16 February 2021
It’s been busy up here on the dirt end of Gap Road.
Residents, tradies, curious tourists in shiny new 4WDs all negotiate a narrow road as it heads up into the range and on to Cherokee. For those of you who don’t have reason to use Gap Road often, here’s an up-date.
A driver heading down Gap Road rolled his 4WD in spectacular fashion late January, hurrying home after a few drinks. The corner at 385 Gap Road is well-banked and engenders confidence, but the next corner is flat and loose. The driver slid, over-corrected and flipped nose to tail. Somehow managed to exit the scene before the constabulary appeared.
That makes the second rollover for this stretch of Gap Road in the last year, after another enthusiastic driver gunned his Holden Astra through a dip in the road just after the flat corner. He was airlifted to Melbourne.
The slaughter of roos has eased up in the last three months, which is a relief because we had eight killed on this stretch through 2020. Not all died straight away—a roo with two broken legs found on my early morning walk had to be put down by Macedon Ranges Wildlife Rescue.
A few months on the job with the Wildlife Rescue would make a good community service order for Gap Road speedsters. Sue, the volunteer who actually is the Wildlife Rescue,would welcome anything that gets it through people’s heads that they’re not the only animals out at night. Take it easy driver!
A speed limit of 100 kmh doesn’t send the right signal. One of our Landcare members ran a petition last year to reduce the limit on Gap Road to 60 kmh, which I took to be an ambit claim, but when I actually kept my eye on the speedo, 60 kmh was comfortable most of the way and 70 kmh felt like a reasonable limit.
Heading down the bitumen from Royal Parade, walkers are out at all hours, and there’s a regular roo crossing late afternoon and evening around the 80 kmh sign. Gap Road is not a deserted country road. So take it easy driver.
Ross
Colliver
Riddells Creek Landcare
