Jason Falinski: Beaches Link tunnel is the necessary ingredient to solve congestion woes

The Mackellar MP argued the tunnel had not been started because the Roads and Maritime Services believed an outlet on to the Harbour Bridge would create gridlock, affecting even more commuters.

Mackellar Federal Liberal MP Jason Falinski. Picture: Jeremy Piper.

MACKELLAR  Liberal MP Jason Falinski has joined the call for a tunnel to be built bypassing the Spit Bridge.

He argued the tunnel had not been started because the Roads and Maritime Services believed an outlet on to the Harbour Bridge would create gridlock, affecting even more commuters.

“It is not that they don’t want to fix it, they don’t want to fix one problem then create a bigger problem down the track,” he said.

Jason Falinski has backed calls for a tunnel connecting the northern beaches to the city. Picture: Adam Armstrong.

However, he said the most recent plans to join the Beaches Link to Westconnex could solve the problem.

Mr Falinski, a former staffer to NSW Transport Minister Andrew Constance, said in order for the B-Line bus service to be effective, it needed better infrastructure around it.

And he echoed the sentiments of Davidson state Liberal MP Jonathan O’Dea, who has called on his own Government to come up with a firm budget and timeline for the project.

“If I could make a time machine and get them to start the tunnel 10 years ago, I would,” Mr Falinski said.

He said the tunnel was a necessary ingredient to solve Sydney’s transport woes. “The B-Line on its own improves reliability, but doesn’t improve travel times,” Mr Falinski said.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian has promised a tunnel but provided no timeline. Picture: Rohan Kelly.

“As any number of reports have made clear, the B-Line with improvements to the road network massively improves travel times. You can put as many buses as you like on Pittwater Rd but they all reach the same point, which is the Harbour bridge.”

It follows a report by the Manly Daily on RMS traffic data that showed drivers were avoiding the Spit Bridge in favour of Warringah and Mona Vale roads.

Mr Falinski said it was “normal behavioural change”. However, he also argued that more people were working closer to home, or heading to Chatswood and Macquarie Park.