Precious technocracy: now delivering roads at ~$3200/cm! Yes the $1.1bn Lane Cove Tunnel opened with minimal fuss yesterday, completing a 110km orbital road ring around this fair city. In a departure from the headlines of the Cross-City Tunnel opening, frustration from locals stemmed not from road closures, but the countless news camera teams camped in the left lane near the tunnel’s entrance, vying for a shot of some loser navigating the bendy safety barriers they could also sell to the producers of Worlds Worst Drivers CLXXI.
I, for one, salute the rebound effect savvy planning czars who’ve alleviated the headaches caused by a particularly treacherous and unforgiving section of the six-lane, dual carriageway Epping Road with this 3.4km tunnel. This is something that neither a Collins Class submarine, research for not one but almost two ‘make coal problems go bye-bye’ machines, a couple of ‘Super Hornets’, 4x five year David Beckham contracts (OTE), 10x the Federal commitments to Greenhouse in 1997 (or so) including the establishment of the Australian Greenhouse Office, god-knows how many thousand kilometres of dedicated cycle lanes, nor a hospital or two with a specialist air-pollution treatment facility could ever do.
I loved all the comments from first time users on how much time it saved them, until of course it becomes totally congested as most roadways eventually do and the users complain that they need more roads to ease the congestion.
Yep that’s the rebound effect, Phil. The congestion will only be compounded by the massive new developments near Riverstone.
So I take it that the Sydney-centric ALP NSW government clowns who blew a cool billion on this are not your favourite people?
Having seen the truly dangerous state of decay the country road net out Gundagai-Wagga-Junee way has fallen in to, I have to agree with you. Especially as the locals say it is a lot worse further out.
MarkL
Canberra
I recently read a book on the the history of Ireland and the troubles,whilst the title escapes me now because I lent it out, the unusual reality of the history of ring roads in Britain and Ireland and elsewhere is given prominence in relationship to government security apparatus and that these road developments have come about because of internal security reasons rather than as the public relations exercise of either freeing up traffic or privatising public works.With ring roads and tunnels greater use of security points are achieved.I dare say with tunnels to,a chicken and or egg thing is part of the PR. splatter.Hidden somewhere in Freedom of Information.Even with this secrecy,one hopes a benevolent attitude remains amongst the fellow citizens of this place,eg.Police and the RTA. under the spotlight lately for crim. behaviours.
As they say, new freeways just relocate the traffic jams.
This sort of shit is the reason I left Sydney 20 years ago. You can’t live a nice lifestyle there unless you’re rich enough to live overlooking the harbour and own a yacht.