Rally in Red!

At a rally on Sunday 11 September 2011, residents of the Bayshore Avenue area of Clifton Springs will tie a ribbon across the site of a proposed bridge to formally declare it … 'CLOSED FOR DEVELOPMENT!'

The rally will happen at 10.30 a.m. at the western end of Bayshore Avenue. The rally is being organised by the Clifton Springs Independent Ratepayers Group (CSIRG). Spokesperson Gary Dean said, 'Were inviting everyone who'll be affected by the bridge to attend the rally, to wear an item of red clothing to the ribbon-tying ceremony and to tie their own red ribbon to their fence or letter box.'

The proposed bridge will run from the western end of Bayshore Avenue across Griggs Creek and into land owned by property company Bisinella. It will have no load limit, enabling construction vehicles to use it to gain access to the Bisinella land for development. (See 'A troubling bridge over local waters' [19 August]; 'Interest grows in "rogue bridge"' [25 August]; and 'Bridge protesters go public' [2 September] on this blog.)

'This bridge won't just affect residents of Bayshore Avenue', said Gary Dean. 'The whole area - Koorong Court, Kewarra Drive, Kanyanya Avenue, Kiama Way and Jetty Road - will be at risk from construction traffic moving through it. We're holding the rally to make the council and developers sit up and take notice of the growing opposition to the proposed bridge. We want them to stop treating Clifton Springs as Geelong's poor relation and to have meaningful discussions with us about this bridge.'

The Drysdale & Clifton Springs Community Association (DCSCA) has been assisting CSIRG and it is supporting the rally. Rally organisers are asking everyone in the area to attend, bringing family, friends, neighbours, children and even the family pet! They are asking people to park their cars in the streets, to highlight how unsuitable the roads are for heavy traffic. They emphasize that people should park legally, respecting residents' rights and ensuring that emergency vehicles have access if necessary.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Clifton Springs Independent Ratepayers Group. E-mail csirgroup@yahoo.com.au
Drysdale & Clifton Springs Community Association. E-mail dryclift@bigpond.com