Went to a rally today to protest against the building of East West Link - a massive 8 billion dollar project to tunnel under inner Melbourne linking the Eastern Freeway in Clifton Hill with citylink, the western ring road and the Port of Melbourne via Parkville.
The project will destroy homes, to be compulsorily acquired, and lay waste to one of Melbourne's most magical and intangible assets. Royal Park.
I even grabbed the mic and got up and spoke. See, my Grandfather fought to save Parkville, and my parents fought to stop this tunnel back in the 70's when they built the Eastern Freeway - then called the F19. Back then we were also promised a train to Doncaster up the middle. A train that still hasn't been built. More roads, more freeways is NOT the answer here. So, this isn't a new fight. It's been going on for over 30 years. Here's some of the history.
There's been a bunch of coverage... here's some of it:
- City Councillors Wade In
- Residents rally in Parkville to protest against East West Link
- Fears park to go for Melbourne link road
- Melbourne residents to fight road project
- Freeway plans show huge impact zone in Royal Park
- Angry residents pledge to take strong protest action over East West Link
- Victoria to press ahead with tollway project regardless of federal funding
- Residents and businesses seek legal advice over East West Link
- Government accused of withholding crucial East West Link information
- Residents living in the pathway of proposed eastwest link fear compulsory acquisitions - Scaremongering now
- Taxpayers shoulder huge risks of eastwest link - keeping the details secret though?
- Home Sweet Tunnel - says it's inevitable, says it's what people want.