IMPORTANT: when you add your name to this petition, please add your postcode in the Surname field e.g. Smith - 3810 

Cardinia Council have requested this to ensure that local residents are signing the petition.

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What we are asking for

We have two requests for the footpaths in the area of Mulcahy Road and Studd Road:

1. Maintain the existing footpath along Studd Road that connects the residents of Mt Pleasant Estate to Mulcahy Road
2. Upgrade and improve the existing track along Mulcahy Road (between Studd Road and O'Brien Parade) to ensure the large number of pedestrians walking along this road have safe passage and are not forced to walk on the road alongside large B Double trucks and buses

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How this issue started

In June 2023, I started this petition in an attempt to get the existing track along Mulcahy Road (between Studd Road and O’Brien Parade) upgraded and improved. 

It is currently unsuitable and unsafe for a number of reasons:

• it is made of uneven gravel which is not suitable for those in wheelchairs, and not ideal when pushing prams
  it is not wide enough for a wheelchair, and barely wide enough for a pram
• the uneven gravel often has holes in it, which is dangerous for runners or walkers, or anyone with a physical disability especially those using crutches
• it often floods in rainy weather leaving muddy puddles that can’t be crossed
• the path is overgrown with weeds, and snakes have regularly been seen along there which is unsafe for humans and dogs
• it borders industrial properties which means there’s usually debris and rubbish including broken glass
• there’s no streetlights or any other light so it feels very unsafe at night, especially in winter with earlier sunset, and it’s dangerous to walk as you can’t see any potential holes or hazards 

As a result of the above, pedestrians are often forced to walk along the road itself. This is an industrial area, and the roads are busy with large trucks and buses, meaning pedestrians put themselves at risk every time they are forced to walk along the road. At night time, it is especially dangerous, as there are no streetlights, so pedestrians are near-invisible to passing road traffic. 

Through my communication with Cardinia Shire Council, I learned that not only was the footpath not scheduled to be upgraded, it (and the existing footpath on Studd Road) was going to be removed entirely.

Where we’re at currently

I have been liaising with Cr Stephanie Davies, and the Cardinia Shire Council Infrastructure team. They have advised that this existing path along Mulcahy Road will, in fact, be removed once the O'Brien Pde connection is open. Additionally, the footpath from Mt Pleasant Estate down Studd Road to Mulcahy Road will also be removed.

This means that there will be no pedestrian access via Studd Road -> Mulcahy Road at all. 

If residents of Mt Pleasant Estate want to walk to Nancy, Jump Swim School, or Bunnings, for example, they will need to either:

• go over the creek to Toomuc Valley Road and then back around through the industrial estate - not a viable option as there is no footpaths through the industrial estate, so pedestrians walking to Nancy or Jump Swim School would need to walk on the road
• go over the existing Studd Road hill and via O'Brien Parade - not a viable option for anyone with a physical disability, or anyone unable to walk such a steep hill such as elderly people, or someone pushing a pram  

These two options will also turn a 5 minute walk into a 45+ minute walk.

Additionally, any residents of the estates along O’Brien Parade will also have no safe access to walk to Nancy or Jump Swim School, as the existing track along Mulcahy Road is being removed. 

Aside from cutting off access for hundreds of residents in Mt Pleasant and surrounding estates, the removal of the two footpaths will no doubt impact the small businesses such as Nancy, Robert Gordon and Jump Swim School, as their customers will no longer be able to safely walk to their businesses.