Eddington tunnel – a fait accompli?

The secretary of the Victorian Labor Party’s transport policy committee has resigned in disgust because of the committee’s support for more freeways ("The Age" October 11). The committee reportedly endorsed all the Eddington Report’s recommendations, including a controversial road tunnel linking the city’s east and west. The proposed East-West Tunnel may improve short-term traffic congestion for many people in the west but it will further entrench their car dependence and lead to more greenhouse gas emissions from transport in Melbourne. Community consultation on the Eddington Report has been minimal, with critics barred from recent government forums that were "by invitation only" to "selected" residents’ groups! Eddington also suggested tolls on presently toll-free roads and The Age reported in August that a review of Melbourne’s transport system had also called for a congestion tax and tolls on public roads. To raise more money for MORE freeways? When will Spring Street realise that there’s no point making life difficult for motorists unless you provide a swift, safe, efficient, cheap alternative – that is, a greatly upgraded public transport system! The solution is for upgraded public transport corridors running efficiently in parallel with freeways to provide a viable alternative for the bulk of peak hour commuters, thus freeing up the road system for those who have to use it – trucks and commercial vehicles, etc. For more detail on how SOS believes infrastructure in the City of Melbourne could be upgraded to reduce greenhouse gas emission and prepare us better for the impact of climate change, read our submission to the Eddington review: You can download the SOS Submission.