M4 East Discussion Paper Long Overdue
Public transport advocacy groups, EcoTransit Sydney, Marrickville Transport Action Group and Action for Public Transport are calling upon the Roads Minister to name the date for releasing the revised
proposal for an extension to the M4. The call comes as the Roads Minister, Labor members of the Upper House and members of the cross bench have voted down a motion to make the discussion paper public for the third time in nine months.
"The Minister for Roads keeps saying that the release is imminent, but he has a very curious notion of what that means if over nine months have passed and the paper is still not ready for public scrutiny, " said EcoTransit Sydney spokesperson, Leah Mason.
Marrickville Transport Action Group, which represents residents in the Marrickville LGA, are particularly concerned about an associated proposal to tunnel underneath Sydenham Road through to Lewisham. Known as the Marrickville Truck Tunnel, the proposal would require several exhaust
stacks in an area that includes eighteen schools, pre-schools and day care centres.
"The tunnelling through our part of Sydney appears to have expanded since the last public discussion and the community wants to how they will be protected from the impacts of the exhaust stacks and
construction," said Ray Smith of Marrickville Transport Action Group.
Tunnels have also been discussed with associated road projects, such as a toll or motorway in the F6 public transport corridor and what a number of internal RTA documents refer to as an "Inner West Motorway" which would run under Annandale, Camperdown, Newtown, Stanmore and St Peters.
“From what we have gathered, there is a lot other road development involved in making the M4 East work. We want the full extent of the proposals to be made public as soon as possible, so that there can be an informed discussion whether they meet the community’s present and future needs for transport infrastructure," Ms. Mason concluded.