roads

Protectors of Public Lands Victoria Inc. (PPL VIC)

Media Release Wednesday 8 May 2013

Yesterday saw Premier Denis Napthine announce funding for the East West (Road) Link in the State Budget. Thus he has condemned Melbourne to future gridlock and has put on hold improved public transport in the form of urban rail to Doncaster, Tullamarine, Rowville and South Morang. PPL VIC together with many inner city community groups and Yarra Council has, over the past two years, been campaigning for “Trains Not Toll Roads “.

Julianne Bell Secretary of PPL VIC explains: “This morning, ABC radio 774 listeners were staggered to hear the Treasurer, Mr Michael O’Brien, say that the “tunnel” would link Hoddle Street and CityLink but there would be no access/exits for commuters to the city where much of the traffic off the Eastern Freeway is headed. This was the plan for a truck bypass of the city proposed by the Eddington Review of 2008. (The East West Link proposal was scrapped by the Brumby Labor Government.) Community groups such as PPL VIC were alarmed over information supplied by Linking Melbourne Authority, the project “proponent”, at a community briefing held on 3 April 2013 that the 4 lane roadway will not be in a tunnel (as the Treasurer maintains) for the entire 18 kilometre length. Some sections will be in the form of an aerial roadway or constructed by open cut methods. Consequently we fear for the future of our heritage streetscapes, our gracious treed avenues, for Royal Park and for the institutions located in the park – the Royal Children’s Hospital, the Melbourne Zoo and the State Netball and Hockey Centre.”

Rod Quantock, Acting President of PPL VIC takes a long term view:

“The squandering of our common wealth on an unnecessary road link is to be condemned. The car is not the answer for the future, a future that, in light of CO2 pollution, peak oil and over-population, requires new ways of living, working and moving. The CSIRO has predicted petrol prices could be as high as $8 per litre by the end of this decade. Who will use this road then? Who will use it when predicted days of 50 degrees centigrade plus bend and buckle it? Who will use it when an extra 2 million people clog the city's arteries? It is time for our craven leaders to stand-up to the road lobbies, to show leadership and foresight and a commitment to the well-being of future Melburnians. It is time to back public transport.”

PPL VIC and inner city community groups together with the Coalition of Transport Action Groups will continue to oppose the East West Link and to lobby for improved public transport, in particular urban rail lines to Doncaster and Tullamarine. We will be taking the message to candidates in the next State Government election.

Media:
Julianne Bell PPL VIC Secretary Mobile: 0408 022408
Rod Quantock PPL VIC Acting President 0438 862079

'It may be tempting to believe our 4WD has bumped over a wombat.' (from an article in a magazine)

Tempting?

Roadkill is driving some species towards extinction. Too few safe corridors for animals to find more food. Too many cars and trucks on many more roads through their habitats.

How about a campaign to stop carelessness about road-kill? This could encompass:

1. More careful night-driving. through countrysides and slower diving through bushland could prevent so many deaths and so many orphaned creatures that other people may then try to save, or don't.

2. Invention. Can a form of warning that is effective in warning for animals up to four minutes ahead of the coming killing-machine be invented for use by cars and trucks in places and at times that creatures are liable to be hit. Headlights can simply paralyse them in the middle of the road.

3. Safe crossing tunnels and overheads which are used in some countries. These should be build in places where many small animals get run over.

4. A British man eats road-kill as his way of preventing waste.

5. Raise awareness. It would be interesting to know how many drivers know they have driven over animals. The Royal Australian Automobile Club of Victoria (RACV) could ask its members. Let's have some idea of the grim tally.

What are people feeling is their own greatest collective guilt? There's a lot of it around. Trillions are spent on weapons of horrible destruction – even by the 'goodies?

Universal Guilt Day – making a real Day of Atonement - followed by ? Could we have a Peace and Saving Museum?

See also:

1. "Tassie's roadkill carnage" by Michelle Paine in teh Hobart Mercury of 21 Nov 08.

NEARLY 300,000 animals are killed on Tasmanian roads every year. Among them, 4000 Tasmanian devils -- about 5 per cent of a population already being dying from an infectious cancer.

"Pretty much everything that lives in Tasmania, we've seen dead on the road," said scientist Alistair Hobday, who has compiled the figures in one of the most extensive roadkill studies in the world.

"Of that, 70 per cent are hit in roadkill blackspots, which only exist on small sections of the road."

2. roadkill.wilddiscovery.com.au/ "Wild Discovery Guides - Australian Wildlife RoadKill, A Wild Discovery Guide" with Len Zell.

Wild Discovery PO Box 1696 Townsville Qld 4810 ISBN 0-9757184-3-6 RRP: A$19.95. The description is:

Roadkill was shortlisted for the 2007 Whitley Award for significant contribution to Australian zoology. This is the essential 'in-car' book for any road traveller in Australia. With about one million kilometres of road, anyone travelling them is, sadly, very likely to see or cause roadkill - certainly of the millions of small bugs that will be hit.This book provides an overview of the types of roadkill, hints on what to do with them, how to clean bugs off the car and an eclectic mix of other information - from road safety to recipes. In addition the book gives an unusual insight into the many aspects of Australia's very special fauna, albeit in a somewhat macabre way.More than 200 photographs of roadkill all some identification and an excellent guide on how to avoid and observe roadkill and who to send interesting specimens to.

3. Macabre ‘humour' at www.wwwildcats.com/abz.htm

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Due to the creative genius of one Charlie Conroy whom we proudly claim as one of our own, we are excited to announce a world first, the ABZ of ROADKILL. This is a photographic competition open to all bikers worldwide, it is designed to utilise something that would otherwise just lie around going to waste, and is currently regarded just as something to stay upwind of and to avoid hitting when it is lying in the middle of the road. This comp is aimed as a small way of making their sacrifice worthwhile and at the same time offending the general population. Both worthy aspirations of any genuine bikers!

4. Ten minutes on Google can find you a whole lot of insensitive things done and thought about roadkill.