Ridiculous stink over the East-West Link
01 October 2014
The Victorian State government finally signs the contract for the East-West Road Link and in another triumph of ultra stupidity by Australia the nanny state, the backward state and now the whinging state, all hell breaks lose.
Only in this dopey country do we have people arguing and complaining about new infrastructure.
Only in this dopey country do we have political parties threatening not to honour signed contracts if elected.
The contract for the Link will be honoured anyway. The opposition is just posturing to prevent seats being lost to environmental parties and independents. Once in office, what’s the bet, “whoops, we can’t actually break the contract, sorry!”?
In the argument over roads, train or bicycles, there’s only one answer: do it all. That would be the response everywhere else in the world.
With the complaint over cost and disruption the East-West Link will cause, there’s only one other solution: stop the rampant population growth. Of course, float that idea, you become a racist.
How many whingers even make the East-West trip? I finally had the personal nightmare last week of travelling from Flemington to the Eastern Freeway and it took 30 minutes for just the few kilometres travelled. It was insane – and that still seemed a good run, with only minor gridlock. Imagine when the city’s population has doubled to over 8 million by 2050. Stop the whinging. This road must be built. While we’re at it, let’s concentrate on trains and bikes.
In conjunction with the new road, finally, the Doncaster train-line must be built. It’s only been planned for 50 years and, still, neither political party has indicated it’s any chance of proceeding. If you want to stop the road, at least provide another transport solution. No, it’s just, whinge, whinge. Neither party will proceed with the Doncaster line because public transport doesn’t make money. Funding for the road will be heavily subsidised by tolls and the Federal Government. Now you see why both parties are secretly in love with roads.
Finally, bicycles, which could really ease stress on all other forms of transport. Time to sacrifice a line of parked cars on certain roads to create safe bicycle networks across town and into town. Stop poking around the edges with a lane here, and a lane there. Once people are out of the CBD they are onto to the same dangerous roads as always. A painted stripe within range of a car door is not infrastructure. It’s a token response by gutless politicians pretending they are “doing something”.
We need a total transport solution of flexibility, freedom and high capacity, not super sooks focused on their self interests and political partisanship. Get on with it, idiots.
The Warrior Factor 
If the Gov promised to put bike infra along other east-west corridors, I could almost deal with it. The promise of “easing congestion” is utterly hollow.
Listening to government promises on anything is stupid. I look at the evidence. Crossing town is a nightmare right now. Just imagine when the population doubles by 2050. I’m also disturbed none of these pressure groups are slamming the government on their proposed airport rail link. They were give a proposal for a monorail that could be delivered much cheaper and sooner and would be faster. No, extend an existing suburban line and waste billions that could be better served elsewhere.