MEDIA RELEASE
From: No Freeway 4 West Footscray
Date: Monday December 8, 2008
Contacts: Lucy Liga 0411 577 797 Natalie Zirngast 0419 155 380
Today’s announcement by the Brumby Government that it intends to build a tunnel and truck route from Melbourne’s ports through to the suburbs of West Footscray, Seddon and Kingsville is a major blow to thousands of residents and their families in the inner west.
This short sighted decision will simply offload an unacceptable volume of truck traffic from the streets of Yarraville onto the equally residential streets of West Footscray, Seddon and Kingsville.
The Brumby Government has stated that the tunnel must be built to relieve the pressure on the West Gate Bridge. A more economically, environmentally and socially responsible solution to achieve this would be to spend the projected $6 million dollar tunnel fund on further improvements to public transport. With ever increasing petrol prices, commuters want trains, not roads. This will be more effective in taking the pressure off the Westgate Bridge and other roads than new tunnel and truck route proposals.
Commuters have been short changed. Statistics show that 60,000 people in the inner west are crying out for better public transport connections to the city. Instead of acknowledging the pressing need to get people out of cars and onto sustainable public transport, Premier Brumby today emphasised that hybrid cars would play an important role in the future. Given the high cost of hybrid cars and the increasing financial pressure on western suburbs families, this position is laughable and shows that the Brumby Government has no real understanding of conditions in the west.
“The needs of commuters and their families, particularly in the Western Suburbs have long been neglected over many decades by both major parties and we’re not going to wear it any longer” said West Footscray campaigner Lucy Liga.
Hundreds of angry inner–west residents are calling on Premier Brumby and local Labor MPs Marsha Thompson and Telmo Languiller to meet and consult with them as a matter of urgency.
“People are sick and tired of being ignored by politicians who take the western suburbs for granted as safe-seat territory. Let this be a wake up call that times have well and truly changed” says community campaigner Anne Parsons.
As part of the Coalition of Transport Action Groups, the No Freeway 4 West Footscray group is committed to fighting these proposals.
Join us for an URGENT public meeting at 7.30 pm on Wednesday 17th December at Hyde St Church Hall next to Maribyrnong City Council.
No Freeway 4 West Footscray
Media Contacts: Lucy Liga 0411 577 797 Natalie Zirngast 0419 155 380