Brimbank residents launch No Tunnels campaign

A report from our friends at YCAT.

...People often ask me why don't more people use public transport in Melbourne. My response, when people ask me that is would anyone want to use public transport in Melbourne, it's so terrible...

Paul Mees speaking at the Brimbank Residents meeting.

On Tuesday, 12 August 2008 Chris, Steve and I represented YCAT at a Brimbank Residents Meeting at the Glengala Community Centre in Sunshine.

The meeting was well attended, 250 residents and representatives from local Resident Groups who voted to formalise the Brimbank Campaign Against the Tunnel and elected a Steering Committee.

Paul Mees, as the keynote speaker, regaled the meeting with a personal, pertinent travel antidotes of his journey from the city to the meeting venue which involved several hours, no connecting transport links, extreme cold, no shelters and refugees who could not understand why Australia, as a first world country, has worse public transport than their country of origin.

Paul also had some interesting statistics on the Sydenham Line – in 1998 there were four peak hour trains a day, two in the morning and two in the evening, with the recent 2008 increase in service on the Sydenham Line there are five trains a day. An increase of one (1) train in ten years at a time been 300,000 people a day now travel to the city to work They certainly can’t drive as 300,000 people in two square meters leaves no room for cars.

In the later part of his speech, Paul Mees indicated that, from his perspective the infrastructure for increasing public transport already exists - Use the existing rail system…. it is (already) the most extensive by world standards. The alternatives (to road transportation) are not explored as the consultants and government ministries and departments favour roads. It is not even an economic argument – the proposed 9.5 billion is three times the cost of the Snowy Mountains Scheme”

Paul concluded with a quote from a Transport Officer in Vancouver, who on hearing of the situation in Australia and specifically Victoria said How do they (the government) get away with it? How indeed?

Following Paul Mees, Colleen Hartland, Upper House, and Melbourne West spoke and pledged the Greens support for the campaign and agreed to ask a number of questions in the house on behalf of the meeting.

I was then asked to speak for YCAT, which I did by outlining our campaign structure and focus in Yarra. Several speakers followed this from the floor and one local councillor.

• The primary concerns of the residents of Brimbank are:
• The Toll Road
• The lack of community consultation by the State Government
• The secretary surrounding the Eddington Plans
• The proposed truck and transport link with the Westgate Freeway
• The loss of private homes estimated at 500+ and compensation?
• The grieve and community dislocation this will cause
• The probable elevated tollway connection to the Western Ring Road

It was a positive and empowering meeting and, on behalf of YCAT, we indicated our commitment to work together on this campaign.

Freda Watkin
15.08.08

Lose some!

It's VERY important to realise that many people believe that building a road tunnel is a GOOD idea. It falls to each and every one of us to let them know why we think they are incorrect...

BRIMBANK City Council has supported the proposed east-west road tunnel route that will have the most impact on Brimbank residents through the possible destruction of homes and parklands.

At its meeting on Tuesday night the council endorsed its submission to the East West Links Need Assessment by Sir Rod Eddington, which identified two possible routes that start in the western suburbs and link to the Eastern Freeway at Hoddle St.

The report, tabled at the meeting, shows the council supports, as priorities, the proposed 17km rail tunnel and the rail connection from Werribee to Sunshine.

It also supports the road tunnel option that would connect the Deer Park bypass at the Western Ring Road in Derrimut to the Eastern Freeway in Clifton Hill.

This option would see a tunnel built under Footscray and the Maribyrnong River, along the general alignment of Buckley St, connecting Geelong Rd and Sunshine Rd to Footscray Rd and Dynon Rd.

It would be only in the longer term that this road tunnel route would link to the Deer Park bypass along the alignment of the Tottenham rail yards.

Sunshine homeowners are expected to raise concerns at an information session hosted by the council at the Glengala Community Centre tonight that their homes and parklands will be destroyed to construct this road tunnel option.

Friends of Kororoit Creek member and Sunshine homeowner Debbie Woods raised concerns last week in Star that the State Government would compulsory acquire her home for the proposed road tunnel.

Ms Woods said if her home was acquisitioned, the State Government’s pay-out would not be more than market value — $270,00 at the moment — and because she is about 50 she would struggle to get another home loan.

As well as the public information session tonight, Councillor Ken Capar successfully moved a motion at Tuesday night’s meeting for a second public information session to be held at Deer Park’s Sassella Park Community Centre at a date to be set.

The council’s submission also recommends the State Government considers the duplication and electrification of the rail line to Caroline Springs and Melton to be completed immediately after the rail tunnel has been built.

Originally at http://www.starnewsgroup.com.au/story/60771