Street closure anger

By Tania Martin
A NUMBER of Monbulk traders are angry over the temporary closure of the town’s main streets on Friday for the Jayco Herald Sun Tour.
They claim that they have not been given enough information and notice of the closure.
Main Street and MonbulkOlinda Road will be closed from 9.30am to 2.45pm.
About a week before the tour, the organisers sent out letters to all of the traders advising them that the street was to be closed for the event.
Many of the traders in Monbulk’s central business district have decided to close for the day, saying customers will not be able to access their businesses.
Murphy’s Mitre 10 proprietor, Paul Murphy, said the organisers of the event had kept the closure details under a “cloud of secrecy”.
He said traders had not been formally notified of the arrangements, and that most of the information had come from “rumours and hearsay”.
He said he had tried in vain to obtain information from the Shire of Yarra Ranges and the police, but was told that they were not the ones to contact.
Concept Books proprietors Brian and Linda Moss will also close their store on the day.
Ms Moss also said customers would not be able to access the store due to the closure.
But Jayco Herald Sun Tour spokesman Michael Hands said that there had been consultations about the closure with the council and community since January.
The shire’s manager of community relations, James Martin, said that it was the tour’s responsibility to notify the traders of the street closure.
Mr Martin said it did not matter how much consultation they undertook with council it was the tour organiser’s responsibility to notify the local traders.
Mark Seamer, president of Monbulk opportunity group Madcow, agreed with traders that information about the street closure had been slow coming through.
But he said that the tour would be a “good event to showcase the town”.
Michael Thorp, owner of coffee shop Diamattina, said his shop would be open from 6.30am on Friday morning.
But he said it was uncertain how busy the day would be as it was the first time the event had come through Monbulk.
He said he could also understand why some of the other traders were angry about the lack of notice.
“We would also have like a bit more notice,” he said.