The planning changes are a salient reminder to council, and ratepayers, of the millions of ratepayer dollars wasted by council on the East Bendigo food precinct.

While we may well see a population of 200,000 by 2050, given our proximity to Tullamarine and Essendon airports, there is currently no correlation between population increase, demand for airport services and therefore whether further ratepayer funds should be devoted to future airport developments.

Any further commitment of ratepayer funds at the Bendigo Airport, beyond the current runway upgrade, must be supported by a rigorous business case rather than being based largely on philosophical grounds, and real facts that would fill the back of a postage stamp, as occurred with the Wellsford Estate project.

Bob Street is surrounding on three sides by Powell Street, Napier Street/Midland Highway and Lyons Street all with a speed limit of 60km/h and a railway reserve on the fourth side.

The roads that lead into Bob Street are 60km/h are Holdsworth Road into Lyons Street and this starts from Eaglehawk Road through to Bob Street, approximately 3.75km through residential areas.

From McIvor Highway via Heywood Street onto Strathdale-White Hill Road (Rohs Road, Strickland Road and Powells Avenue) through to Bob Street, approximately 4km through some residential areas.

Midland Highway to Lyons Street, approximately 1.5km through residential areas. From Bridge Street to Powell Street into Bob Street, approximately 1.5km through commercial areas. A driver’s brain is programmed and accustomed to travelling at 60km/h in a residential area. Bob Street is renowned to be one of the highest speed camera revenue raisers in the state.

Some of the people that live there have speed limit signs on their wheelie bins but they are only presented to the drivers to remind them of the speed limit one day of the week. So why are there not regulatory 50km/h speed limit warning signs in place?

Where is the duty of care? The police, the government and the council know, media has reported about Bob Street and yet no one has done anything to counteract the problem. Except put a speed detection device there, strategically placed where people have to put a little power on to go up the rises. Lo and behold there is a speed detection device on the other side of the rises.

It does not identify if a driver intentionally speeds or unintentionally speeds. What is done with that evidence? Nothing except issue a speed notice. My understanding, and in my opinion, under duty of care if you know of a problem and you do not try your best to fix it then you can be done by the courts for negligence. So why are there not regulatory 50km/h speed limit warning signs in place?

There is a yellow with black information sign that informs people of the high revenue speed of that street and it is 400m from Powells Street along Bob Street on a rise.

As far as I know, Bob Street is not a one way street. The yellow and black signs blends in with the leaves of the trees behind it from 400m away. With a sign that far off when turning into Bob Street, the brain’s short-term memory recognises the sign and cannot recognise the information on it and throws out the sign in your short-term memory.

To rectify this is simple, place a regulatory 50km/h speed limit and repeater warning signs along Bob Street on both sides of the road. Or paint a 50 on the road surface like in some states in Australia.