A community push to reopen the Gilles Street pedestrian crossing in Warrnambool has been dealt a blow with a state government minister ruling it out in the short-term.
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But the city council has moved to assure residents that it hadn't given up the fight to have it reopened.
The city council's acting chief executive officer Vikki King said that despite much discussion and lobbying by the council to keep the link open, the Minister for Public Transport Melissa Horne indicated that it would remain closed until any railway precinct upgrade was carried out.
Ms King said the minister had written to the council and said the Gilles Street rail crossing was to remain closed to the public due to safety concerns and would not be reopened in the short-term.
The minister indicated that safe pedestrian crossings would be considered as part of the Warrnambool station precinct development plan and the Warrnambool line upgrade project undertaken by the state government and VicTrack.
However, Ms King said the council would continue to lobby the government and VicTrack on the issue.
"The council does not have the jurisdiction in this matter, as frustrating as this may be for many residents," she said.
The comments were in response to a question from a member of the public to Monday night's council meeting.
In June, a petition with hundreds of signatures was tabled in state parliament calling for government action to reopen the pedestrian walkway to Lake Pertobe.
The Gilles Street crossing - which has been an access point between South Warrnambool and the city form at least 130 years -has been fenced off and closed to pedestrians since August last year.
While the government says it would remained closed because of safety concerns, residents have raised safety concerns of their own about access being cut off.
V/Line has directed pedestrians and cyclist to use either the Pertobe Road overpass or the Wellington Street pedestrian crossing to access South Warrnambool.
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