Leader News.com.au: Yarraville crossing dig in

Two Maribyrnong councillors say that if the State Government will not fix the Yarraville railway crossing, they will do it themselves. Janis Rossiter and Catherine Cumming are calling on the community to turn up with their picks and shovels on Saturday, November 17 at 11am to dig out the pedestrian underpass. Their plan follows the death of a 29-year-old Yarraville cyclist a fortnight ago, who was struck by a train. He crossed the tracks when the boom gates were down.

The death came a June accident involving a council garbage truck at the crossing. “We are asking people to bring their axes and shovels, and pneumatic drills if they have them, and wheelbarrows and buckets and we will open up the underpass,'’ Cr Rossiter said.

“Maybe a bit of civil disobedience might rattle a few cages.'’ Cr Rossiter said the State Government could bring in engineers to evaluate the underpass once it was dug out. She said local politicians would be invited to help with the community working bee. But Williamstown MP Wade Noonan has already declined his invitation. “I’m less keen to take part in stunts,'’ he said. `

`I don’t know if we would have alleviated the two incidents that have already happened this year (if a grade separated pedestrian crossing was installed).'’ Alexi Ensor said his Cross Safe at Yarraville community group did not support Cr Rossiter’s action. “We would like to be disassociated with it,'’ he said, although he understood the frustration. Mr Ensor said a community dig would be “inherently unsafe'’.