By Karen Poh
THE liveability of the inner West is under threat with Victoria’s booming population and the increased demand for goods and services.
So says a joint submission to the East-West Link Needs Assessment Study by Williamstown and Footscray MPs Wade Noonan and Marsha Thomson.
The submission is the result of extensive community consultation, reaching out to more than 30,000 households across the two electorates through direct mail, as well as an inner-West stakeholder forum attended by representatives from a cross-section of the community.
While there were many different and sometimes opposing views from the community, doing nothing was not an option for the people in the West, the submission said.
It warns that the transport network in the West will need to improve significantly to keep pace with the growth and change in the region, and the failure to do so will lead to a significant east-west divide and severely limit investment, business and employment opportunities in the western suburbs.
The submission highlights concerns over the large increases in the movement of container freight to and from the Port of Melbourne, as well as the increase in truck movements in the inner West, caused by the state’s population boom and the flow-on demand for more goods and services.
As such, Mr Noonan and Ms Thomson rallied behind Sir Rod Eddington and his report in the call for:
• A 17km rail tunnel linking Melbourne’s western and south-eastern suburbs that will also provide a major increase in the capacity for other western rail lines including the Werribee, Williamstown and Sydenham lines;
• A staged construction of an 18km cross-city road tunnel from the Western Ring Road to the Eastern Freeway, reducing the reliance on the West Gate Bridge;
• Targeted road improvements to remove truck traffic from local roads in the inner western suburbs, particularly in Yarraville;
• Enhanced east-west cycling connectivity through the extension of Federation Trail from Millers Rd in Brooklyn along the West Gate corridor to Hyde St in Yarraville, and upgrading the existing facility from Hyde St to Footscray Rd; and
• Co-operation with industry to develop and implement a detailed action plan to support further investment in rail freight and develop intermodal freight hubs in the west, north and south-east of Melbourne.
The 15-week public consultation phase for Sir Rod’s report into east-west travel closed on 15 July with more than 2000 comments received, and will be considered as part of a comprehensive Victorian transport plan due to be unravelled at the end of the year.
