M2 Widening Project
M2 Update, May 2010
On 5 May 2010 Bike North representatives met with Transurban and Leighton (the construction company contracted for the widening) to discuss the contents of their response to Bike North's submission.
TU will do only as much as Leighton can deliver for $900,000. The tone of the document indicates that as the route is only temporary, there is no point doing the job properly. The excuse is that local councils may already have parts of the route, or connections to it, in their own bicycle plans, so it's not TU's responsibility. Clearly the RTA has no will to insist that TU make a genuine effort to provide a safe and usable route, and without such incentive, TU has no intention of doing so.
The result is that the route will involve many tedious road crossings where cyclists will be required to mount the footpath and cross at pedestrian lights. Read more about the substandard design of the route.
Major points of contention include:
General
- Negligently inadequate level of funding
- Tokenistic and totally unsafisfactory consultation process
Detour
- Access to Brown's Waterhole blocked during construction
- Wick's Rd crossing
- Pembroke Rd crossing
- Beecroft Rd crossing
- Bunnings intersection in North Rocks Rd
- Windsor Rd to Hammers Rd
Final M2 route
- Refusal to install vibraline
Take action now - the outcome depends on you!
Brown's Waterhole closure
Deadline - May 25: Send email to enquiries@hillsm2upgrade.com.au. Make your message polite, short and to the point, only talk about Brown's Waterhole (we'll do other issues later). They are obliged to reply, so you may even get an interesting "conversation" going!
Points to address:
- Importance of Brown's Waterhole for cyclists and pedestrians, for both commuting and recreation.
- There is no alternative route of any kind.
- Duration and timing of the closure.
- The Vimiera Rd culdesac should not become a parking area for construction vehicles.
- Nothing should obstruct the drop gutter at the top of the path, or the bollards and boom gate further up the road.
Last update: 20/05/2010 — Copyright © 2005