RESIDENTS fear sending trucks down Colac’s Wilson Street will lead to traffic “disasters”.

The Colac street is one of 10 options a consultant and a community reference group are considering to direct trucks away from Murray Street.

But Wilson Street resident Lucy Washington said the street was unsuitable as a heavy vehicle route because it had Colac’s State Emergency Services headquarters, netball and bowls facilities, a bus stop, and Colac Specialist School which had a 40kmh zone.

She gathered about 20 neighbours and bowling club members to voice their concerns on Wednesday.

“Log trucks and other trucks already use Wilson Street, I can’t even get out of my driveway when bowling season’s on,” Mrs Washington said.

“We’ve got school buses going in and out, we have to think about children’s safety,” she said.

Mrs Washington said Colac Otway Shire Council could recommend a causeway over Lake Colac, restructure Murray Street or abandon the plans for a longer-term Colac bypass.

“Putting them around through a residential area, I think you’re going to have more disasters,” she said.

Fellow Wilson Street resident Geoff Beilby questioned how trucks would handle the intersection of Gravesend and Wilson streets.

Mr Beilby said he also preferred a causeway over Lake Colac.

“I know in Canada, they’ve put a causeway across the lake in Victoria, so it’s possible,” he said.

He said Wilson Street was too narrow to be a truck route.

The other truck route options include: across Lake Colac, north of the lake, through south Colac via Irrewillipe Road, further south to Skinners Road, and Pollack Street via Ligar, Armstrong and Queen streets.

Colac’s railway reserve is also a possibility, connecting to Forest Street and with construction between Colac-Ballarat Road and the railway corridor.

Colac and district residents can contact members of the community reference group or councillors to discuss the routes before the group narrows the list to four next week.

The group comprises community members Darryn Monaghan, John Betts, Simon Arundell, Murray Newcombe, Brian O’Donohue, David Parker, Michael Delahunty, Shane Howard, George Tucker, and Mark Daffy, representatives of Bulla Dairy Foods, Wettenhalls and Clearwater Transport, as well as councillors Brian Crook, Frank Buchanan and Geoff Higgins, and the council’s Rob Small, Neil Allen and Doug McNeill.