Rob Cover
PERTH — An estimated 500 people gathered in poor weather on June 15 as a display of rejection of the Court Liberal government's Northbridge Tunnel.
Prominent local figures and politicians to address the Cities for People Campaign rally included Judy Edwards (WA opposition spokesperson for the environment), Steven Smith (federal member for Perth) and Sarah Miller from Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts.
An open microphone allowed more than a dozen members of the public to air their views and complaints about the lack of community input into the Main Roads Department planning office.
Despite the rain, several hundred people marched along the 1.6 kilometre length of the proposed tunnel route, from the Perth Cultural Centre to Russell Square.
According to organiser Elena Jeffreys, the rally was a successful display of community involvement in an urban planning issue. "The fact that so many people came out to hear the speakers and contribute their opinions in such poor weather conditions is a definite sign that the community needs to be involved in the Court government's decision-making process", said Jeffreys.
"I feel that the rally has made clear that a significant proportion of the people of Western Australia are not satisfied with being told they need traffic developments, and that it is now the government's duty to properly investigate the environmental and cultural impacts of this development."
Cities for People Campaign claims the tunnel will threaten the unique heritage and cultural communities of Northbridge, as well as seriously increase the risks of air pollution and smog. It has also been widely suggested that the project fails to address more progressive needs such as public transport.
The tunnel will be built by trenching out and capping a 1.5 kilometre strip along Newcastle and Aberdeen Streets.
According to William Ross of Murdoch University's Environmental Science Department, Perth is currently on the threshold of motor vehicle-induced environmental disaster.
In a 1996 report, Ross pointed out the extreme environmental dangers of the Northern City By-pass caused by the increase of carbon monoxide, ozone and other pollutants.
"Because of its heavy car dependency and sunny climate, Perth has the potential to become one of the smoggiest cities in the world. By the end of February 1996, there had already been twelve exceedences of World Health Organisation ozone limits. This equals the record set for all of 1995."
While ozone is important in the stratosphere, at ground level it damages buildings and vegetation and is harmful to human beings and animal life.
"The continuing push from the government towards more roads, highways and tunnels is leading us down the same smoggy road as Los Angeles and Sydney", said Ross.
He indicated that the only way to stop the increasing smog and environmental damage is to discourage the widespread use of motor vehicles. "The current plan for the Northern City Bypass will only act to increase vehicle kilometres travelled, trip generation and trip length."
Although the Northern City By-pass is the biggest WA road project ever undertaken, the Department of Environmental Protection took a little over three hours to assess the impact of the project on Perth's environment. On a 79-point checklist begun and completed on August 30, 1995, only four boxes were ticked. Two refer to concerns for river and soil contamination, while the remaining two point out the existence of public interest groups. Air pollution, water table damage and animal and plant life were ignored in the report.
At a public meeting on June 4, Main Road Department spokesperson Len Home was unable to supply adequate information as to how exhaust fumes from vehicles in the tunnel would be dispersed. "There will be a three and a half storey exhaust stack at each end of the tunnel", he stated, but could not supply the plans or designs for these.
Elena Jeffreys stated her concern for the current residents of Northbridge and their quality of life during and after the construction. "Because the area that has been set aside for the development has a lot of cheap housing, we are now seeing a lot of evictions of students, artists and less-affluent persons", said Jeffreys.
"The construction will be pushing out the poorer elements of Northbridge and in five years' time the area will be overtaken by business and commercial-oriented development if the plan goes ahead."