The Age - theage.au - Letters, 17 November 2013 Read more: theage.au/comment/the-age-letters/the-big-issue-eastwest-link-20131116-2xnwr.html#ixzz2kopnHier Force a mandate It is a waste of time telling us it is incumbent on the government to prove it is acting in the interest of good public policy by building the tunnel (Tunnel vision, 10/11). It should be obvious by now that the government will never do this, and has decided to ram ahead with this environmental and financial disaster before the election irrespective of any amount of public outrage and civil disobedience. Only one person can force the government to obtain a mandate. Geoff Shaw can withdraw his support to force an early election, which will be a referendum on the tunnel. JUDITH LORIENTE, Mentone Derisory consultation As noted by Farrah Tomazin, the comprehensive impact study process is far from satisfactory: unreasonable, inadequate, perfunctory and derisory are all descriptors that spring readily to mind as I and many other affected Victorian taxpayers pore over the vast documentation that actually tells us remarkably little. And we have a ludicrously short period of time in which to do so. The proponents are consistent if nothing else. They continue to promote rather than consult, and deny information to all of us - taxpayers across the state who will be paying generously for this hugely expensive road and those whose lives will be massively affected by the project. Curiously, for the non-expert the comprehensive impact study does not actually look at the projects overall impact but only specified aspects of it. And even then it doesnt tackle important questions. This is at least partly due to the unseemly rush to commit all of us to this project before the election. The Premier should have the political courage and take this project to the people. DAVID HANNA, Collingwood Show us the money Who does Denis Napthine think he is kidding when he says he was listening to the community when he decided to build a new off-ramp as part of the flyover from his east-west tunnel? The Premier has consulted no one. He has refused to meet local communities, has refused to release the business plan and has refused to explain why it is better than that in the original Eddington report. Finally, he claims he was elected to build the link. In fact the Coalition was elected on a public transport platform. Like so many Victorians, I wait to hear where the $14 billion is coming from to pay for this unwanted project - and where the money is coming from to pay for the essential infrastructure of which the tunnel is not a part. When will Dr Napthine tell us, for example, that as well as putting tolls on the tunnel, there will also be tolls on the inner Eastern Freeway? BRIAN SKINNER, Northcote On hunt for a bargain The east doesnt go west was the succinct explanation last week by Macquarie Equities analyst Ian Myles for the failure of Sydneys Cross City tunnel (Transurban makes bid for Sydney tunnel, theage.au, 12/11). The article should be compulsory reading for proponents of Melbournes tunnel. Myles said Transurban was buying Cross City for a great price and the purchase would fit well with its other Sydney toll roads. In spite of the obvious synergy with its Tullamarine toll road, Transurban declined to submit a bid for Melbournes tunnel. And why should it? Given the volume of traffic exiting at Hoddle Street, Transurban must know it will only be a matter of time before another failed tunnel comes up for grabs at a great price. PATRICIA LELE, Kew
Posted on: Sat, 16 Nov 2013 14:32:10 +0000