Petition to Seal View Hill Road, Cockatoo
To:
The Mayor and Councillors
Cardinia Shire Council

We, the undersigned residents, ratepayers, and road users of Cockatoo and the surrounding district, respectfully petition Cardinia Shire Council to prioritise the sealing of View Hill Road in Cockatoo.

Grounds for This Petition
1. Health Impacts from Dust Exposure
View Hill Road is currently an unsealed gravel road that generates significant airborne dust during dry conditions. There is growing concern among residents that this dust may contain silica, posing potential respiratory health risks—particularly to children, older residents, and those with asthma or other lung conditions. Dust regularly enters homes, settles on outdoor play areas, and is inhaled by pedestrians and cyclists using the road.

2. Safety Risks to Pedestrians, Children, and Families
View Hill Road has no footpaths. Families, school children, and residents are forced to walk on the roadway itself. Vehicles frequently exceed safe speeds for a gravel surface, creating a serious risk of collision, loss of vehicle control, and dust-related visibility reduction. These risks are unacceptable for what functions as a key local access route.

3. Vehicle Damage and Ongoing Maintenance Issues
The unsealed surface is continually degraded by ruts, corrugations, and potholes. These conditions cause damage to residents’ vehicles, including suspension wear, tyre damage, and underbody impacts. Despite repeated grading, the road rapidly deteriorates again, resulting in an inefficient and costly cycle of short-term maintenance without long-term improvement.

4. Property Damage and Flooding
During periods of rain, gravel wash-off blocks roadside drains and culverts. This leads to localised flooding, erosion, and damage to adjacent private properties and driveways. Residents regularly incur costs to clear drainage and repair damage that would be significantly reduced if the road were sealed.

5. Arterial Road Function and Increasing Traffic Volumes
View Hill Road functions as an arterial connector within Cockatoo, linking Paternoster Road to the Pakenham Road end. Traffic volumes have increased alongside population growth within Cardinia Shire. Council’s own traffic count recorded approximately 245 vehicles per day at the Paternoster Road end, with similar volumes expected at the Pakenham Road end. This level of daily traffic is inconsistent with a gravel road standard.

6. Bushfire Risk and Emergency Vehicle Access
Cockatoo is a declared bushfire-prone area, where reliable road access is critical for emergency response and community evacuation. As an arterial route, View Hill Road forms part of the local emergency access network. The current gravel surface—subject to dust, loose material, potholes, corrugations, and wash-outs—compromises safe and reliable access for fire appliances, ambulances, police vehicles, and evacuation traffic, particularly under extreme weather conditions. Maintaining this road in an unsealed state undermines emergency preparedness and places residents, responders, and Council at unacceptable risk during bushfire events.

Request
Given the documented health concerns, safety risks, infrastructure and property damage, increasing traffic volumes, bushfire risk, and long-term cost inefficiencies, we respectfully request that Cardinia Shire Council:

Commit to the sealing of View Hill Road as a matter of priority
Allocate funding within the forthcoming capital works program
Engage with residents on timing and delivery of the project
Sealing View Hill Road will improve public health, pedestrian and road safety, emergency access, asset durability, environmental outcomes, and overall liveability for the Cockatoo community.

We urge Council to act decisively in the interests of residents, families, emergency services, and all road users.