Council has not responded to a letter sent to the General Manager requesting information be provided around the current status of the closure of Congo Road North. With such a blatant failure of communication and an apparent reluctance to engage with the community the Congo residents agreed to take the issue back to where it belongs - Council steps. A member of the community told The Beagle "So we've decided to take the discussion to Council tomorrow morning. We'll be gathering outside council chambers at 8:30 am."
"With Christmas and peak tourist season approaching Congo residents are really worried there could be a repeat of last year's unfortunate drowning on Congo beach which is unpatrolled.
"Additionally it's been two years since the Black Summer bushfires. The Congo Bingi coastal strip didn't burn. Although it's been a very wet summer, residents are concerned about bushfire risk.
"Council’s sudden and arbitrary closure of the northern access places residents and visitors in danger. Emergency vehicles will have to travel the long way round via the southern access.
"At a public meeting on Sunday 12 December residents expressed concern, distress and frustration at the lack of consultation and the danger they feel that's been posed by council arbitrarily shutting the road.
"The road has been used for over 40 years with no incidents as far as we can tell. For some reason council now wishes to assess the road for speeds of 70 km p/hr It’s currently signposted at 40 km/h
Congo residents have lost trust and respect for Council by way of how Council has dealt with this latest issue. The distrust festers from a breach of trust when Council were upgrading Congo Road South and removed trees that had neither been discussed or agreed.
