A Tostaree resident has expressed concern about a tall gum tree leaning precariously toward the Princes Highway, near the Wairewa turnoff.
Peter Camilleri told the Advertiser the tree could potentially fall across the road and hit those waiting at the bus stop.
Contractors for VicRoads were recently clearing trees from the side of the road in order to cut a turning lane into Wairewa Road.
Mr Camilleri says they left the tall gum tree and he’s puzzled as to why.
“They had a harvester here to clear other trees but neglected to remove this one,” he said.
Mr Camilleri believes when works begin on constructing the new turning lane it will weaken the earth and the surrounding tree roots even further.
“When these trees get wet feet that’s when they go over,” Mr Camilleri said.
He believes VicRoads should reassess the site and remove the tree in question.
“The tree is already dropping branches where the new turning lane will be,” he said.
Mr Camilleri said two large trees fell over in nearby Nowa Nowa about three weeks ago, bringing down power lines across the road.
“AusNet is only interested in vegetation within seven metres of powerlines, that’s where the problem is,” he said.
“The criteria is too fine. Some of these people need to be rewired as it’s obvious to most of us that some trees are simply too close to powerlines.”
Mr Camilleri said the number of blackouts in the area is related to strips of wet bark falling onto powerlines.
“We’ve had three blackouts in the past three weeks where the power has gone out for five to six hours. It’s a nuisance,” he said.
“It’s okay for us young bucks but what about the old timers. It can’t be much fun for them sitting in the dark without heating.”
In response to questions from the Advertiser, VicRoads said it would be removing a further three trees at the intersection of the Princes Highway and Wairewa Road as part of intersection upgrades.
“We aim to limit vegetation impacts when delivering upgrades and have worked with an arborist to identify these additional trees that need to be removed to maximise safety at this intersection,” regional director for Regional Roads Victoria, Sara Rhodes-Ward, said.
Ms Rhodes-Ward said the existing west-bound V/Line bus stop will be relocated closer to the intersection to provide a safe place for coaches to pullover and passengers to wait.
Judging by graffiti recently plastered around the local community, some residents don’t believe enough trees are being removed in the wake of the summer bushfires.
In the last few weeks, graffiti has appeared around Nowa Nowa, at the local recreation reserve and under the Boggy Creek Bridge explicitly condemning the role vegetation played in the fires.
IMAGE: Tostaree resident, Peter Camilleri, fears the gum tree behind him on the Princes Highway is at risk of falling across the road and onto the bus stop. K285-5995
