Protectors of Public Lands Victoria Inc.

(PPL VIC)

MEDIA RELEASE 12 NOVEMBER 2011 EDDIGTONS EAST WEST FREEWAY AGAIN MENACES MELBOURNE
On Thursday last Sir Rod Eddington was interviewed by Jon Faine on ABC Radio but failed to mention that he had been spruiking plans for his project the East West road tunnel - with the Baillieu Government. But the very next day, Friday, it was revealed that Sir Rod had been closeted with the Premier and his pet project is back again on the Governments agenda. Now Sir Rod is suggesting that it would be built under a PPP (Public Private Partnership) agreement and would be tolled. Is anyone getting a sense of dj vu? This monster construction project, designed as a freight road tunnel bypass from the Port to the Eastern Freeway and EastLink, would destroy Royal and Holland Parks and wipe out inner suburban heritage streetscapes and residential neighbourhoods in its path, namely in Collingwood, Fitzroy, Parkville, Carlton, North and West Melbourne, Flemington and Kensington. The year 2008 saw a concerted and extremely vocal community campaign by PPL VIC, the Royal Park Protection Group Inc. (RPPG), the Yarra Campaign against the Tunnel (YCAT) and dozens of other groups across the inner city and western suburbs, many of whom joined forces under the aegis of the Coalition of Transport Action Groups (CTAG). The call was for No More Freeways and for funding of public transport, including extension of rail lines - primarily the Doncaster Rail Link. The Brumby Government appeared to heed public outrage and the East West Link was deleted from the Transport Plan launched in December 2008. Julianne Bell Secretary of PPL VIC explained: The spectre of the EW Link continues to haunt Melbourne and must be exorcised once and for all. The dinosaurs in the road lobby have continued to tout freeways. They and their guru, Sir Rod, appear to have the ear of the State Government. The project would spell destruction of Royal Park with its open bushland habitat and passive recreation areas, its many sports fields and wetlands. The construction of the so called tunnel would be a cut and cover operation (open cut now and cover years later) and would impinge on the Melbourne Zoo plus State Netball and Hockey Centre. It is a grand irony that the Federal Government has implemented the carbon tax in order to reduce pollution but the State Government is acting to increase pollution with encouragement of car dependency and expansion of freeways. Rod Quantock, Acting President of PPL VIC, commented: The State Government appears intent on squandering our wealth on the East West Link - a freeway in a tunnel - yet this mode of transport is clearly unsustainable given peak oil and climate change. The funds must go to public transport. It makes me ashamed to be a Rod. PPL VIC urges Melburnians to read the media articles in The Age and Herald Sun and to write letters to the media both local and mainstream and to Premier Ted Baillieu and Transport Minister Terry Mulder. Here are the links:
http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/eastwest-road-tunnel-back-on-the-agenda-20111111-1nbws.html http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/more-news/sir-rod-pushes-for-east-west-toll-road/story-fn7x8me2-1226191845178

Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty!

Contact: Julianne Bell Secretary Protectors of Public Lands Victoria Inc. Mobile 0408022408