POLICE will invoke a new emergency protocol to close the roads to Mt Hotham and Falls Creek snowfields this winter if heavy snowfalls and strong winds hit the mountains.
The protocol has been instigated by the Emergency Management Team, which comprises local police, Rural Roads Victoria and representatives of the Mt Hotham and Falls Creek resort management bodies.
Sen Sgt Doug Incoll, of Bright police, said the Emergency Management Team would confer to discuss the weather prognosis and decide if the forecast weather conditions warrant shutting the roads.
The likely trigger for road closures will be if the snow line reaches down to 600 metres and strong winds are predicted.
After a check of the road to ensure no-one is stuck along the route, the boom gates would be shut at both ends and media alerts sent out to advise would-be travelers.
“We need to be watchful for those triggers because the weather up there can change very quickly,” Sen Sgt Incoll said.
“So we need to be ready to act if we feel there is a need to protect visitors and the people who have to risk their own safety to rescue them.
“We want to avoid a situation like we had in 2019 when the road was shut for three days and buses were stuck along the road.
“We had to open an emergency relief centre at Harrietville, and go up and rescue people stuck in cars and buses.
“No-one wants to be in the situation again, so we’ve decided to be proactive and shut the roads when the conditions warrant it.”
While public safety was the emergency team’s primary concern, Sen Sgt Incoll said allowing snow ploughs to work uninhibited by vehicles on the roads will mean they can be cleared more quickly so visitors can resume their trip.
“We don’t want to spoil their holidays – just the opposite,” he said.
“We want them to have a good holiday without getting stuck in a blizzard, which is no fun.
“People need to be aware before they come up that there is a possibility if the weather goes pear-shaped that there may be a delay arriving at their resort until the road is safe to travel on again.”
Meanwhile, a larger proportion of first-time visitors to the snowfields have seen cars without chains slipping off roads, while their driving generally ‘has left a lot to be desired’.
“My feeling is that a lot of it is due to lockdown,” Sen Sgt Incoll said.
“They can’t go overseas or interstate so they decide to go to the snowfields instead.
“We’ve been concerned because they aren’t preparing properly for snowfield conditions and aren’t used to driving on slippery roads.”
