MULWALA Progress Association has launched another bid to reverse Corowa Council’s preference on the location of the Yarrawonga-Mulwala replacement bridge.
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Association president Rob Purtle said a petition asking the council to switch its support from the grey to green routes was under way with the aim of attracting 1000 signatures.
The petition will be presented to the council’s April meeting.
It follows a presentation Mr Purtle gave to the January council meeting, when not one councillor asked him a follow-up question.
Mr Purtle said he had been told in the following days that Mayor Fred Longmire had instructed the councillors not to ask him questions.
Cr Longmire yesterday disputed he put a gag on fellow councillors.
“He was given an opportunity to speak at our meeting and where was his support?” he said.
“He was the lone ranger on that day.”
Cr Longmire said the council’s position had not changed in 2½ years.
Mr Purtle said 1000 signatures would represent close to 50 per cent of Mulwala’s population and would have to be taken seriously by the council.
“I am hoping if we get these signatures we can get the council to listen,” he said.
“All we want them to do is put their hand up and say we are going the green route because that is what the people of Mulwala want.
“They want to stick with the grey route because 80 per cent of the traffic goes that way now.
“But I think the figure could be even higher.
“It’s only trucks that use the weir bridge, but that is being closed and guess where the trucks will go if the grey route is chosen?”
The council has repeatedly backed the grey route alongside the Lake Mulwala traffic bridge.
The green route is located further west near the Yarrawonga Weir wall roadway which is due to be closed in 2020.
A follow-up petition will be held at Easter in Yarrawonga-Mulwala when the twin towns’ population explodes with tourists.
The secondary petition will be presented to VicRoads.
The locally based Green Route Community Group recently met with VicRoads and NSW Roads and Maritime Services to push its preferred route with a Good Friday march over the bridge considered.
“We decided we didn’t want to cause disruption to the people who come here at Easter but we’ve been told to demonstrate what the people of our area want,” Mr Purtle said.
