one lane, one way street. All of our trees have also been cut down.”
Nick Skarajew from Frankston is rallying for a rail under road. He just bought a house next to the train line.
“I bought it [the house] under the pretence of extending up a level with bay views, so I’m fairly screwed if it comes into fruition” he said.
The No Sky Rail Group applied for the station houses at Carnegie and Murrumbeena stations to be heritage listed in an attempt to halt the project, but the proposal failed. The 90-year old buildings were demolished earlier this month.
‘You can’t please everyoine’
Infrastructure in greater Melbourne, particularly in respect to Melbournes rail system is currently ONLY suited to a ‘1959 Melbourne’. In 2017 our rail system suffers from years of neglect from both sides of government and as a result it now serves only a very small percentage of Melbourne. Most people in Melbourne don’t even live close to a railway station and this is the single reason why many own 2 or 3 cars.
The small percentage that live in the ever increasingly over crowded inner suburbs such as Murrumbeena and Carnegie need to consider that most of Melbourne don’t enjoy easy access to a local railway station as they do, and the only economical and affordable way to expand our cities railway system is the wonderful “Sky Rail Concept”.
If the Victorian State Government even suggests a slight increase in the cost of a rail ticket, there is a negative public reaction. Funding improvements to a rail system that the public thinks it should be able to use for little money or even free does creat a problem.
While putting rail underground might benefit a few locals, it would disadvantage the greater majority. The considerable additional initial capital cost and the continuing operating cost would put further delay to the costruction of the much needed rail lines to Melbourne Airport, Rowville, Doncaster and more.
You can’t please all the people all of the time, but Sky Rail provides an excellent compromise that WILL prove successfull. My only obseravation is that construction of the Rowville Rail “Sky Rail” line should be underway now so that it can be running the day that the level crossing disappear on the Dandenong Rail line.
If we could turn back the clock to 1959, and our rail system received regular expansion in all directions then perhaps we would be in better position today, but sadly people fail to look to the future. New developments today provide little if any off street parking. This is causing real problems that will in the future make inner Melbourne suburbs very unpleasant places to live.
Street car parking should be exclusively for visitors and not for permanent resident parking as it increasingly is used for.
Bottom line, is that the Andrews State Government are doing an outstanding job with the limited funds they have to work with. I am certain that every effort will be made to ensure that Sky Rail is as attractive as it can be.
A little pain for a few, a massive gain for most!
Regards
Carl