VICROADS will be undertaking a range of maintenance activities all over the Mornington Peninsula from now as it prepares for the coming bushfire season.
More than $550,000 will be spent on removing dead and dangerous trees, cutting low branches over roads and reducing fuel until the end of the year. This work will include fence-to-fence grass mowing on all rural arterial roads to cut the large amounts of fuel generated by a wet winter, and to ease the risk of a fire spreading from road reserves to adjacent land.
Maintenance work along Balnarring Rd will begin this week.
VicRoads regional director Aidan McGann said inspections had been carried out over winter to determine the most at-risk areas on the peninsula. “Our maintenance team works closely with Emergency Management Victoria, fire authorities and local councils to assess the areas of greatest risk and determine our priorities for maintenance works,” Mr McGann said.
“Bushfires are unpredictable, so we want to provide the safest environment possible for residents and road users as temperatures rise over coming months.”
Mr McGann said VicRoads had also sponsored a Living with Bushfire Community Conference to hear from leading industry experts, including fire ecologists and community emergency groups. It was held last weekend at Lilydale.
“We’ll do our best to prepare our environment for bushfire season,” he said.
“But we also need to ensure that our community has a greater understanding of bushfires and how they can best protect themselves and their community.”
VicRoads says it will monitor the conditions of arterial roadsides to ensure maintenance minimises bushfire risk.
To report a road hazard, call VicRoads on 13 11 70.
First published in the Southern Peninsula News – 11 October 2016
