Council partnering to ease traffic woes

Published on 18 July 2025

Traffic congestion has been the talk of the town this week, with locals frustrated and snow-goers delayed on their day up the mountain over last weekend.

Mayor Cr Steve Rabie said Council was equally frustrated at the situation and had been trying to ease the traffic congestion issues on the Maroondah Highway and on Elvin Street over the past couple of years.

“Last year, Council worked with Buller Sports to change the direction of the traffic, which was a significant win in terms of how the traffic flowed onto the Maroondah Highway,” said Cr Rabie.

“This ski season is much bigger and better, which we are pleased about. However, the traffic is now much heavier than it was last year, so the solutions from last year just aren’t cutting it this year,” said Cr Rabie.

General Manager Buller Ski Lifts, Noel Landry, said the positive seasonal conditions and the recent change in the law to make snow chains mandatory had seen a much higher market demand.

“The need for chains in all weather every day when visiting Mt.Buller as well as increased checks by ARV and Police at the gate has really increased the number of customers stopping to get chains on their journey up the mountain” he said.

“We have been actively working to address this issue over the last two years, investing in more chains and more staff and working proactively with the Police and Mansfield Council to move traffic through quickly and safely.”

We’ll continue to work with Council, local authorities and other chain hire suppliers to minimise any traffic congestion,” he said.

Mayor Cr Steve Rabie said he was grateful for the partnered approach from all parties.

“The reality is that the Maroondah Highway is not a Council road, which means we are limited in what we can do. However, we’ve taken the initiative and met with all stakeholders, including Buller Ski Lifts and Victoria Police to see what measures can be taken to minimise the congestion.

“No one wants to see a traffic jam. We all want to see residents, ratepayers and visitors moving easily and safely on our roads.

“From Council’s perspective, we do not want to see people parking dangerously in Elvins Street and we will be patrolling to make sure the residents on that street have easy access to their homes. We will move people on and we will issue fines.

“We are also working with BSL to ensure their traffic management plan is implemented as soon as possible. This includes speaking to the Department of Transport and Planning to ensure they understand our community needs traffic management plan approval quickly.

“We know this will be a bluebird day and lots of people are going to want to get to the snow. Even though it’s not our road, we know this is a community sore point and we are taking it seriously,” said Cr Rabie.

“We are all trying to find solutions to get people to where they need to be sooner.”