Marrickville Transport Action Group Inc.

Marrickville residents are responding to renewed announcements of a road tunnel through the Marrickville LGA with demands to see the details before the local government elections in mid-september. Marrickville's Transport Action Group (MTAG) has challenged the NSW State Government to reveal the details immediately, so that the people of Marrickville can choose local representatives who support sustainable transport initiatives.

"We believe that the NSW Govt needs to ensure that the community in the inner west knows about these proposals in advance, including the specific routes and the likely impacts on our health and local amenity," said MTAG volunteer, Liz Maher.

The issue of a tunnel through the Marrickville LGA was first raised in 2004, when Councillor Barry Cotter proposed a motion that Marrickville Council should invite the RTA to construct a tunnel underneath Sydenham Road. Although the motion was initially carried, resident concerns about the proposal culminated in a public meeting of over 200 people who demanded that the Labor and Independent Councillors withdraw their support for the proposal.

"Residents were very concerned because of the problems that we've all heard about with other road tunnels in Sydney. There are over 18 schools and daycare centres in the area around Sydenham Road, so it is not surprising that everyone wanted to know where the ventilation stacks would be constructed. Other questions, such as health effects, filtration levels, and property values were also a big concern," said Ms Maher.

Although the original proposal for the construction of a road tunnel was swiftly overturned within weeks of the public meeting, the proposal has been resurrected as part of the new plans for an extension to the M4. These plans only came to public notice through a Freedom Of Information request from the Sydney Morning Herald for the report of a leading transport consultant, Mr Jim Steer, who was engaged by the NSW Govt to review the major roads plans. This report confirmed earlier announcements of a 'truck tunnel' through the area, along with proposals for three other possible tunnel projects in the inner west.

"Based on the limited detail in extracts and maps from the Steer report, we are asking the government to come clean about its plans. It is almost twelve months since the Roads Minister, Eric Roozendaal declared that the release of discussion papers on the extension of the M4 was 'imminent', but we haven't seen a thing. That is really not good enough, especially when the community is trying to make the best decision about who will represent their interests ," said Ms Maher.

In the run up to local government elections, MTAG is encouraging other residents to talk to their local members and to the local candidates about whether they support these proposals, and to ask for their assistance in getting some long-overdue answers.

"In the absence of any clear guidance from the Minister, we've produced our own 'best-guess' based on the information that was made public from the Steer Report. We know that it is standard practice to have a stack within one or two kilometres of entrances and exits. We know that those who are most likely to be affected are those living around these exits and entry points, and we know that there is a two kilometre 'strike zone' around stacks where exhaust will settle when the winds aren't strong enough to blow them away," she said .

The map produced by MTAG volunteers is based on the image printed in the Sydney Morning Herald, but does not include the other tunnel proposals, which would add to the number of stacks operating in the area.

"We don't believe a community should have to work this hard to get information they need to make informed decisions, particularly when its about something that could have a huge impact on their health and well-being. We need answers to all these questions well in advance of any formal proposals being presented by the NSW Government. We need the NSW Govt to come clean on the full details of these motorway tunnel proposals," she concluded.

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