This is the story of the Union Road level crossing in the eastern Melbourne suburb of Surrey Hills, and the local residents that fought the government to prevent a grade separation project from taking place there.

With the passing of the Country Roads and Level Crossings Act in 1954, the removal of level crossings across Victoria kicked up a gear, resulting in dozens of new concrete bridges being constructed across Melbourne’s suburbs.

Among them was the road over rail bridge for Burnley Street at Burnley station, completed in 1965.

And the Canterbury station rail over road bridge at Canterbury Road, completed in 1970.

As grade separation works continued along the line, Union Road at Surrey Hills and Mont Albert Road in Mont Albert were now the last remaining level crossings between Box Hill and the city, which saw them attract the attention of the Country Roads Board – predecessor of VicRoads.

The 1978-79 annual report of the Country Road Board tells the rest of the story.

In 1974 the Abolition of Level Crossings Committee comprising the Engineer in Chief, CRB. Chief Civil Engineer, Victorian Railways and Chief Engineer, Public Works Department, recommended that the Board be the co-ordinating and construction authority for a direct road connection from Warrigal Road to Union Road, eliminating the railway level crossing at Union Road. Surrey Hills. This recommendation was based on the predicted traffic delays and accident potential at the level crossing.

The proposal at Surrey Hills was more than just a simple level crossing removal project – as you can see on a map, there are plenty of houses preventing a direct road connection between Warrigal Road and Union Road.

The Country Roads Board continues.

The proposal was approved in principle by the then Minister of Transport and agreed to by Box Hill and Camberwell City Councils in 1976. Such a road connection would require the acquisition of some houses and shops in the area. Plans for an amendment to the Melbourne Metropolitan Planning Scheme to provide for the proposed connection were placed on public display in May, 1977. A considerable number of people in Surrey Hills were concerned by the proposal and a public meeting was convened by local residents in August, 1977. Following this meeting, and after discussions with the Ministry for Conservation and the Melbourne & Metropolitan Board of Works, the Board decided to prepare an environment effects statement and to re-examine the need for a road overpass of the railway. Other alternatives including traffic management measures, and the use of the existing Melbourne Metropolitan Planning Scheme provision for the future widening of Canterbury Road were also considered. These investigations showed that the need to eliminate the Union Road level crossing was not as great as envisaged some years ago. However, the investigations indicate a need to alleviate traffic congestion in Canterbury Road between Warrigal Road and Union Road. The community was involved in the investigations in various ways. For example: detailed discussions were held with representatives of Box Hill and Camberwell City Councils, the Surrey Hills Association and the Victorian Railways Board;

a study bulletin was produced and widely distributed in the area;

interviews and discussion with individuals and groups of 6 to 10 people. including household, shopper and shopkeeper surveys;

Board representatives attended a public meeting called by the Surrey Hills Association. As well as the community involvement outlined above, a considerable amount of data was collected on matters such as: local history of the area;

land zoning;

the transport network in the area;

the social profile of the area;

town planning aspects;

various traffic aspects. The investigations concluded that in view of the relatively short delays and good safety record at the existing level crossing in Union Road, the high cost and environmental effects of an overpass, and the fact that other road improvement alternatives (not involving abolition of the railway level crossing) could satisfactorily handle expected future traffic: (a) there was not sufficient justification to proceed with the grade separation proposals in the foreseeable future;

(b) there was for improved traffic operation in Canterbury in the study area by the application of low cost traffic management measures and that steps should be taken to implement these as soon as possible; and

(c) the existing planning scheme widening along this section of Canterbury Road should be retained to provide for future improvements to Canterbury Road. On Friday, 6th April, 1979, the Minister of Transport, the Hon Robert Maclellan, MLA, announced that the proposed elimination of the railway level crossing would not proceed in the light of the Board’s further investigations

In the years since, the residents of Surrey Hills have watched their house prices rise, but the Union Road level crossing has stayed the same – today ranked #14 in Victoria for risk according to the Australian Level Crossing Assessment Model and now closed for up to 30 minutes of every hour.

Footnote

In October 2015 Robert Clark, Liberal member for Box Hill, had this to say on the Union Road level crossing:

In the Box Hill electorate, removing the Union Road, Surrey Hills crossing was ranked a high priority by last year’s VicRoads study, and was also ranked as the 14th highest removal priority in a 2008 expert study based on risk. With many other crossings now having been removed or funded (mainly by the Coalition Government), this crossing should now be high on the list for future removal. Yet Transport Minister, Jacinta Allan, has refused even to consider it, and has insultingly claimed it has “relatively low road and rail benefits”.

Politicians often forget history when sinking the boot into the opposition, and Robert Clark is no different here – it was a Liberal government in 1979 that cancelled the previous grade separation project at Surrey Hills, and they used similar arguments when justifying their decision.

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