Toll Road Dangers !

Plans are being considered for construction of what is called the " Second Harbour Tunnel " under Sydney Harbour which would connect Rozelle with North Sydney.  It is not expected that a start on this project will commence before 2022. Expressions of interest are being sought  as it is expected that these twin 6.5  kilometre tunnels will be a joint venture between the government and private financial interests.

Put rather bluntly, the government is signalling that this extension of the city road system will be subjected to a toll.  We are fast becoming one of the most expensive world cities when it comes to road tolls and for vast numbers of motorists the road system is becoming unaffordable.

In the distant past, road construction was financed from taxes and was a government responsibility, but that now competes with the need to construct schools, hospitals and housing and each section of new highway constructed is sold off to a financier who retrieves a profit from the toll extracted from users.

The alternative to using these toll roads is the choked city street system which would adds hours to the daily commute.  It is not a question of whether we need a second harbour crossing.  This constant opening of new sections of toll roads  is adding to living expenses and we are fast driving out the lowly paid workers who are essential for keeping so much of this city running.  These road tolls are a privation that will make Sydney an unhealthy city.

That other harbour crossing was achieved by giant boring machines achieving a concrete lined tunnel far under the harboiur waters, but a new method calls for trenches to be dug in the harbour floor and tunnel sections lowered into them.   This will be done from barges and there will be a consequent disruption to harbour traffic while the work is in progress.

Excavating trenches for this crossing raises the question of how and where the highly contaminated sludge from the harbour bottom will be dispersed.   At this stage it is suggested that some will go to inland landfills and the majority will be put on barges, taken far out to sea and dumped in very deep water.  It is doubtful if this disposal method accords with our obligations under United Nations rules for care of the world's oceans.

It is also evident that our plans to improve the road system sre based entirely on our past history.  We seem to be on the cusp of the electric car replacing the internal combustion engine, and cars  not needing a human driver.   At the same time, this coronavirus has wrecked our economy and what emerges when it is finally quelled is likely to be very different from the past.

Perhaps a good reason to put that crossing on hold until we see what pattern starts to emerge.  There would be little point in a toll road system that far exceeds the financial ability of the average driver to use it, and that is a something that potential investors need to keep in mind  !