Making danger more dangerous

Note in advance: This is from what I think I know and not checked for accuracy.

CYP stands for Cross Yarra Partnership, a government organisation to oversee and ensure a smooth construction of Melbourne's Metro Tunnel, a long underground railway system. 

Near to us a new train station is being built. While we thought we were far enough away to not be affected, we have at times been greatly affected by local road closures, footpath closures. At the moment we can't turn right coming from the direction of the city and so if coming in from the east on the toll road, we are close to being forced to use the Domain Tunnel at a significant extra cost. Any other way to get home will take much longer. Believe me, I've tried.

There has been much work happening below. Residents in our building are angry that all parking in front of building will be removed for the construction of a separated bicycle lane. While people are generally not against the safer protected bicycle only lane, the God of Cars rule, with two lanes for motor cars, a cycling lane and no parking. Nowhere for delivery drivers to park. In advance our public post box has been removed so parking for the postal van is not required. The disabled parking space will be gone, where my brother parks while Mother gets out of the car. He then unloads her walker and she is soon at our building. It will be a much longer walk, which she simply cannot do. Fortunately we have one car with two parking spaces, so he can park within the building but that means him calling us, us going down to let him in, then meeting him on our parking level at the second floor level, and moving our car forward for his car to park behind. 

A few weeks ago when the right turn was banned below, barriers were put and pedestrian told to walk 100 metres towards the city to cross the road and 100 metres back. People did not comply and continued to cross the road below using an west to east traffic lane. I can't see why some kind of temporary safe crossing could not have been built. In its wisdom, CYP put up another fence yesterday, to deter pedestrians. The fence has deterred some but for the more determined to cross at this point, they are in even greater risk as they now need to walk along the fence on the roadway in either direction to reach the footpath on the other side. Hopefully the photos will make that clearer. 

People were just walking around the orange barrier into the traffic lane and then going towards the former pedestrian crossing point. You can see the newly erected fence on the far side of the street. People are now walking on the roadway to get around the fence to cross the road.

These people waiting to cross would have walked along the roadway to get to this point. 

And cross they did. 

CYP or its contractors has made a bad situation even more dangerous. I spend a good bit of time on our balcony looking down, and I cannot see any reason why pedestrians could not have been catered for with a temporary crossing, moved at times as the works dictated. If someone actually looked with an overall view of the crossing before this crossing was 'closed', people's behaviour was perfectly predictable, rather like goat tracks, now called desire lines. Here is a classic example of desire lines and again, perfectly predictable human behaviour. I am unqualified in any profession yet a probably highly paid planner designed the footpath, and even without seeing the desire line path, I can tell in advance where people will walk, as I am sure you can. 

For anyone who thinks an extra 200 metres to walk is nothing, you have no imagination of what it is like to get old. 

Later edit: This Saturday evening so many people are crossing the road, dodging around the fencing.