Rally against M4 East Motorway

M4 Motorway, Sydney 

It's time Sydney said no to the building of more motorways. Motorways now criss-cross Sydney and with every one that is built, traffic increases, communities are divided and air pollution worsens.

I am pleased to share this platform with Labor MPs and councillors who are also opposed to the M4. But we need to ask them to take our message of opposition to the M4 East into the Labor caucus. We call on them to tell Mr Carr, Mr Egan and Mr Scully that we want public transport not motorways.

We need to be very, very wary of politicians offering us motorways. The major parties have been captured by the road-building lobby. The major parties take big donations from road developers.

Not too far from here we have the CityWest Link. When that road was proposed, the RTA and major-party politicians told us that this would relieve traffic congestion. Now they are telling us we need the M4 East to ease the traffic congestion in part caused by this same CityWest Link.

Motorways can't reduce traffic congestion. World experience shows that when you build a motorway you get induced traffic. All that means is that people more readily jump in their car to get from A to B. Motorways encourage people to use their cars and to desert public transport.

When the M5 East was opened, the traffic using General Homes drive increased by 40,000 vehicles a day.

Public transport is the only way to cater for our growing population. Let's imagine what a light rail loop through these suburbs would achieve in terms of moving people efficiently.

We also need to be wary of the Roads and Traffic Authority offering options - short tunnels, long tunnels. The govt knew it would have trouble selling their latest motorway plan - we have the M5 East disaster not too far away. So we are being put through the consultation charade.

If the government was sincere with their consultations, why were we not offered an option of no motorway and better public transport?

But no we have these two tunnel options. For the people of surrounding suburbs, including Haberfield, the tunnel options - long and short - will be a disaster.

The long tunnel has a major exit onto Parramatta Road at Haberfield.

And then there is the pollution. When I went to school in the 1960s, I knew one girl who had asthma. I have three children and the majority of their friends have asthma. The main cause of this tragedy is pollution from vehicle traffic.

And this pollution contributes to greenhouse gas emissions - the cause of global warming, the most serious environmental crisis the world faces.

Stopping a motorway is daunting. But let's remember that England has virtually dropped its motorway construction program, and that was achieved through actions like our protest today.

It is time to say no to motorway madness. No M4 East. Let's tell the government to put the money into light rail.

It's time Sydney said no to the building of more motorways. Motorways now criss-cross Sydney and with every one that is built, traffic increases, communities are divided and air pollution worsens.

I am pleased to share this platform with Labor MPs and councillors who are also opposed to the M4. But we need to ask them to take our message of opposition to the M4 East into the Labor caucus. We call on them to tell Mr Carr, Mr Egan and Mr Scully that we want public transport not motorways.

We need to be very, very wary of politicians offering us motorways. The major parties have been captured by the road-building lobby. The major parties take big donations from road developers.

Not too far from here we have the CityWest Link. When that road was proposed, the RTA and major-party politicians told us that this would relieve traffic congestion. Now they are telling us we need the M4 East to ease the traffic congestion in part caused by this same CityWest Link.

Motorways can't reduce traffic congestion. World experience shows that when you build a motorway you get induced traffic. All that means is that people more readily jump in their car to get from A to B. Motorways encourage people to use their cars and to desert public transport.

When the M5 East was opened, the traffic using General Homes drive increased by 40,000 vehicles a day.

Public transport is the only way to cater for our growing population. Let's imagine what a light rail loop through these suburbs would achieve in terms of moving people efficiently.

We also need to be wary of the Roads and Traffic Authority offering options - short tunnels, long tunnels. The govt knew it would have trouble selling their latest motorway plan - we have the M5 East disaster not too far away. So we are being put through the consultation charade.

If the government was sincere with their consultations, why were we not offered an option of no motorway and better public transport?

But no we have these two tunnel options. For the people of surrounding suburbs, including Haberfield, the tunnel options - long and short - will be a disaster.

The long tunnel has a major exit onto Parramatta Road at Haberfield.

And then there is the pollution. When I went to school in the 1960s, I knew one girl who had asthma. I have three children and the majority of their friends have asthma. The main cause of this tragedy is pollution from vehicle traffic.

And this pollution contributes to greenhouse gas emissions - the cause of global warming, the most serious environmental crisis the world faces.

Stopping a motorway is daunting. But let's remember that England has virtually dropped its motorway construction program, and that was achieved through actions like our protest today.

It is time to say no to motorway madness. No M4 East. Let's tell the government to put the money into light rail.