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Organisation:

Affected property:

793

John Young

4 Conrad Court, Blackburn North VIC, Australia

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Submission Cover SheetNorth East Link Project EES IAC

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Attachment 3:

Submission

Environment Effects Statement

Inquiry and Advisory Committee

Proposed NE Link

Koonung Creek Wetlands – Elgar Park Mont Albert North

Submission Prepared by:

John Young

4 Conrad Court

Blackburn North

Victoria 3130

Submission Date:

4 June 2019

Table of Contents

1. Introduction ............................................................................ 3

2. Potential Loss of Trees and Public Open Spaces .................. 4

3. Traffic Noise .......................................................................... 5

4. Alternative Solutions .............................................................. 5

5. Recommendations ................................................................. 6

6. References ...........................................................................13

Acknowledgement to the late Ron Tandberg

Submission to EES NE Link Project by John Young Page 3 of 14

1. Introduction

Objector details:

My name is John Young and I live at 4 Conrad Court, Blackburn North. I have lived at this address since 1976. I live adjacent to the Eastern Freeway on the southern side within 100 m. of the Surrey Road – Freeway west bound on-ramp intersection.

I am a retired occupational health and safety consultant with over 45 years of full time experience in matters related to public health, environment protection and occupational health and safety with tertiary and vocational qualifications in all of these fields. I consider that I will be directly adversely affected by this project both during construction and thereafter.

Summary of my objection:

This NE Link project should be abandoned completely. The negative effects far outweigh the positive effects.

The likelihood of this project not causing significant environmental damage and social disruption is about as likely as Adani preventing the black-throated finch from going extinct on its proposed coal mine site.

A colleague recently provided me with this quote made by The Hon. Peter Batchelor when he was Minister for Transport in 2001 in the Victorian Parliament: ''It (a North East Link) is not on our radar … there is no truth in the suggestion. It is a tragic and sleazy attempt by a conspiracy of the deluded to try and frighten people living and working in this area. I need to set the record straight once and for all, and these people will have no basis for making the suggestions in the future.''

How times have changed!

The term ‘Missing Link’ is a confidence trick invented by the road lobby including the RACV, Vic Roads and the transport industry, lovingly adopted by toll road operators and aided and abetted by populist, conservative media like the Herald Sun newspaper.

I do not support freeways being constructed along creek valleys or through parkland at all and protested against the construction of the freeway extension between Doncaster Road and Springvale Road in the 1980's - 1990's through the Koonung Creek valley and against the further extension through the Mullum Mullum Creek valley.

All to no avail, but at least environmental activism got the tunnels under the Mullum Mullum parkland constructed which otherwise would not have been built. I had to put up with the noise of chainsaws cutting down large trees for weeks along Koonung Creek near where I live to construct the original Eastern Freeway from Doncaster Road and fought actively against its construction with several environmental groups.

Now, this Labour government wants to widen the freeway past my house from six lanes to eleven presumably meaning the bridges over the north-south roads such as Blackburn Road, Tram Road, Middleborough Road and Springvale Road etc. will need to be demolished and rebuilt. Although I note that this is not mentioned at least, in one NE Link document, the Public Place - ‘’Overview of the Social Impacts of the NE Link Project’’ report referring to negative impacts and bridge demolition sites, (reference 1, page 25).

In addition, large swathes of parkland are to be demolished, thousands of trees cut down and Koonung Creek barrelled for 1.6 kilometres.


Freeways do not solve traffic problems they merely shift the traffic jams elsewhere and clog up with traffic as soon as they are constructed. Every time there is an accident, traffic on the Eastern Freeway is banked back to Hoddle Street from as far outbound as Middleborough Road.

Can you give me one example of a freeway anywhere in Melbourne that is not jammed with traffic during the morning and afternoon peaks which now seem to extend all day? The only answer Vic Roads and the road lobby has is to build more freeways instead of looking at the bigger picture of population growth, poor planning and inadequate public transport not to mention our obligations to tackle the looming climate catastrophe by minimising the use of fossil fuels and energy intensive materials such as concrete and cement.

2. Potential Loss of Trees and Public Open Spaces

Why is it necessary to obliterate ANY parkland along the Koonung creek linear easement between Bulleen and Springvale Rd at all and why can't this project be modified to cut back on the number of traffic lanes in order to avoid any loss of parkland or indeed a significant amount of landscaping, shrubs and trees on the road side along the existing so-called ‘sound barriers'? The reasonably treed & landscaped Eastern Freeway will no doubt end up looking like the Monash Freeway and City Link with acres of concrete and no greenery.

Why is it necessary to design a road where Koonung Creek must be relocated into a barrel drain FOR 1.6 KILOMETRES? Melbourne Water, previously the MMBW, stopped placing suburban watercourses in barrel drains decades ago yet here we have construction engineers incapable of preserving an existing creek in parkland! The scenario is absurd and akin to a Monty Python sketch!

For the NE Link Authority to even consider stealing public parkland for a road is disgraceful and if the Andrews Labour government had any integrity it would instruct the NE Link Authority to drastically revise their misconceived plans.

Since when does a statutory authority have the right to demolish existing parkland to build a road? Melbourne’s founding fathers established parks around the inner city areas for good reason.

Once these parks and trees are lost they are gone forever, covered in concrete and bitumen. The trees to be cut down apparently number, according to the NE Link Authority’s own estimation, nearly 26,000, (reference 2, page 56). Why is it that the Authority’s traffic engineers are so lacking in environmental empathy or understanding that a road cannot be designed under or around trees and parkland?

This situation is bizarre especially considering yet another dire warning from the UN IPBES (Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services) on the potential global loss of a million species due to climate change and the well established benefits of trees in absorbing carbon, cooling local climates and providing psychological benefits for people living in cities. Large mature trees also provide safe refuge and nesting hollows for birds and other wildlife which cannot be duplicated for many years.

One of my neighbours lives nearby on the north side of Douglas Street, Blackburn North. The rear fence in her back garden abuts a narrow strip of parkland and a walking track with the ineffective sound barriers approximately 18 m. from her back fence, (refer photographs 1, 2 and 3). The traffic noise in my neighbour’s garden appears worse than in my own garden.

In November 2018 she received a visit from NE Link personnel and an introductory letter was provided, (refer Appendix A). She was told that visual impacts were being assessed in the corridor and a landscape visual assessment investigation was being conducted. Clearly, the sole purpose of the visit was to determine how much of the small linear strip of parkland and footpath could be stolen and what NE Link could get away with by erecting new sound barriers closer to residents’ back fences. Again, this is another example of the NE Link Authority’s disregard for environmental, social and health considerations.


3. Traffic Noise

I have noticed the traffic noise from the Eastern Freeway has increased enormously over the last few years following the construction of the East Link tollway through to Ringwood and beyond especially when the wind is from the north or the road surface is wet; clearly audible in my bedroom at night. The existing noise barriers have never been effective and now, not only will I have to put up with construction noise for years but the noise levels will no doubt, increase dramatically with all of the extra traffic.

As stated previously I have lived in Blackburn North for many years before this traffic sewer was constructed and now potentially have to endure a double impact of years of construction noise, traffic noise and the distressing sound of months of chainsaw noise.

Construction noise is likely to continue for several years and I recall during the construction of the original Eastern Freeway the noise of the reverse warning beepers (which seemed to be set to also operate in the forward direction) on heavy plant lasted incessantly from 06:30 hrs to 19:00 hrs six or seven days a week.

I also understand that the traffic on the north-south arterials such as Middleborough, Blackburn and Springvale Roads will increase by some 20%. It is already almost impossible to cross Blackburn Road as a pedestrian except at traffic lights at any time of the day.

Not only will I be subjected to an exponential increase in traffic noise from the Eastern Freeway I will experience increased noise from traffic on Blackburn Road

4. Alternative Solutions

When will the road lobby understand that the only way to solve Melbourne's traffic problems is to cut down on immigration and to provide adequate public transport? It is not possible to fix Melbourne's traffic problems by building more and more freeways without dealing with the root causes.

Given that successive governments have allowed far too many immigrants into the country in the last few years it is little wonder that Melbourne is bursting at the seams. A million extra people in eight years in Melbourne alone! No amount of political propaganda or infrastructure construction will ever keep up with this type of exponential growth and certainly not endless freeway construction.

Remember when we were told that East Link would fix all of the traffic woes on Stud Road and Springvale Road? Even with the removal of the rail crossing at Springvale Road, Nunawading the roads are just as congested as they were before.

Public transport experts including the Public Transport Users Association have been advocating for years for a train out to Doncaster along the existing Eastern Freeway median easement for years. A rail line is the only way to support the growth area on Doncaster Hill with its multiple high rise apartment blocks. The widening of the Eastern Freeway into a Los Angeles style race track will kill any likelihood of Doncaster Rail forever, (reference 3, PTUA Newsletter).

Whilst the provision of buses in dedicated lanes along the freeway will allow for increased speed it does nothing for smooth travel once they reach Hoddle Street, in fact the increased number of buses including more articulated (‘bendy’) buses on the 906 route may make the traffic problem worse along Hoddle Street and Victoria Parade. Buses cannot compete with trains or light rail trams as far as passenger numbers and it is not too late to reverse the decision to replace the potential rail line with motor vehicle lanes.


5. Recommendations

Recommendation 1

The NE Link project should be abandoned completely. The negative effects far outweigh the positive effects. Freeways do not solve traffic problems and become congested as soon as they are constructed shifting traffic jams elsewhere.

Recommendation 2

I do not consider that any new freeways should be built in metropolitan Melbourne for the reasons outlined. However a tunnel (using a tunnel boring machine not cut and cover) for the complete distance from the end of the M80 Ring Road to East Link south of the Ringwood light industrial area would appease the transport industry allowing direct access to the industrial areas and freight distribution centres in Dandenong and the Monash and Princes Freeways (Corridors B or C). Thus there would be no need to widen the Eastern Freeway, bulldoze trees, steal public open space, demolish green belt, destroy wildlife habitat or turn local roads into traffic sewers.

Recommendation 3

As recommended by environmental groups including The Greens, the Public Transport Users Association, Sustainable Cities – Friends of the Earth, Friends of Banyule, RUANELA - Residents United Against North East Link Option A, Warringal Conservation Society and dozens of transport and planning academics there needs to be a radical rethink on public transport needs in the area to get commuters off the roads freeing up space for tradespeople and delivery vehicles.

PHOTOGRAPHS

Photograph 1: Walking track between Eastern Freeway & rear of houses on Douglas St. Blackburn North

looking east

6 metres 12 metres


Photograph 2: Walking track between Eastern Freeway & rear of houses on Douglas St. Blackburn North

looking east

Photograph 3: Park at the northern end of Koonung Rd. Blackburn Nth. looking west.


Photograph 4: Large pond in Koonung Ck wetlands, Boronia Grove Reserve, Doncaster East looking west

Photograph 5: Boronia Grove Reserve showing footbridge over Koonung Creek, Doncaster East near footbridge over Eastern Freeway. Noise barriers are to the right of picture looking east.


Photograph 6: Walking track adjacent to Eastern Freeway. Noise barriers visible adjacent to wetlands

Boronia Grove, Doncaster East looking west

Photograph 7: Drill rig in PUBLIC PARKLAND, Koonung Creek Reserve, Balwyn thus showing complete

disregard for proper planning processes and pre-empting the EES outcome.


Photograph 8: Wetlands Koonung Creek Reserve, Mont Albert North

Photograph 9: Pedestrian walkway, Koonung Ck. Wetlands, Mont Albert North showing pedestrian bridge over the Eastern Freeway on the right


Photograph 10: View from pedestrian bridge over Eastern Freeway over Koonung Creek wetlands looking

east, Mont Albert North

Photograph 11: View of Koonung Creek upstream from pedestrian bridge, wetlands Mont Albert North


Photograph 12: Hays Paddock Park, East Kew

Photograph 13: Eastern Freeway traffic sewer at midday looking east towards Blackburn Road. Note

reasonably treed and landscaped road side all to be presumably lost in a road widening concrete canyon.


Photograph 14: Los Angeles style ‘spaghetti junction’ proposed interchange, Bulleen

This concludes the submission.

John Young GradDipEnvSc, MOHS, FRSPH, CFSIA, ChOHSP, RSP (Aust)

6. References

1. Overview of the Social Impacts of the NE Link Project- Public Place Pty Ltd, May 2019

2. NE Link EES Statement – Summary Report

3. Public Transport Users Association News – NE Link: Wrong Way Go Back, May 2019


Appendix A

NE Link Letter to Residents November 2018 Re. Landscape Visual Assessment

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