Please sign this petition to help protect and improve the access of Rye Pier to users of the pier.

BACKGROUND:

Mornington Peninsula Shire has developed concept plans for the redevelopment of the Rye Foreshore Promenade and Park. Community consultation closes at 5 p.m. on Friday 11 September 2020. See https://www.mornpen.vic.gov.au/About-Us/Have-your-say/Have-Your-Say-Rye-Foreshore

THE PROBLEM:

In the Rye Foreshore Plan, the Mornington Peninsula Shire intends to replace the existing car parking areas next to the Rye Pier with public open space. New car parking areas are proposed, with the same number of regular car parking spaces, but a much-increased distance away from the entrance to the pier.

It's already a very long walk for divers from the current car parking spaces to the new world-class diver's landing that has just been recently installed near the end of Rye Pier by Parks Victoria. The extra walk from the proposed new car parking areas will place a tremendous additional physical burden on divers who use Rye Pier year-round, day and night. While the perception is that divers are young and fit, most are over 45 years old.

Rye Pier is already 360 metres long. Right now pier users can park a disabled-friendly 50 metres from the entrance to Rye Pier. When the planned Rye Foreshore changes are done, they will be forced to park at least 175 metres away, and up to 290 metres away from the entrance to Rye Pier.

The location of the proposed new car parking areas significantly increases the distance to the diver's landing. Not an easy task for divers wearing a thick wetsuit or drysuit, with up to 40 kg of dive gear on their backs, and possibly carrying an additional 10 kg of camera gear. Even if they use trolleys, that walk will be made impractical with the steep incline depicted over the foreshore bike path at the entrance to the pier.

A new foreshore bike path will be created. An artist impression of a design concept shows pier goers having to use an elevated walkway to go up and over the bike path to get onto the pier. This will be difficult to do for divers laden with heavy dive gear, the elderly and the disabled.

Under the proposed new plans, the needs of current and future Rye Pier users are greatly depreciated. No extra car parking spaces. No facilities for pier users. Instead, new open space is created so the area becomes a destination for local community members to enjoy formal and informal events and a range of recreation and leisure opportunities. The needs of those using Rye Pier for diving, snorkelling, swimming, fishing and sightseeing are overlooked.

In normal times, Rye Pier is visited by divers and snorkellers from Melbourne, regional Victoria, interstate, and all over the world. Many of Melbourne's approximately three thousand divers make use of the existing car parking areas and dive Rye Pier regularly, all year round, day and night.

Made globally famous by David Attenborough’s BBC documentary Blue Planet II, the May through June Giant Spider Crab aggregation has become a winter tourism drawcard. In what would usually be an off-peak season for the Mornington Peninsula, crowds flock to see this amazing sight, unlike any other in the world. Divers and snorkellers come to witness the aggregation up close, taking photos, and leaving bubbles. The proposed Rye Foreshore Plan makes this much more difficult to do.

No new facilities for Rye Pier users are proposed in the plans. No sheltered benches for divers to use to gear up are proposed near the new car parks. At popular diving spots in South Australia, and around the world, this is best practice. No screened change areas for divers, snorkellers, and swimmers are proposed near the new car parks.

The Rye Foreshore Plan is discriminatory against various members of the community. We contend that this plan discriminates against those who are less physically capable. For divers, this would include older divers, junior divers, divers of smaller physical stature, some female divers (by virtue of smaller physical stature), disabled divers, and divers with injuries (back, knees, hips). Aside from divers, fishers sometimes have lots of gear to carry so they would be disadvantaged too. In general the elderly and disabled are discriminated against as they will have considerably more distance to walk to the pier.

The Rye Foreshore Plan discriminates against wheelchair users and other disabled people. The area should be equipped with wheelchair accessible rooms, as well as showers that offer roll-in access. There should be nice wide walkways that make navigation easy. There should also be direct access to the water. Imagine a sea-access ramp which is wide enough to allow wheelchair entry directly into Port Phillip. Wheelchair users could roll right into the water for a total immersion experience. Other disabled people could use the handrails for easier and safer entry into the water. Sea-wheelchairs could be provided, allowing all disabled visitors to better experience the wonders of bathing and snorkelling at Rye Beach.

Mornington Peninsula Shire says the design concepts have been informed by the Rye Township Plan, which underwent extensive community consultation. There has been no consultation with local dive shops, the general diving community, the snorkelling community, or Parks Victoria, about the Rye Foreshore Plan.

THE SOLUTION:

We are asking the Mornington Peninsula Shire to conduct further consultation with Rye Pier using communities, such as divers, snorkellers, swimmers, fishermen, and sightseers. A revised Rye Foreshore Plan should be developed taking into account the needs of this community, and the revised plans then are made available for public consultation. We call for the following changes to the Rye Foreshore plan be made:

• Adequate regular and disabled car parking spaces remain close to the entrance of Rye Pier.
• Additional regular car parking spaces are created further from the pier to cater for the increased demand in the peak season, plus when formal and informal events are taking place on the Rye Foreshore.
• Provision be made such that formal and informal events don't hinder the access of Rye Pier users onto the pier.
• Access to Rye Pier remains flat so as not to hinder heavily laden divers, the elderly, or the disabled. No raised, up and over a bike path walkway to hinder easy access to Rye Pier. No slippery when wet wooden walkways.
• Proper consideration is given to providing additional facilities for regular Rye Pier users. For example, sheltered dive gear preparation benches, plus screened change areas for divers, snorkellers and swimmers.
• Consideration should be given to making the Rye Foreshore and Rye Beach one of the best wheelchair and disabled travel experiences in the world.

ACTION:

Please sign this petition to ensure Mornington Peninsula Shire hears that you, as a member of the Rye Pier using community, are calling for your needs to be properly catered for in the Rye Foreshore Promenade and Park Plans. Please SIGN and SHARE this petition.

Please add your Reasons for Signing on this petition page. Then the recipients of the petition receive more feedback.

You may also like to have your say by preparing and lodging a submission of your own by email with the subject line “Rye Foreshore” to ryetownshipplan@mornpen.vic.gov.au. Community consultation closes at 5 pm on Friday 11 September 2020.

Feel free to also contact:

• Despi O'Connor (Mayor)
  - despi.oconnor@mornpen.vic.gov.au
  - 0435 569 710
• Sarah Race (Deputy Mayor)
  - sarah.race@mornpen.vic.gov.au
  - 0466 237 655, and/or
• Chris Brayne (MP)
  - Chris.Brayne@parliament.vic.gov.au.