Transport
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Way of the future… new charge station at Harcourt
Harcourt’s newly installed electric vehicle charge station is up and running with a new public EV fast charge station for Castlemaine soon to follow. The newly installed Harcourt station has been drawing interest from locals and electric vehicle owners and in recent days its listing has appeared on the online PlugShare EV charge station map…
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Early morning anger: commuters speak out
Fed up Castlemaine commuters have slammed the early morning passenger train service to Bendigo as totally unreliable and are demanding answers from the state government and V/Line. Workers, students, apprentices and those unable to drive themselves are among many locals who say the 7.54am train service from Castlemaine is supposed to get them to Bendigo…
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'Near-miss' Maldon crossing upgrade begins
Work to improve the safety of a notorious railway crossing at Maldon begins this week, following a concerning series of near misses. The level crossing where the Maldon-Bendigo Road crosses the Victorian Goldfields Railway tourist railway is to be rebuilt to significantly enhance the safety of the crossing, the scene of several recent close calls…
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Is this exit speed safe?
A 100km/h speed limit on the southbound Calder Freeway exit to Woodend/Lancefield has long had local road users baffled. “The S-bend exit ends at a roundabout and no one could safely approach it at that speed,” one reader told the Midland Express. Acting Regional Roads Victoria director (Loddon Mallee) Barry Green said RRV assessed speed…
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Where’s the hazard?
A 60km/h ‘road hazard’ speed limit along a long, straight section of road in Woodend with no apparent hazards in sight is confusing some local road users. One driver who witnessed an unmarked police car pull a driver over along the straight on Woodend-Romsey Road, which is located near Braemar College’s Woodend campus, contacted the…
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Kyneton servo plan revealed
Plans for a McDonalds restaurant and multifaceted 24-hour service station for Kyneton’s northern gateway have been revealed. A stand-alone McDonalds restaurant and drive-through is proposed for the Pipers Creek Road and Edgecombe Road corner along with a 26-space car park and associated signage. A service station with a convenience store, trucker’s lounge and second –…
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Intersection with issues
A Kyneton intersection that has remained unchanged since the road it meets was the former Calder Highway is desperately in need of an upgrade, local road users say. A two-vehicle collision at the intersection of Lauriston Road and Burton Avenue last Wednesday has brought the issue to the fore, as more and more drivers report…
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Double-rail ‘disaster’
Double-rail steel safety barriers on Romsey Road have been described as a “bureaucratic mess that has made the road less safe” and a “bumper bowling lane” disaster for local wildlife. Residents say wildlife road trauma has increased on the stretch of road between Romsey and Hesket as animals find themselves trapped when attempting to cross.…
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EV tax slammed
With the first of the region’s new electric vehicle fast charge stations to roll out at Maryborough within days, advocates are slamming the state government’s proposed new tax slug on EV road users. “Electric vehicles currently make up only one per cent of vehicles on our roads so it’s far too early to disincentivise their…
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Truck convoy returns!
In a tribute to the trucking industry of Australia and the people who have kept the wheels turning during an extraordinary year, the Castlemaine Rotary Club is conducting a ‘reverse’ truck convoy from Campbells Creek this Sunday. Truck Show coordinator Kerry Anderson said that while the local Rotary Club might not have been able to…
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Fuel’s out for five months in Woodend
Woodend’s only petrol station is currently closed while undergoing renovations and is planned to reopen in early April 2021. A BP spokesperson said once complete, the Woodend site would reflect BP’s latest look and feel. “The site will be open 24 hours a day and will include BP’s signature Wild Bean café and a range…
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Parking fines imminent?
Parking fines look imminent for residents of a Kyneton housing estate who say they have no other option than to park on their naturestrips. Parking officers last week resumed full patrols and the issuing of fines in Macedon Ranges following scaled back activity from April. The move comes as COVID-19 restrictions ease and visitors return…