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Let there be lights – at last Mike Hast mike@baysidenews.com.au CONSTRUCTION of long-awaited traffic lights in Mt Eliza where Tower Rd and Volitans Ave join the Nepean Hwy is set to start next week. The $500,000 project is a win for safety campaigners who have been lobbying for lights or turning restrictions since 2008 at the acknowledged black spot. The federal government will contribute $400,000 and Mornington Peninsula Shire $100,000. Construction will be managed by state government authority VicRoads. The project, due to be completed in December, will include a pedestrian-operated crossing north of the intersection, cycling lanes, moving of the southbound bus stop, and a concrete footpath. Vehicle-activated, under-road pads at Tower Rd will trigger the lights, allowing vehicles to enter Nepean Hwy safely. Federal infrastructure minister Warren Truss said the project would "make major improvements to road safety for all users of this section of the Nepean Hwy, including pedestrians and cyclists". "In the five years between January 2009 and December 2013 there were six crashes on this section of the highway including two fatalities and two serious injuries," Mr Truss said. Federal Dunkley MP Bruce Billson, who lobbied for the government money, said the road would be "safer for motorists, for pedestrians to cross and for cy-
clists to navigate, especially near the bus stop". "Safety upgrades to this stretch of road are badly needed ... and I am relieved the work is set to begin," he said. "Cycling lanes with a green-coloured surface treatment will improve safety for the many cyclists who ride through the area." The original cost was $300,000 but the price went up when VicRoads said the lights needed vehicle-activated pads at Tower Rd. This should avoid dangerous manoeuvres by drivers who have run out of patience trying to enter the highway. Mornington MP David Morris, who lives in Mt Eliza, called for the state government to improve the intersection when he spoke in the Parliament mid-April. He said there had been "substantial development of the roads feeding into Tower Rd and to a lesser extent from Volitans Ave, but there are a lot more cars wanting to get onto the highway, and that has contributed to pressure on the intersection". Shire mayor Cr Bev Colomb said the works would reduce traffic congestion. "This is a busy section of the highway used by about 27,000 vehicles a day. When the project is completed, improved traffic flows through the intersection will reduce congestion problems," she said. During construction, one highway lane in each direction will be closed between 9.30am and 3pm and the speed limit will be reduced.
Here’s to you: Peninsula Aero Club president Peter Bernardi accepts the Aero Club of the Year award from Captain David Jacobson watched by Royal Aeronautical Society chairman Murray Stimsom.
Mag award puts aero club top of the nation PENINSULA Aero Club, Tyabb, has been named Aero Club of the Year. This comes through aviation magazine, Australian Flying, acting for the Royal Aeronautical Society, Australian Division. “Of all the clubs in the country, Peninsula Aero Club’s submission won,” president Peter Bernardi said. The award was presented by Captain David Jacobson, a former commercial airline pilot with 24,000 flying hours’ experience. It recognises the club’s outstanding support, facilities and training to the general aviation community, as well as its high standards of safety in operations, while creating an environment that fosters participation in aviation. The award also acknowledges the efforts of club members and the committee as being valuable members of the general aviation community.
“It is a fantastic achievement for the aero club,” Mr Bernardi said. The November/December edition of Australian Flying award reads: “Peninsula Aero Club is not only a vibrant club for visitors and aviators, but also the body that administers Mornington Peninsula Airport at Tyabb in Victoria. “With around 530 members, PAC provides facilities for social gatherings, maintenance organisations, warbird collectors, Air Ambulance, Victoria Police Air Wing, Royal Flying Doctor Service and firebombing operations. “PAC is also actively involved in encouraging secondary school students to explore flying careers through the Student Flight Training program. “Members are also very active in Angel Flight and the club is one of the major supporters of FunFlight.” Mr Bernardi said club management’s view was that Tyabb airport is “an integral part of the Tyabb
community”. The aero club will host the Christmas Toy Run with the Antique Aeroplane Association of Australia on Saturday 28 November. “Our Tyabb community is invited to join us,” Mr Bernardi said. “It’s our way of giving something back. “We’ll have aircraft on display, some fantastic heavy metal going through its paces in the sky and, afterwards, on display near the clubhouse. “There will be a free sausage sizzle lunch and club members will be out and about with their planes.” Visitors can take unwrapped gifts for Food for All, which has been working across the Mornington Peninsula for the past 24 years. Toys are needed for children aged 8-14. Lego or similar are always popular. Tyabb Air Show will be held on the long weekend, Sunday 13 March.
How to make a short film PENINSULA Short Film Festival director and actor Steve Bastoni (Water Diviner, Underbelly, and Neighbours) and award-winning animator Justine Wallace will teach the basics of how to plan, structure and shoot a short film or animation. It’s on 10am-4pm, Sunday 22 November, at Cube 37, Frankston Arts Centre, Davey St, Frankston. Another animation workshop will be held 10am4pm, Sunday 6 December, at Cube37. Those attending will learn to shoot their own stop motion animation using their mobile phone. The process uses real objects like Lego, clay and puppets, such as Shaun the Sheep.
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Victorian focus on war THROUGH historical photographs and personal stories, the Shrine of Remembrance travelling exhibition Australia Will Be There: Victorians in the First World War (1914-19) is at The Arts Centre’s Curved Wall & Atrium Gallery, Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm, and Saturday 9am-2pm, until 12 December. It presents the chronology of the World War I and provides the opportunity to discover personal stories with a focus on the contribution of Victorians.
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