Survey: People reveal thoughts on northern beaches tunnel plan
Only 13 per cent of residents support the current plans for the proposed $8 billion Beaches Link tunnel, in Sydney’s north, according to a new survey which also quizzed people on public transport and exhaust stacks.
Manly
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Only 13 per cent of residents support the current plans for the proposed $8 billion Beaches Link tunnel, according to a survey conducted by a community group.
And another 48 per cent of the 727 people surveyed said they would only back the 7km underground toll road if an unfiltered exhaust stack, planned to be built near homes, is moved.
The rest of the 39 per cent of respondents to the survey, commissioned by the North Harbour Community Group, were opposed to any type of vehicle tunnel linking the northern beaches to the rest of Sydney.
Plans for the Beaches Link have divided community opinion with those opposed saying it will lead to overdevelopment on the peninsula, destruction of open space, increased air pollution and traffic “rat runs” near schools.
Those supporting the tunnel predict it will improve travel times from the northern beaches to the city, Sydney Airport and Macquarie Park.
The NSW Government has said the Beaches Link, combined with the proposed Western Harbour Tunnel, will make travel time savings from Brookvale to the Sydney CBD of 27 minutes and cut 41 minutes from the journey from Dee Why to Sydney Airport.
Federal MP for Warringah, Tony Abbott, told federal parliament on Tuesday that nothing should get in the way of building the tunnel that will “give us our lives back”.
In a Constituency Statement Mr Abbott said the design of the tunnel could still be “tweaked and improved”.
“But no-one should let any small objections imperil this great project.
“If there are any issues, let’s improve the tunnel design, not try to block the whole project, because, if we block the project, the whole area will choke on its own traffic.
“This is the one thing that could permanently improve the lives of everyone on the Northern Beaches,” Mr Abbott.
The community survey was conducted by professional market researcher, Nerissa Levy, in late 2018, with residents around Manly, Balgowlah and Seaforth. Ms Levy is a member of the North Harbour Community Group.
The survey also found that:
●83% of residents were opposed to unfiltered stacks in urban areas;
●63% were opposed to the proposed link road through Balgowlah Golf Course;
●91% agreed with the statement: “All exhaust stacks from tunnels should be as far from
homes and schools as possible (i.e. industrial areas), and where they are within 500 metres they must be filtered, even if it costs a little more to run”.
Ms Levy said backing for increased spending on public transport was high, with support for either rail, light rail or improved bus services at 95 per cent.
“The level of satisfaction with the Roads and Maritime Services and NSW Government process of community consultation was poor,” she said. “Of those who had interacted with RMS or would have liked to, 63% said they were dissatisfied with the process and
responsiveness, and only 14% said they were satisfied.
“The wider community just aren’t aware of the negative aspects of the Beaches Link tunnel, because the NSW Government is doing it’s best to hide that kind of information getting out leading up to the election.”
Ms Levy said public transport options were never considered as an alternative to the tunnel.
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