The Kirby Reports: Volume IV - Report (Summary)

I THE PHILOSOPHY OF THIS REPORT

1. THE STANDARD ESTABLISHED BY THE S.P.C.C.

In October, 1974 the State Pollution Control
Commission published an environmental standard.
It suggested that environmental problems should
be approached in three stages:

First, what are the environmental
consequences of a particular option?

Secondly, if they are adverse, are
there sufficiently weighty compensating
factors of a social or economic nature?

Thirdly, have all practical measures
been taken to minimise the extent of
the environmental impact?

Logically, it seems to us better to approach the
problem in a somewhat different order. The environ-
mental issue only arises if there is a demonstrable
need created by factors ‘of a social or economic
nature’. Such an approach would suggest the
following questions:

1. What are the transport needs of
the area?

2. What are the means available to
satisfy those needs?

3. What social and environmental
consequences attend their
satisfaction?

4. Are the proposals capable of
modification so that the community
and the environment are spared,
even whilst the transport needs
are satisfied?

5. What, on balance, should be done?

---------(ii)-----------

2. THE PRACTICES FOLLOWED OVERSEAS

There are elements in the practices of the United
Kingdom and the United States worthy of emulation
in New South Wales.

Certain national treasures, whether natural or
man-made, quite simply must be preserved. This
generation dare not squander that heritage for the
sake of the next.

When answering the final question - What should be
done? the Inquiry will be guided by the following
principles:

First, is the environment (whether
natural or man-made) which is being
sacrificed to construct the road,
such a precious part of our national-
heritage that the option should be
excluded from further consideration?
In the nature of things few environ-
mental assets will meet this rigorous
standard.

Secondly, if the environmental
sacrifice is considerable (as it
will be in many cases), has it been
demonstrated that there is no prudent
or feasible alternative?

Thirdly, where there is no prudent
despite the best efforts of engineering
or feasible alternative, and where,
design, schemes will still have a
damaging effect upon the community
or upon the environment, do they
demonstrate 'high economic or other
benefits’?

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II WHEN IS A MAJOR ROAD NEEDED?

l. THE INTERACTION BETWEEN LAND-USE AND TRANSPORT

1.1 The Issues Before the Inquiry

The transport needs of the Area can only be assessed
after the following issues have been examined:

There are questions of philosophy:
When is traffic a problem? What
can be done about it? When is it
appropriate to solve the problem
by means of a major road?
There are questions of fact: What
are the present traffic conditions
in the Study Area?
There are questions of prediction:
What are the future traffic
conditions likely to be?

These matters in combination should disclose whether
there is a traffic problem which needs correction.

l.2 When is Traffic a Problem?

The question may seen odd. It may hardly seem
worth asking. We are all familiar with a traffic
jam. We have all experienced the irritation and
frustration of traffic at a stand-still or moving
at a snail’s pace. We all know, in a general way,
what is meant by a traffic problem.

Regrettably the matter is rather more complex.
There are certain traffic problems which must be
addressed in order to satisfy the needs of the
motorist. There are others which must be tackled
because traffic impinges unduly upon residential
areas or other areas where it is unwanted (such as
shopping centres). Curiously, there are traffic

----------(iv)----------

problems which are better ignored, either because
the solution is likely to be counter-productive
(in a way which we will explain shortly) or the
'cure' worse than the disease.

1.3 The Metropolitan Road System Will Continue to Function

It is not difficult to find passages within
transportation studies which suggest that unless
something is done, and done at once, the system
will cease to cope with the demands made upon it.

The very use of the word ‘cope’ suggests the
possibility of a complete breakdown in which it
will 'cease to cope’. In the public mind, the
idea of traffic becoming hopelessly entangled and
grinding to a halt, has a certain plausibility.
Having witnessed innumerable traffic jams, and being
conscious of increasing car numbers and car users,
surely the point will be reached where demand so
out-strips supply that the system will cease to
function?

The impression, plausible though it may seem, is
wrong. The system will continue to function if
the Department of Main Roads did nothing more than
maintain the existing road network without adding
one further kilometre to that network.

The point can be demonstrated in a number of ways.
The road network is under greatest strain during
the morning peak period. By nine o'clock, or
thereabouts, the peak subsides. Thereafter the
system accommodates the traffic with relative ease.
Professor Blunden makes the point in this way:

"In most cities some 20-30% of the
total land area is devoted (to)
road space and this is necessary
just to permit a feasible layout
of land-use activities and provide
for sub-division access. In fact

---------(v)-----------

it is this vast area of the ground
plan of a city devoted to roads
that has permitted the post-war
avalanche of motor cars to be
accommodated in cities, even though
there has been little addition to
the roads in most of them. "

There are two mechanisms involved:

one is the flexibility created
by the difference between the
peak and the off-peak so that
the peak simply extends where
the load is increased.

the other is the flexibility
of demand. Congestion drives
people away, and they adapt their
lives by doing something else.

l.4 The Aims of the Land-use/Transport Planning Process

The aims should include the following:

The system should aim at inducing
less travel rather than more (though
a balance must be struck between
accessibility and minimisation of
travel).
The system should aim at reducing
the length of the journey to work.
The system should aim at reducing
journey time.
The opportunities within a region
should be reasonably accessible to
the population of that region.
The system, in short, should aim at
reasonable self-sufficiency within
regions. People should have at
their disposal a reasonable range

---------(vi)-----------

of opportunities. They should
not feel impelled to make long
journeys either to seek a job or
satisfy their other needs (shopping,
recreation and so on).

Roads and public transport should
work in combination to handle the
transport task of the region,
rather than in competition.

These aims may appear so general as to be
platitudinous. They are not. A number of
illustrations will be given in the course of this
Report in which we will establish that one solution
is demonstrably better than another because it
adheres to these tenets.

A number of 'negatives' can be stated. In some
cases they are simply the converse of the principle
already enunciated. A road may be self-defeating
as a solution to a traffic problem if:

it encourages more travel rather
than less.
it tends to increase trip length.
it tends to encourage people to
desert public transport in favour
of their cars.
it encourages the expansion of the
urban fringe.
it encourages growth in a direction
in which it ought to be discouraged.

l.5 A Traffic Problem Need Not be Answered by a Transport
Solution

The manifestation of a transport problem is traffic.
Specifically it is congestion where too many vehicles
are trying to squeeze through too little road space.

----------(vii)----------

It is tempting to remedy manifestations of
inadequate road capacity by the provision of more
capacity.

However, two things can be demonstrated:

in certain cases land-use or
public transport solutions
may be preferable
in other cases a transport
solution to a transport
problem may be undesirable

A number of examples are given.

l.6 The Options Before this Inquiry

The options presented to this Inquiry are, however,
somewhat lop-sided. There is a heavy emphasis on
road solutions to perceived traffic problems. Land-
use (or public transport) alternatives have not
been first eliminated. The land-use implications
of building certain options do not appear to have
been fully explored.

1.7 The Influence of Transport Upon City Shape

In Miami (Florida, U.S,A. ) a transport study was
undertaken to plan the transport needs of the city
to the year 2000. The exercise was similar to that
undertaken by the Sydney Area Transportation Study.
An elaborate freeway system was suggested and a
railway for good measure. Unlike Sydney, the plan
was executed. The freeways were built. The railway
system was, for the time being, postponed.

What was the result? It is graphically described
by Mr. K.W. Dobinson (DMR) in the following passage:

"DOBINSON: You can beat demand if
you have got enough money. You can
beat demand at least initially. But
there is a bigger fear... that is that

----------(viii)----------

you change the pattern of life style
in your city. And this has happened
in some American cities and (its)
quite a concern to them. The one
that intrigued me the most was Miami
where they built their entire freeway
system which they worked out ten years
ago. They have built the whole thing
in ten years for the year 2000...But
the congestion on the roads in the
peak-periods to my surprise – and
here’s the freeways for the year 2000,
is just as bad as Sydney Harbour Bridge.
And so that is a classic example of
trying to answer your commuter demands.”

(emphasis added)

Mr. Dobinson then offered a plausible explanation.
He said:

"It isn't as if they didn't beat their
demand. They beat their demand well
and truly but people thought how nice
it would be to live in better parts
of Florida and so the city just spread
out and they created a much lower
level of development.. the same as Los
Angeles.. instead of keeping a fairly
compact city, they allowed it to just
sprawl. "
(emphasis added)

2. CONGESTION AND ACCESSIBILITY

2.1 Medical Nomenclature

Traffic engineering has adopted, in part, the

nomenclature of medicine. It speaks of 'arterial
roads' and of ‘congestion'. Both terms are
appropriate as a description of the phenomena.
Yet, the use of the word 'congestion' is, in a
sense, unfortunate. It reinforces in the public
mind (if not in the minds of traffic engineers)
that it is something pernicious and unnecessary,
signifying sickness; something to be eliminated.

We do not doubt that on occasions it does signify
sickness in the system and should be eliminated.
On other occasions it does not. It is best ignored
or left alone.

----------(ix)----------

2.2 The Attitude of the Department of Main Roads to
Congestion

The following appears in the transcript:

“COMMISSIONER: Does the Department
have a view as to the extent to which,
as a matter of philosophy, demand can
be legitimately suppressed, or does
it take the view that it should never
be suppressed?

DMR: The Department's view in this
respect is that it is the road authority
to provide for arterial roads; it is
not its business to tell people, if
you like by its actions, what they
should and should not do in respect
of travel. It endeavours to, or aims
to cater for the demand as it appears,
as it will be. "

As a pronouncement of policy by the Department of
Main Roads we rather doubt that this statement can
be taken literally. It seems to the Inquiry plainly
wrong in principle. It will be the Inquiry's
contention that there are three separate issues
which must be addressed:

First, where in the network is there
a discrepancy between likely demand
and road capacity, such that conges-
tion can be anticipated?
Secondly, where there is such a
discrepancy, it is desirable that
traffic should be encouraged in
that direction?
Thirdly, where it is desirable,
should the discrepancy be answered by,

a transport solution (i.e., the
provision of more road space or
the implementation of the various
other traffic management techniques):

a public transport solution;

a land-use solution.

----------(x)----------

We suggest that the statement by the Department of
Main Roads cannot be taken literally for a number
of reasons. Questions of policy, as opposed to
simple discrepancies between supply and demand,
necessarily intrude upon decisions made by the
Department to answer or refrain from answering a
call for more road space. The intrusion is through
a number of doors. First, the Department would
acknowledge, no doubt, that in certain situations
it is simply not possible to answer the demand.
No sooner is it answered, than the demand grows
which, once answered, will grow even more and so
it goes on. secondly, the Department would concede,
at least in certain areas, that traffic should be
discouraged rather than encouraged.

The Central Business District is perhaps the best
example' Attempts to facilitate motor vehicle
entry into the central Business District have all
but been abandoned. The Department, rightly in the
Inquiry's view, now concentrates upon by-passes.
Thirdly, and most importantly, the Department must
be selective in the calls which it answers because
of the severe restraint imposed by a shrinking
budget.

2.2 The Expansion of Traffic to Fill the Available Road
Space

The principle is expressed by Stephen Plowden in
the following way:

"..providing more road space itself
generates more traffic..Very broadly
speaking, the amount of traffic is
governed by what is regarded as a
tolerable level of congestion.”

It should not be inferred from this analysis that
high quality facilities (even freeway facilities)
are never appropriate. They may be. It does seem
that certain centres are so attractive in terms of
the job opportunities they offer (principally the

----------(xi)----------

Central Business District and the Central Industrial
Area) that it would be futile to pursue a policy of
eliminating congestion. Demand, in the nature of
things, will always outstrip supply.

2.3 Congestion Must be Accepted in Certain Areas

So where does that leave us? Does it suggest that
we should give up, and build no further roads? It
most certainly does not. It is a reason, however,
for abandoning free-flowing traffic as an ideal in
all areas. In some, it is neither achievable nor
desirable. The principle that traffic tends to
expand to fill available road space is, rather,
simply an illustration of the land-use/transportation
interaction. It suggests that road building should
be directed rather to the following (amongst other)
situations:

It should seek to satisfy demand
(and eliminate congestion) where
the direction of that demand is
compatible with the way in which
the land-user/transportation planning
process suggests the city should grow.
It should eliminate congestion where
it can be traced to imperfections or
irregularities in the system such as
the many discontinuities in the
existing road network (where suddenly
a four-lane road narrows to three lanes
or two, or takes a sharp bend (perhaps
utilising some small connecting road)
before continuing). In many cases
intersections are unduly constricted,
inhibiting the utilisation of capacity
on the remainder of the road. Such
measures are directed more at the
smooth flow of traffic, than increasing
capacity as such.

----------(xii)----------

It should seek to eliminate congestion,
brought about by the mixing of local
and through traffic, by the creation
of by-passes.

It is inappropriate to declare war upon congestion
and seek its elimination wherever it occurs. Its
elimination must be far more selective, and the
selection process based upon the interaction between
planning and transport objectives.

2.4 The Concept of Accessibility

Accessibility is a commonplace English term.
Something is accessible if it can be easily reached.
Something is inaccessible if it cannot. A rather
more precise definition is furnished by the State
Transport Study Group:

"The term 'accessibility' (is the)
ability to move between places
and thus overcome the intervening
friction of space, time and,/or costs...”

2.5 Accessibility for Trucks

Trucks pose a special problem for land-use transpor-
tation planners. They make an impact upon the public
mind and upon the environment far greater than the
impact made by cars. It is desirable that they
should have an adequate road network, providing
connections between major traffic generators,
including large industrial areas.

What, then, is the problem? The problem is that no
sooner is a road provided to serve trucks than it
becomes cluttered with cars: that in providing
adequate truck connections between one region and
another, one automatically compromises the policy
of self-containment, encouraging cross-regional
commuting.

----------(xiii)----------

2.6 Ordering of priorities

Assuming that land-use and public transport
alternatives have first been eliminated, and that a
transport solution to a traffic problem is thought
appropriate, there are other questions which must
then be addressed:

Is the need so pressing (compared to
other perceived needs throughout the
Metropolitan Area) that scarce money
should be devoted to finding a
‘solution’.
Assuming there is a need, and assuming
it is pressing, is the preferred
solution disproportionate in cost
to the problem which it addresses?
If the problem is essentially local,
and the cost of solving it is high,
does it throw out of kilter the even
spread of scarce funds throughout
the entire Metropolitan Area?
Are there other ways which are less
costly (and perhaps more equitable)
of solving the problem?

A range of alternatives is not before this Inquiry.
It ought to have been. The only solutions suggested
are in the nature of major surgery. A band-aid may
be inappropriate. But something in-between may do
the job.

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III PRESENT TRAFFIC CONDITIONS

l. ASSESSMENT OF TRAFFIC CONDITIONS

The Inquiry drew upon the following sources in its
assessment of present traffic conditions:

Its own observations, having driven
extensively throughout the area.
The observations of others, and
especially traffic engineers.
Submissions to the Inquiry.
The computer traffic modelling
technique, known as the 'four-step
model’, which reproduces (with the aid
of a computer) the flow of traffic
throughout the network, identifying
where people wish to go, and where
congestion is likely to be experienced.

2. THE INQUIRY’S CONCLUSION

The following emerges from this material:

The URTAC Report of 1976 did not
identify the Study Area as being
the most severely congested. It
thought that there were 'pockets’
of congestion in the southern and
inner western suburbs.
The NRMA travel time and travel speed
surveys compare the southern metropo-
litan routes favourably (by a slight
margin) with other routes in Sydney.
The NRMA would suggest that the other
routes are hardly a reliable guide.
They are themselves inadequate. In
terms of priorities, nonetheless, the
comparison is instructive.

---------(xvi)-----------

Of especial interest are the surveys
made in 1978 in connection with the
Transport Systems Management Study. The
area of concern to this Inquiry is not
demonstrably worse than many other areas
of Sydney. Indeed, with some important
exceptions, it is demonstrably better.
We do not underestimate the important
exceptions where traffic is a very real
problem. Forest Road is over-worked,
having regard to its width and character.
Bexley shopping centre on Forest Road is
hardly enticing. Noise, especially from
heavy vehicles, can reach intolerable
levels. The junction of Princes Highway,
Forest Road and Wickham Street, Arncliffe
is constantly under strain. Queues are
commonplace in the peak. Canterbury Road
is heavily trafficked, especially by
trucks. Severe congestion was evident
from our inspections (including one from
a helicopter) in the vicinity of Bankstown,
extending from Chapel Road to Stacey Street.

The important point, however, is that congestion is
not 'widespread' (contrary to the suggestion made in
the Joint Study Report). Rather it is confined to
specific locations where traffic banks up or intrudes
unduly upon the area during the peak hours.

When assessing each option it will be important to
examine (inter alia) whether the option addresses the
'sore spots'. It is all very well to subtract traffic
here there and everywhere. The reduction in traffic
may be welcome where it occurs, but it is rather
inefficient if there is already spare capacity in
the link from which it is withdrawn. Rather, it is
important that the option should address those links
and those intersections already over-worked. It
should reduce their load so that they each function
more efficiently and the system, overall, is made
rather better.

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IV FUTURE TRAFFIC CONDITIONS

I. THE INQUIRY's CONCLUSION

The following emerges from our examination of
the evidence:

The computer modelling technique
(the ‘four-step' model) suggests
that traffic will grow at between
8% and 32% in the period 1976 to
1991.
The modelling procedure does not
take account of SCAT (co-ordinated
signals). That omission may be
significant. SCAT may increase
the capacity of the road network
by as much as 10%. If it does,
traffic conditions will not be much
worse in 1991 than they are now,
except in those areas where very
high growth is predicted.
The South-West is one such area.
It is plain, however, from an
examination of traffic and population
figures, that the 32% prediction
for the South-Western Region is an
overestimate. Present indications
suggest traffic growth of ll% in the
l5 year period. It may transpire
that this figure is an underestimate.
We are convinced, nonetheless, that it
is closer to the mark than the predic-
tion of the traffic model.
The Western Region is also growing.
The rate of growth is less than the
South-Western Region. However, the

---------(xviii)-----------

base population is larger. In
absolute terms the growth in the
Western Region will exceed that of
the South-West. The growth predicted
now (in 1979) is lower than that
predicted in 1976 (when the traffic
model was constructed).

The growth of truck traffic is of
greater concern to this Inquiry than
the growth of commuter traffic. The
impact of trucks upon the environment
and upon the public consciousness is
more profound. The Department of
Main Roads (and others) suggest that
"truck traffic numbers are not expected
to increase greatly” within the Study
Area.

The corridors serviced by the major
options (The Cooks River and the
South-Western Options) were charac-
terised by one authority as catering
for 'smaller commercial traffic
volumes’.

The Airport cannot be viewed as a
major factor justifying the need for
any one of the Options. Airport
traffic is mainly car traffic. Most
of it does not come from the West or
South-West. The numbers predicted
are not likely to substantially
increase the strain during the peak
period. And in the off-peak the
system copes reasonably well with cars.

If a second airport were constructed,
the Options (or some of them) may
not be happily placed to serve the
traffic of that airport.

----------(xix)----------

We are not persuaded that the traffic
from Port Botany, either alone or in
combination with that of the Airport,
is sufficient to justify the major
options, provided the scheme promoted
by the Inquiry (termed the 'Western
Suburbs Scheme’) for the movement of
containers is accepted by the Govern-
ment. If the scheme is rejected, the
case for building one of the major
Options is strengthened.

The Central Industrial Area is under-
going change. The resident population
is stable or slowly declining. The
number of jobs appears to be declining.
Manufacturing industry is being
replaced by warehousing and freight-
forwarding. The better view seems to
be that car traffic will decline and
truck traffic may marginally increase.

It is clear from our analysis of present and future
traffic conditions that there are certain problems
within the Study Area. We will suspend our judge-
ment upon the threshold question of 'need' until
our examination of each option. In the course of
that examination we will assess the effect of each
proposal upon the problems which have been identified.

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V THE OPTIONS

1. THE NATURE OF THE OPTIONS PROPOSED

1.1 Introduction

The options were designed to cater for the following
needs:

the growth of commuter demand
i.e., persons journeying
between home and work

truck traffic, and specifically
container truck traffic from
Port Botany

l.2 The Need for a Range of Alternatives

A number of road inquiries have been conducted in
Melbourne. The options before such inquiries have
ranged from spot improvements to freeways. A range
of options is not, however, before the present
Inquiry. It ought to have been.

1.3 The Road Options

The following road options were proposed:

The Cooks River Option (along the
Cooks River Valley)
The South-Western Option (along the
Wolli Creek Valley)
The Bexley Road Option of which
there were two sub-options, namely:

The Bestic Street/Villiers Street,
Rockdale alternative

The Bay Street/Harrow Road,
Rockdale alternative

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VI PUBLIC TRANSPORT

1. A PUBLIC TRANSPORT ALTERNATTVE?

1.1 The General Nature of Submissions

Without question, the most frequent suggestion, made
by members of the public, was that greater emphasis
should be given to the capacity of public transport
to meet the transport requirements of the Study
Area. The failure of the Joint Study Report to
examine this issue left the public, (and the Inquiry)
uninformed as to the feasibility of a public transport
alternative. The public's suggestions were therefore
necessarily of a generalised nature.

1.2 Difficulties in the Concept of the Botany Goods Line

Had we taken the view that one of the options should
be built, and that because of commuter demand
(specifically to the Central Industrial Area), we
would then have been forced to confront the issue
whether the need we saw could be satisfied by a
public transport service along the Botany Goods
Line. We did not take that view. We have not
recommended the construction of a road. If there is
a need for a road, it is created by trucks and their
accessibility demands, and not the clamour of
commuters journeying to work. Therefore, a
passenger service by public transport does not
arise as an alternative.

We are in a position to make a positive recommendation
urging the use of rail for containers. We are not
in a position to make any worthwhile recommendation
concerning the extension of a passenger service along
the Botany Goods Line. One recommendation made by us
in respect of containers (that there should be dupli-
cation of the Botany Goods Line) is compatible with
the conversion of that line to a passenger service,
should it be thought desirable in the future.

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VII THE BEXLEY ROAD OPTION

1. THE NATURE OF THE OPTION

1.1 The Bexley Road Option Described

The Bexley Road option uses the existing road network
(Bexley Road) and tacks on a by-pass at either end.
The option can be broken down into three elements:

First, a by-pass proposal at the
Rockdale end. There were two
sub-options proposed:

The Bestic Street/Villiers
Street sub-option

The Bay Street/Harrow Road
sub-option

The traffic would then be channelled
into Bexley Road as it passes through
the Bardwell Valley and the Wolli Creek
Valley (Bexley North Shopping Centre)
until shortly before Canterbury Road.

The option would then deviate along
Viking Street, Campsie. Via a series of
back streets (which would be upgraded)
it would make its way to the Cooks River,
which it would then follow for a short
distance until Coronation parade,
Strathfield.

7.2 The Issues to be Considered

We will not mince words. We find the Bexley Option
quite unacceptable. It will achieve little in
transportation terms. What it does achieve is
undesirable, and the human cost is disproportionately
high. We seriously wonder whether the corridor
reservations should be retained. For reasons which
will emerge in the course of this exposition, we

----------(xxvi)----------

have drawn back from the brink of recommending
their release. We will nonetheless urge the
appropriate bodies to reconsider the utility of
retaining the corridor reservations.

To appreciate why we take this view it is
necessary to consider the following:

The nature of Bexley Road
The composition of traffic which
may be encouraged to use Bexley
Road if it were upgraded
The effect upon the rest of the
network of that upgrading
The social and environmental
costs.

2. TRANSPORTATION IMPLICATIONS OF THE BEXLEY ROAD OPTION

2.l The Nature of Bexley Road

Leaving aside, for the moment, the by-pass proposals,
and concentrating upon Bexley Road, it is manifestly
unsuitable as a major traffic artery. Its unsuita-
bility can be traced to three things. First, the
topography is more appropriate, in the words of one
witness, to a 'roller coaster’ than a major traffic
artery. It is a series of hills and vales. The
hills are quite steep and the valleys shallow.

Secondly, the alignment of the road itself is poor.
It is a four-lane road. The curves (and other
features) do not conform to NAASRA standards. The
DMR thought it doubtful whether the road would
provide "a reasonable level of safety for the
traffic conditions likely to prevail”.

Thirdly, the land use on either side of Bexley Road
is residential, with a heavy sprinkling of schools.
Many are infant and primary schools. The option
was opposed by the Department of Education.

---------(xxvii)-----------

2.2 The Increase in Traffic on Bexley Road

The traffic model predicted significant increases
(as much as 58%) on Bexley Road if this Option
were constructed.

The traffic passing through the Bexley North
Shopping Centre would increase as follows:

by 58% under the Bay Street/
Harrow Road alternative
by 78% under the Bestic Street/
Villiers Street alternative.

A proportion of this increase in traffic would be
trucks. Our description of Bexley Road makes it.
plain that it is unsuitable as a major traffic
artery for trucks. Trucks will inevitably use it.
It is part of the secondary road network. The issue
is whether they should be encouraged to use it by
upgrading Bexley Road, and by the addition of by-
passes improving the level of accessibility. It
is the Inquiry's clear view that they should not.

The Department of Main Roads takes the same view.

2.3 The Effect upon Congestion Throughout the Study Area

By any measure the Harrow Road/Bay street alternative
performs badly. It affects no significant reduction
in congestion elsewhere in the network. It does not
relieve that part of the network which is under
strain. It materially aggravates the plight of the
Bexley Shopping Centre (which suffers severe
disamenity), and even the Rockdale shopping centre
which it is designed to relieve.

The Bestic Street/Villiers Street sub-option has
the merit of withdrawing traffic from the Bexley
and Rockdale shopping centres. This small transport
advantage, however, is swamped by the social and
environmental disadvantages which attend that
option. They will be described below.

----------(xxviii)----------

2.4 The Land-Use Implications of the Bexley Option

The Bexley option does not clear the first hurdle.
It does not materially affect congestion region-
wide. It does not address the problem areas. In
some cases, it materially aggravates the problems
which exist. It does not materially improve
accessibility between the central Industrial Area,
the Airport and port area and the West or South-
West.

The land-use implications are minimal. Cross-
regional commuting may become marginally more
attractive.

3. THE ECONOMIC CRITERIA

3.1 Cost/Benefit Analysis

The technique of cost/benefit analysis has many
limitations. It is, for all that, the traditional
tool by which public investments are judged. It
was the measure by which the Department of Main
Roads suggested that the economic efficiency of
the various options should be gauged.

The cost of constructing each Option are understated.
The benefit/cost ratios, when adjusted, were as
follows:

Bexley Road Option (Harrow Road) 1.51
Bexley Road Option (Bestic Street) 1.54

Even these figures are over-stated for other reasons
which we explain in the course of the Report.

The benefit/cost figures in all cases are not
impressive. Professor M.E. Beesley (a consultant
to the Inquiry) drew attention to comparable figures
in South Australia. For urban arterial roads the
benefit/cost ratio for any project selected was at
least 2.

---------(xxix)-----------

3.2 The Concept of Equity

Equity means fairness. A road is equitable if it
fairly distributes costs and benefits throughout
the community so that one group is not called upon
to shoulder a disproportionate burden for the
benefit of another.

The Inquiry does not know who will benefit from
the road. It does not know the extent to which
costs and benefits coincide. The issue was not
adequately explored by the various Government
Authorities.

4. THE SOCIAL EFFECTS

4.l Displacement of People and Property

The following are the bare statistics:

Harrow Road sub-option:
49 dwellings displaced
Bestic Street sub-option:
9l dwellings displaced

The following statistics disclose the number of
partial acquisitions:

Harrow Road sub-option:
80 partial acquisitions
Bestic Street sub-option:
86 partial acquisitions

The number of properties partially acquired is high.
It is not far short of the far more substantial
project, the Cooks River Option (115 partial
acquisitions).

4.2 Properties Injuriously Affected

The Bexley Road Option injuriously affects (i.e.,
adversely affects without compensation) more
properties than either the Cooks River option or
the South-Western option. The comparison is as
follows:

----------(xxx)----------

Cooks River Option (Maximum Open
Space) 480 properties.
South-Western Option ll5 properties.
Bexley Road Option (via Harrow Road)
520 properties.
Bexley Road Option (via Bestic Street)
620 properties.

Certain community facilities and businesses would
also be affected.

4.3 The Effect on Accidents

We are inclined to think that the accident position
may be rather worse under the Bexley Road option
than if nothing were done. We take this view for
a number of reasons. First, Bexley Road itself
twists and turns in the way described. Secondly,
the schools which line the route are attended by
young children. Many will have to cross the road.
The greater the traffic stream, the greater the
risk.

Thirdly, the Bestic Street option would involve
the introduction of significant traffic (including
trucks) into an area which presently has a very
light traffic loading. There are ties between
people on either side of the road, including children.
They cannot be expected to cease simply because
the road is upgraded and traffic begins to push
its way through. They will continue. Accidents
(especially involving children) can be expected.

4.4 Severance

A road may operate as a barrier to movement. If
it does, the communities on either side will be
severed from each other. The severance may be
physical or it may be 'psychological'. It will be
physical when the barrier is impassable or where
it operates to inhibit trips. It will be psychol-
ogical where people feel cut off.

----------(xxxi)----------

The severance effects of the Bay Street/Harrow
Road option are not substantial.

The same cannot be said for the Bestic Street/
Villiers street sub-option. Both Bestic street
and Villiers Street are obscure local roads. They
presently carry a light traffic loading. They are
relatively narrow. The houses in many cases
(especially in Bestic Street) are insubstantial
and built quite close to the carriageway. The
area is residential. There are no large undeveloped
areas or areas with adjacent industrial development.
The severance induced by superimposing a major
arterial road upon that landscape is likely to be
severe. In the judgement of this Inquiry it should
not be countenanced.

Severance will be a severe consequence of construc-
ting the Campsie by-pass.

The Campsie by-pass will have unfortunate effects
upon the Harcourt public School in First Avenue,
Campsie.

5. ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES

5.l Noise Effects

5.l.l The Bestic Street/Villiers Street Sub-Option

A number of factors combine to render this sub-
option undesirable from the viewpoint of noise.
The hilly topography, the need for a substantial
bridge structure (creating artificial hills), the
residential nature of the land-use, the present
- low level of traffic (to be contrasted with the
level of traffic contemplated) and the disamenity
already suffered through aircraft noise, are
compelling reasons why some other option should be
preferred.

---------(xxxii)-----------

5.l.2 The Harrow Road Sub-option

The effect of noise is likely to be less severe,
partly because the option is adjacent to industrial
or vacant land for much of its length.

5.l.3 The Campsie By-Pass

Noise would be a severe consequence of constructing
the by-pass. The improvement effected in the Campsie
shopping centre (Beamish street, Campsie) is unlikely
to match the deterioration which would be experienced
by the residential area which lies on either side of
the by-pass proposal.

5.2 Air pollution

Where a local street, which does not carry a
substantial traffic volume, is converted into a
major artery the change will be dramatic. People
ordinarily can discern a difference in air quality
between a major traffic artery and a back street.
Pollution, therefore, is a further reason for the
rejection by this Inquiry of the Bestic Street/
Villiers Street sub-option.

The Campsie by-pass will, as we have said, reduce
traffic in Beamish Street, Campsie. A substantial
traffic volume will nonetheless use that road. we
venture to suggest that even the most delicate nose
would find it difficult to discern a difference
between the air quality in Beamish Street, Campsie
after the by-pass had been built (and the traffic
reduced) than before.

5.3 Open Space Consequences

Every scrap of greenery in an urban area is important.
The loss of open space caused by the Bexley Road
Option is not, however, a matter of great moment,
compared to other matters.

---------(xxxiii)-----------

5.4 The Visual Effects

The visual effects of the Bexley Road Option are
slight compared to the cooks River option and the
South-Western Options. They are confined,
substantially, to the houses which line the route.
It is the contrast between several hundred houses
whose views will be affected by the presence of a
road, and several thousand in the case of the other
Options.

6. OPPOSITION TO THE BEXLEY ROAD OPTION

6.l Local Councils

The following local councils expressed their
opposition to the Bexley Road option (and specifi-
cally the Bestic street/Villiers street sub-option)

The Rockdale Council
The Canterbury Council
The Kogarah Council
The Hurstville Council

6.2 Submissions Concerning Bestic Street/Villiers Street

The Bestic street alternative to the Bexley Road
option aroused enormous opposition. Public meetings
were held. They were attended by a substantial
number of people. A deluge of submissions was
received by the Inquiry. The view was unanimous.
The Bestic Street/Villiers street alternative was
insupportable.

7. THE RETENTION OF CORRIDORS

We have made it clear that we do not favour the
Bexley Road option. we have given our reasons.
Those reasons are inevitably a commentary upon
the by-pass proposals.

----------(xxxiv)----------

The Bestic Street alternative is unacceptable for
environmental and social reasons. It was not
selected, however, to make life more difficult
or the Inquiry more exciting. It was selected
because the Bay Street/Harrow Road alternative was
thought inadequate. It was inadequate in a number
of respects. First, because it was circuitous,
traffic tended to desert the route (according to
the transport model) in the vicinity of the Princes
Highway. As a by-pass, therefore, it could not
deliver the goods.

Secondly, it would adversely affect the amenity
of the Brighton Shopping Centre.

Thirdly, traffic using the Harrow Road sub-option
would be channelled into the Bexley Shopping Centre.
That shopping centre is already under siege.

The Bestic Street sub-option avoided all these
problems. It created other problems which in
some ways were even worse.

We may not be in the best position to make a judge-
ment of the corridor issue. We are not familiar
with the road hierarchy planned by Council. We
do not know the extent to which the criticism we
have made of the Harrow Road/Bay Street proposal
can be answered. These matters were not debated.
Before a decision is made they should be debated
by the Council and by the planning and Environment
commission. We urge the matter be reconsidered in
the light of this exposition. The human cost of
needlessly retaining a corridor should not be
underestimated.

7.2 The Campsie By-Pass Corridor

The desirability of retaining the Campsie by-pass
proposal may also be questioned. First, the
Campsie Shoppinq Centre did not strike us as

----------(xxxv)----------

being afflicted by disamenity to the same extent as
many other shopping centres (and especially Bexley).

Secondly, the traffic in Beamish Street, Campsie
has been stable for some time, although curiously
the most recent count (1979) revealed a sharp
increase. Thirdly, the effects of the by-pass
upon the adjacent residential area in Campsie (and
upon the Harcourt public School) would be severe.

The Canterbury Council opposed the major road
options. It advocated the release of both the
Cooks River and the South-Western corridors. It
has assiduously developed a road hierarchy. The
hierarchy is built around a precinct plan designed
to improve local amenity. The council maintained
that such a plan is better able to achieve its
traffic and planning objectives than the provision
of a major road.

We do not know the extent to which the by-pass
proposal is important in the overall hierarchy.
We have taken the view, in the circumstances, that
we should do no more in this Report than urge a
reconsideration of the matter in the light of our
findings.

--------------------

VIII THE SOUTH-WESTERN OPTION

1. THE NATURE OF THE OPTION

1.1 Work to the East or West of King Georges Road?

It is not possible to speak of the South-Western
Option. Analysis has been made the more complicated
by there being a variety of options designed to
service the south-western corridor. Broadly the
options involve:

Work to the east of King Georges
Road (between Beverly Hills and
Tempe, and within the Study Area)
Work to the west of King Georges
Road (between Beverly Hills and
Campbelltown, within the Terms
of Reference, but not the subject
of an intensive public participation
programme).

We comment briefly upon alternatives to the west of
King Georges Road. That work included a low cost
alternative involving a bridge across the Georges
River at Picnic Point (referred to as the 'Picnic
Point Connection’).

Our main focus is upon those options which were
the subject of the public participation programme.
They were to the east of King Georges Road.

1.2 Work to the East of King Georges Road

1.2.1 The First of Two Carriageways

The Joint Study Report describes the option in these
terms:

"..This option has been designed as a
first-stage one-carriageway develop-
ment of an ultimate two-carriageway
freeway...This option has therefore

---------(xxxviii)-----------

been constrained (in location and
in geometry) to be part of the
planned South-Western Freeway which
is planned ultimately to consist
of two divided carriageways."

It was suggested that one carriageway should be
built now, and used for two-way traffic, which
would be separated by means of a centre line.

The Department of Main Roads thought it inappro-
priate to save costs by omitting a median strip
from a road designed as a freeway. It proposed
a median. The cost of the option (1978/79 dollars)
was given as:

$52.1 million for the freeway
without a median
$56.6 million for the freeway
with a median.

1.2.2 A Revised Alignment Suggested by this Inquiry

To acquaint itself with each proposal the Inquiry
traversed each route by foot. An officer from the
Department of Main Roads, familiar with the precise
alignment, accompanied each inspection. Only in
this way were we able to know exactly what was
proposed. The walks were invaluable. Indeed it is
difficult to imagine how the task could adequately
be performed without them.

It became obvious from the walk that the alignment
chosen by the Department of Main Roads (or the Joint
Study team) was not the only alternative. The road
had been placed on one side of the valley. There
was the other side. Could the road be more advan-
tageously placed alongside the railway line? Was
it possible, for instance, to develop the other
carriageway in preference to the one selected?

----------(xxxix)----------

The Inquiry suggested that an alignment as close

as possible to the railway should be tested for its

feasibility and desirability. Revised drawings

were prepared.

1.2.3 Advantages of the Revised Alignment

The Planning and Environment Commission described

the revised alignment as being “only marginally

better than the original design". We disagree.

The advantages of the revised alignment are

considerable:

The revised alignment would be more
than $6 million cheaper. The cost
comparison is as follows:

Original alignment $56.6 million

Revised alignment $50.2 million

The comparison between the number of
houses resumed is as follows:

original alignment 159 houses
affected

revised alignment 113 houses
affected

the number of houses partially
resumed remains almost the same
(the revised alignment reducing
the total by one, from 51 to 50)

Under the original alignment a cluster
of stone terraces in Jackson p1ace,
Earlwood would have been demolished.
These homes have been likened to ‘an
English village' in various local
histories. Under the revised alignment
they would be spared.

The important and dramatic sandstone
cliffs in the Undercliffe area (which
give the suburb its name) would be
demolished by the original alignment.
Other important features of the Wolli
Creek would be lost. The cliffs and
many of these features would be spared

----------(xl)----------

by the altered alignment. The
devastation to the valley would
still be considerable.

In terms of open space resumed, the
comparison is:

original alignment36 hectares
(89 acres)

revised alignment 26.4 hectares

Girrahween Park, Earlwood is an
important local recreational area of
significant beauty and charm. The
original alignment would seriously
intrude upon that Park. It would
take all the flat ground. Under the
revised alignment substantially it
would be spared.

The original alignment between Bexley
North and Beverly Hills placed the
road close to the houses which line
the valley. That was unfortunate.
They would be inevitably exposed to
noise and pollution. Since the road
would be fenced, they would be
separated from the parkland in the
remainder of the valley. The parkland
would cease to be accessible to any
residential area since, the other side
of the valley, there is a railway line
which prevents access by residents on
the eastern side. The revised align-
ment moves the road to the other side
of the valley. It runs adjacent to an
industrial area. The area is not as
sensitive to noise or pollution. The
park would remain accessible.

1.2.4 Why Was the Original Alignment Chosen?

Given the clear advantages (financially and environ-
mentally) of the revised alignment, why was the
original alignment chosen? The answer we found

----------(xli)----------

startling. It emerges from the following passage,
taken from the transcript:

"From the point of view of ease of
constructing the second carriageway
in the future, it is easier now to
build the western carriageway because
it must be accepted that when we need
to build a second carriageway, and if
we have to construct through environ-
mentally significant features, that in
the future this is going to be harder
than at present."

Later the following was said:

". . It is possibly better to grasp the
nettle and build the carriageway which
has the most significant environmental
impact first, so that the job in the -
future is made easier, bearing in mind
that there appears to be (a) continuing
increase in reaction of people to large
public works programmes.”

The approach seemed to the Inquiry to be odd. The
second carriageway may never be needed. The following
exchange took place:

"COMMISSIONER: On the one hand you
have a second carriageway which may
or may not be needed in the future,
depending upon the growth of Sydney
and the demand, and factors of that
sort, right?

DMR: Yes.

COMMISSIONER: The second thing is
that you have two alternatives, one
which caters for present demand, and
which causes (less) disruption and
which costs less.

DMR: Yes.

COMMISSIONER: The other is an alter-
native which causes great disruption
to residents, in the sense that it
takes (more) dwellings, and great
disruption to the environment, in
the sense that it demolishes cliffs
and various parks.

DMR: (We) would say perhaps those
statements are rather extreme. The
number of additional dwellings are
not extremely significant...Secondly,...

----------(xlii)----------

the severance effects (are not
greatly different). Thirdly, the
environmental effects..there would
still be a remnant area north of
the freeway which would be used by
the public."

The matter was further explored in the same transcript.
If we may be forgiven self advertisement, the benefits
of an inquiry emerge from the following exchange:

"COMMISSIONER: I am just trying to
(understand) what seems to me (to be)
something of a paradox. It is one
thing if you know you are definitely
going to need something in the future.
I can well understand in that situation
why one may perhaps grasp the nettle
now; but in a situation where the future
is very much unknown, and whether you
will actually ever need the second
carriageway is unknown, it becomes a
little less easy to understand (why the
western carriageway was chosen). Where
the environmental impacts of the two
alternatives are different, the cost and
disruption, in terms of people being
displaced, is different, and the difference
is each case favours the route which was
not selected by the Department, that
prima facie seems to me to be odd.

DMR: Much of what you have just
described has only become known
subsequent to participation in the
Inquiry."

We do not favour the South-Western Freeway. If the
Government takes a contrary view, we would urge the
construction of the eastern carriageway rather than
its companion on the western side of the valley.

2. TRANSPORT AND PLANNING IMPLICATIONS

2.1 A Sequence of Questions

It is important that we repeat at every relevant
turn the questions which must be addressed. They
are:

First, where in the network is there
a discrepancy between likely demand
and road capacity, such as that
congestion can be anticipated?

----------(xliii)----------

Secondly, is it desirable that
congestion should be eliminated?
Will its elimination simply
encourage further traffic to travel
in a direction in which it ought to
be discouraged? Is there an access-
ibility problem (especially for
trucks) which requires correction?

Thirdly, where it is desirable that
congestion should be eliminated,
should the discrepancy between road
space and traffic demand be answered
by:

a transport solution (i.e., the
provision of more road space,
spot improvements, traffic
management techniques etc.)

a public transport solution

a land-use solution

2.2 The Effect Upon Network Congestion

We judged the Bexley Road option according to its
ability to deal with a number of problem areas.
Would it draw traffic away from them? Would it add
to their problems, by inducing traffic to travel
towards them? Was it geographically so remote that
it would have no effect one way or the other? The
same bench mark should be used for the south-western
Option.

The Joint Study Report identified 11 areas which
it termed 'critical locations’. The effect of the
South-Western Option upon these locations was as
follows:

for approximately half the locations
there was no effect one way or the
other

----------(xliv)----------

for certain locations the Option
would make conditions worse:

Wickham Street, Arncliffe

Unwins Bridge Road, Tempe

Certain areas would certainly benefit.
Whether that benefit is likely to prove
evanescent is another matter. We will
address that issue separately below
when we consider the land-use implica-
tions of this Option. The areas which
benefit include:

Forest Road, Bexley Road, Stoney
Creek Road (the Bexley Shopping
Centre )

Canterbury Road between King
Georges Road and the Cooks River.

The reduction of traffic in the Bexley Shopping
Centre is a significant advantage. That centre
has already been identified in this Report as
suffering substantial disamenity.

Yet surprisingly the benefits are slight, when
quantified by the traffic model. The model predicts
a 9% reduction in traffic (in the morning peak).
We rather doubt that the people of Bexley would
notice. The variations between traffic from one
day to the next, and from one month to the next,
exceed a margin of l0%.

A fortiori if the improvement is ephemeral, and
serves simply to attract traffic, which takes
advantage of the spare capacity offered by the
construction of a parallel route, the people of
Bexley may see their parks disappear with no
permanent traffic advantage in return. This is
an important matter. We will return to it.

---------(xlv)-----------

2.3 The Effect Upon Marrickville

URTAC was moved to recommend the Kyeemagh/Chullora
Route (termed the Cooks River Option in this Report)
because it offered significant relief to Marrickville
(amongst other suburbs). Whether it did relieve
Marrickville is another matter (and it will be
examined when we assess the Cooks River Option).
The intention, however, was clear. Marrickville
should not be further disadvantaged.

We have no doubt that the South-Western Option in
its present form (with the Carrington Road Spur)
would significantly disadvantage Marrickville. A
careful reading of the submission by the Department
of Main Roads does not suggest otherwise. The
Department said:

"The heavy loading on Carrington Road
indicates severe congestion in
Marrickville as those vehicles cross
the railway to join the Princes
Highway." (emphasis added)

The traffic assignment figures produced by the model
are interesting. A screenline was drawn (known as
C-C1) extending along the Cooks River from Canterbury
Road past the Carrington spur. It is instructive to
examine the traffic expected to cross the screenline
(in either direction) with and without the various
Options:

If nothing is done (the base case)
the increase in traffic between
1976 and 1991 would be:

7% in an easterly direction

17% in a westerly direction

If the South-Western Scheme is built
(the South-Western Option plus works
west of King Georges Road) the
traffic increases are:

27% increase in an easterly direction

56% increase in a westerly direction

----------(xlvi)----------

It is not surprising, in these circumstances, that
the Marrickville Council expressed itself
implacably opposed to both major Options and
specifically the Carrington Road spur (which is
a feature of both Options).

2.4 The Land-Use Implications of Constructing the
South-Western Option

2.4.l The Radial Nature of the Problem

The South-Western Option is essentially radial in
its orientation. The corridor extends from the
periphery of Sydney, in the South-West, towards
the very centre. Certainly it stops short of the
centre. But not far short.

The Option does not sit comfortably with the URTAC
principles announced in 1976 which favoured
circumferential routes.

2.4.2 It Would Accentuate the Attraction of the
City Centre

The Joint Study Report acknowledged that the route
"could consolidate the city centre’s attraction for
special services, relative to competing regional
centres, such as Hurstville and Bankstown”. Again,
it violates the URTAC philosophy which sought to
redirect growth away from the Central Business
District.

2.4.3 It Would Accentuate the Central Industrial
Area’s Attraction

The Central Industrial Area has more jobs than
people to fill them. People must journey each day
to that area to take up their employment. A traffic
burden for the suburbs in-between is created.

Industry is needed in the West and South-West.
The trend is towards its re-location in those
areas. That trend should not be disturbed.

----------(xlvii)----------

Putting a workforce at the disposal of industry
in the Central Industrial Area may be the very
thing which inhibits industry leaving that area.

2.4.4 It Would Encourage Longer Journeys

The traffic model demonstrated that the presence of
the south-western option induced people to travel
further. That has unfortunate consequences for the
communities exposed to the noise, pollution, and
other environmental degradation which accompanies
car travel. More energy would be consumed.

2.4.5 The Road Will Generate Further Traffic

The provision of greater capacity within the South-
Western corridor will, in our opinion, simply
encourage commuter traffic to travel in a direction
in which it ought to be discouraged. Very soon the
congestion eliminated by the route will reappear,
as traffic seeks to take advantage of the spare
capacity within the system. There will be more
traffic, more pollution, more noise and less parks,
and all for a short reprieve from congestion, which
will quickly reappear.

Accessibility by trucks is a rather more troublesome
problem. Trucks ought to have a reasonable road
network available. However, truck traffic numbers
are not expected to increase greatly. If the
Government were to adopt the scheme recommended by
the Inquiry for the transportation of containers,
there may even be a net reduction in the trucks
using the road network in the area.

2.4.6 The Option Would be in Competition with Rail

The Option is 'cheek by jowl’ with the East Hills
Railway line. Competition between the two is
inevitable. The competition is wasteful. It
should not be encouraged. Roads and public transport
should work in combination to handle the transport
task of the region, not in competition.

----------(xlviii)----------

2.4.7 Other Implications Adverse to the South-
Western Option

Two further principles have been established by
URTAC. They are:

The road maker, and the land-use
planner, should concentrate 'on
existing problems of immediate
rather than long-term benefit’.
Where a major project is contem-
plated, it should be judged
according to its ability to deliver
early benefits (by permitting one
stage to be opened before the
entire project has been completed).

According to either measure, the South-Western Option
performs badly. It is clear that the South-Western
Option is geared to the high growth anticipated in
the south-western corridor (32%). More recent
figures make it plain that the growth expectations
of the model will not be realised.

On the issue of staging, the Joint Study Report
says this:

"Limited opportunity to construct
independant and useable stages."

The community must understand, therefore, that the
problems which they perceived, and which they felt
may be solved by the South-Western Option, would
not begin to diminish until it is more or less
complete. It is not suggested that it can be
completed before 1991. In our assessment it is
likely to be completed well after that date,
because there are problems of a fundamental kind
(concerned with the eastern terminus of the route)
which have yet to be resolved. The community, on
any view, (even if this were the preferred option)

----------(il)----------

would have to suffer present traffic conditions for
at least ten years, and probably fifteen. That
bleak outlook may suggest that other alternatives
are preferable. The possibility of road widening,
and spot improvements, directly tackling ‘the sore
spots’ may yield early benefits.

3. THE ECONOMIC CRITERIA

3.1 Cost/Benefit Analysis

We have already drawn attention to the inaccuracy
of the cost estimates. Making the appropriate
adjustment, the benefit/cost ratios were as follows:

0.95 South-Western Option
1.16 Cooks River Option
1.51 Bexley Road Option (Harrow Road)
1.54 Bexley Road Option (Bestic Street)

On this reckoning the South-Western Option is not
economically viable. we are convinced, moreover,
that even these benefits are over-stated because
they depend in part upon growth in the South-West
which is unlikely to materialise.

A further economic analysis was carried out using
an altered triptable (triptable D). The South-
Western Option fared rather better. It was still,
on any view, a lack-lustre performance.

When an adjustment is made to the capital cost (by
adding 20%), the benefit/cost ratios fell to the
following level:

1.5 for the South-Western Freeway
1.2 for the Cooks River Option

Again (for reasons we develop in the course of the
Report) we are convinced these figures are over-stated.

----------(l)----------

3.2 Commentary Upon the Cost/Benefit Performance

The condemnation of the South-Western Freeway, in
cost/benefit terms, was all but universal:

Professor Beesley characterised
the option as a "highly doubtful
investment".

Mr. Peterson (an expert economist
with the State Transport Study
Group) said the figures were "not
very impressive at all".

Mr. Conroy (a transport planner
with the Planning and Environment
Commission) described the figures
as being "not impressive". Mr.
Conroy thought it unlikely that the
South-Western Option would qualify
for a road grant if the Commonwealth
were assessing the project.

3.3 A High Economic Return Required

We must jump ahead. We will shortly deal with the
environmental consequences of constructing the
South-Western Freeway (between King Georges Road
and Kyeemagh or Tempe). A community already
impoverished in open space will be called upon to
sacrifice considerable parkland. The parkland is
unique in character. It is, in part, irreplaceable.
That which remains will be degraded by the presence
of the road.

In these circumstances it is appropriate that we
once more draw attention to the test we formulated
when we began this Report. A scheme which signifi-
cantly affects the environment must yield "high
economic or other benefits".

By this stringent measure the performance of the
South-Western Option is simply not adequate.

----------(li)----------

4. THE SOCIAL CRITERIA

4.l Displacement of People and Property

The comparison between options was as follows:

158 dwellings demolished by the
South-Western Option (original
alignment )
113 homes demolished by the
South-Western Option (altered
alignment )
212 homes demolished by the
Cooks River Option (maximum
open space)
between 49 and 91 dwellings
displaced by the Bexley Road
Options.

The South-Western Option performed rather better
than the other Options in terms of the homes
displaced, the homes partially acquired, and the
number of homes 'injuriously affected'.

4.2 Accidents

The Department of Main Roads insisted that the
freeway would reduce the accident rate. URTAC
in its submission took the same view. It thought
the South-Western Option would be the safest of
all options.

We are inclined to agree. The differences between
one option and another are not so startling that
one could use accidents as argument in favour of
any one option over another.

The Carrington Road spur (into Marrickville), however,
is an invitation to accidents, because there is a
sudden and dramatic contrast between the standard
of its alignment and the standard of the freeway.

----------(lii)----------

4.3 Severance

The Inquiry accepts the broad proposition that the
Wolli Creek Valley, at least between Turrella and
Kingsgrove, already operates as a barrier between
communities. One would, therefore, expect severance
created by the road to be less.

The South-Western Option, in terms of severance, is
certainly better than the Bexley Road Option. It
is also better than the Cooks River Option. It can
be improved even further by adding the pedestrian
links which we have suggested.

5. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPLICATIONS

5.l The Noise Induced by the South-Western Freeway

It is convenient to separate the noise effects on
areas immediately adjacent to the route, and the
contribution which the South-Western Freeway is
likely to make to the objective of ‘reducing noise',
region-wide.

Because the South-Western Freeway is in a valley,
with open space on either side, it compares
favourably with the other Options in terms of the
noise it induces in the immediate area.

However, if the objective is the minimisation of
noise, region-wide, the South-Western Option is
probably the worst. This paradox is the consequence
of a high-quality facility which would significantly
improve journey times, and which would make car
travel more attractive. The completion of the
South-Western Freeway is likely to induce more
people to use their cars rather than public trans-
port. Its success will, to some extent, be at the
expense of the East Hills Railway Line. Secondly,
the phenomenon of a 'travel budget' tends to ensure
that people use the journey time they may save by a

----------(liii)----------

high quality facility to 'purchase more travel'.
Journeys tend to lengthen. There would be more
cars on the road and they would be travelling
further. Thirdly, the compulsion to own a car,
and to use it for the journey to work, would
become that much greater. In our judgement, the
South-Western Freeway, especially because of its
radial orientation, is likely to induce more travel
than less, more cars than less, and the nett effect
would be more noise.

5.2 Air Pollution

The same paradox is repeated. The south-western
Option compares favourably to the Cooks River
Option (and especially the Bexley Road Option) in
terms of the immediate area through which it passes.
It compares unfavourably to the other options when
the comparison is region-wide, and the measure is a
contribution which each makes to the stated objec-
tive of ‘improving air quality'.

5.3 Ecological Consequences

5.3.1 What is Ecology

Ecology is the study of the way in which organisms
relate to each other and to their environment. It
has become a fashionable word. If, by that fashion,
people are made more aware of the delicate balance
established in nature, and are made more aware of
the dependency of animals and birds upon the
continuance of that balance, then the fashion is
not to be sneered at; it is to be encouraged.

A road super imposed upon an area already re-fashioned
by man may have environmental consequences. It is
unlikely to have ecological consequences. We will
confine our focus here to the threatened disturbance
of an area of the Wolli Creek (between Turrella and
Bexley North) which is largely in its original state.

----------(liv)----------

5.3.2 The Nature of the Area Threatened

The Inquiry was most impressed by this section of the
Wolli Creek Valley. The sandstone cliffs, the rocky
outcrops, the bush trails are a precious heritage
that we dare not squander. We do not suggest the
area is without blemish. The presence of the road
corridor has left its mark. Much of the valley
needs care and money. The potential as a community
resource is, in the Inquiry’s judgement, vast.

The National Trust takes the same view. It could
not support any encroachment into this area.

5.3.3 How Valuable is the Area?

The eloquence of the many submissions to the Inquiry
make it plain beyond argument that the community
greatly values the Wolli Creek Valley. It is not a
carefully manicured park but an area where children
and adults can experience nature without being
confronted by the fingerprints of man.

5.3.4 What Would Happen to the Wolli Creek?

It is clear that the original alignment would
devastate the valley. The extensive cuts and fills
would transform the landscape. If there were a
very high economic return perhaps that loss could
be suffered. There is not. If the route would
effect dramatic and important transportation improve-
ments, again the loss may be seen as justifiable in
the eyes of some. The improvements are not dramatic,
and, worse, they are likely to be ephemeral. The
devastation therefore cannot be supported.

What of the altered alignment? It is vastly
superior although the effects are still grave.
The disadvantage of transferring the alignment to
the other side of the valley (near the railway line)
is that it would disturb the important marshlands
and wetlands.

-----------(lv)---------

The ecological and open space consequences of the
South-western Option are telling arguments against
its adoption.

5.4 Visual Intrusion

In describing the ecological effects we have suffi-
ciently drawn attention to the visual consequences
of the South-Western route, especially in the area
between Turrella and Bexley North. The Joint Study
Report, itself, concedes that visually the South-
Western Option is the worst of the three.

5.5 The Effects Upon Open Space

The statistics have been given already. They bear
repeating. The comparison between options, in terms
of open space consumed, is as follows:

36 ha. (89 acres) for the
South-Western Option
6.6 ha. (16 acres) for the
Cooks River Option (minimum
property affect)

It is not simply a question of quantity. The
quality must be judged, as well as the capacity
of the community to pay the price.

5.5 The Environmental Consequences of the South-Western
Option

We return to the principles which we outlined when
we began this Report. We have been charmed by the
Wolli Creek and especially that part between
Undercliffe and Bexley North. Much of it (and
especially the sandstone cliffs) must be counted a
precious part of our national heritage. In our
judgement, the consideration of any Option involving
the destruction of those cliffs should be excluded.

The fact that it is the last remnant of natural
vegetation in an area of intensive urbanization
makes it the more imperative that it should be
preserved.

----------(lvi)----------

We then come to the second principle. When
answering that question we have no hesitation in
saying that the environmental sacrifice will be
enormous. It has not been established that there
is no prudent or feasible alternative. It seems
to us that a series of rather more specific projects,
aimed at particular problems (such as the Bexley
Shopping Centre) may be far more effective.

The freeway does not meet the conditions imposed
by the final principle. It does not deliver 'high
economic or other benefits'. By any measure the
Option's performance is unimpressive

6. THE RETENTION OF THE SOUTH-WESTERN CORRIDOR

6.l The Wolli Creek Afflicted by Planning Blight

The price for the retention of the corridor should
not be underestimated. The area is already afflicted
by planning blight. It has been largely ignored and
neglected by Local Councils. They can hardly be
blamed for that. Their budgets are tight. Why, in
these circumstances, spend money upon improvements
which may be demolished tomorrow to make way for
the road?

6.2 The Effect of Releasing the Corridor

The question was debated in the public hearings.
It is clear that very little would be lost by
releasing the corridor, so long as it remained open
space.

6.3 What are the Options and What Should be Done?

There are three options:

The corridor may be preserved
as it is.

The width of the corridor may be
reduced to correspond with the
altered alignment on the eastern

----------(lvii)----------

side of the valley (near the
railway line). The residue may
then be returned to the public.

The corridor (to the east of King
Georges Road, and at least as far
as the princes Highway) may be
released.

On balance, we favour the third option.

--------------------

IX COOKS RIVER OPTION

1. THE NATURE OF THE OPTION

1.1 A Major Arterial Road

The County of Cumberland Plan 1951 established an
elaborate network of roads. The network included
the Kyeemagh-Chullora Road along the Cooks River
Valley.

The road was to be a freeway. In 1977 its cost
was estimated to be $88 million (including certain
ancillary works and the replacement of open space).
That was too expensive. The design was modified.
It was reduced to a ‘major arterial road'. Instead
of having an overpass at every major intersection,
the road would cross 'at grade' (at ground level).

l.2 Two Sub-Options Before the Inquiry

The following alternatives were put to the Inquiry:

an option termed the 'minimum
property effect’
an option referred to as the
'maximum open space’ option

The options differ from each other in the breadth of
the band of open space between the route and the river
In both options the band is fairly narrow. Under one
(the minimum property effect) there would be barely
room (at certain points) for a bicycle track, a
footpath and a patch of grass.

There is a difference in cost between the two sub-
options. It is:

$49.7 million - minimum property effect
$51.3 million - maximum open space

----------(lx)----------

1.3 The Problem of the Eastern Terminus

Where should the road end? Should it circumnavigate
the Airport to the north or to the south?

The proposal before the public suggested a southern
alignment. It followed the Cooks River, terminating
at the junction of Tancred Avenue and General Holmes
Drive, Kyeemagh.

The Department of Main Roads, for its part, evinced
little enthusiasm for that alignment. The Police
Department, the NRMA, and the Rockdale Council
likewise thought a northern alignment (terminating
somewhere in the Central Industrial Area, and giving
easy access to the Port) would be preferable.

The feasibility of a northern alignment was not
investigated. Its investigation would require a
prolonged study.

1.4 There is No Road to Recommend

Where does that leave the Inquiry? In a very real
sense the Inquiry is left without a road which it
could recommend (if it took the view that a road
were needed). The southern alignment would cause
problems in the Marrickville area which are quite
unacceptable. Its inadequacy has been demonstrated,
and it would fail to cater for the important road
tanker class of traffic.

The northern alignment may prove not to be feasible.
Somehow the carriageway must be transferred from
the southern bank of the Cooks River to the northern
side of the Airport. As an exercise in engineering
that may not be a simple matter. Two railway lines,
a major road (the Princes Highway) and a significant
tract of water (adjacent to the Cooks River bridge
at Tempe) must all be bridged. We have no idea
whether height restrictions would pose a problem. We

----------(lxi)----------

assume that they would not. Whatever the problems,
it is clear that the structure would be massive.
It may attract considerable opposition, environ-
mentally. It is likely to be most expensive.

The Inquiry is in a position where the southern
alignment is out of the question. Nothing positive
has been suggested in its place. The road at the
moment, leads nowhere.

2. TRANSPORT AND PLANNING IMPLICATIONS

2.1 The Case Made Out for the Cooks River Option

The case for the road rested principally upon two
propositions:

First, it would address existing
problems. Specifically it would
tackle the 'transport problems in
Marrickville and Ashfield and
adjacent suburbs'.

Secondly, it would fill a gap in
the arterial road network.

2.2 The Effect Upon Network Congestion

Applying the same test, the effect of the Cooks
River option upon the 'critical locations’ was as
follows:

the route would make no difference
one way or the other to six locations,
One of the six (Canterbury Road)
would be made worse for a small
section where it crosses the route.
in three locations it was suggested
that the route would improve
operating conditions:

Princes Highway, Tempe and
Canal Road

---------(lxii)-----------

Unwins Bridge Road, Tempe

Homer Street, Earlwood

two critical locations would be
made worse.

This is hardly an impressive performance. Even
these benefits are over-stated. We cannot believe
that Unwins Bridge Road, Tempe would be improved
by the Cooks River route. We are reinforced in
our view by the text (as opposed to the diagram)
which accompanies the Joint Study Report. Traffic
in one of the other locations said to benefit,
Homer Street/William street, Earlwood is predicted
to decrease anyway between 1976 and 1991.

The Cooks River Option begins in General Holmes
Drive (the site of moderate congestion). It ends
at the Hume Highway (the site of severe congestion).
It will hardly assist either of those areas. It
will aggravate the problems which arise through
the confluence of a number of significant roads in
Arncliffe (Forest Road, Princes Highway, Wickham
Street and Marsh Street). Wickham Street will
suffer, according to the traffic model, a significant
increase in traffic. It certainly will not assist
the Bexley Shopping Centre. It may even bring about
a deterioration. Since Canterbury Road is an access
road to the route, its burden may be made the
heavier.

2.3 Will it Assist Marrickville?

Although there are some benefits to Marrickville it
is plain that, overall, Marrickville is not assisted
by this option. We have drawn attention already to
the effect of the Carrington Road spur (into
Marrickville) and to the opposition of the
Marrickville Council.

---------(lxiii)-----------

2.4 The Attitudes of Other Local Councils

Of the three municipalities identified as benefi-
ciaries of the Cooks River route, towards those
problems it was primarily directed, two (the
Marrickville Council and the Canterbury Council)
vehemently opposed its construction. The remaining
Council (Ashfield) was not moved to make a
submission to the Inquiry.

2.5 Is There a Missing Link?

There are a number of references in the Joint Study
Report, and elsewhere, to there being a ‘missing
link’ in the cross-regional road network in the
Southern Metropolitan Area.

The argument is persuasive. There is a gap in the
arterial road network. That does not answer the
question whether the Cooks River route is desirable.
The city has functioned without the road. It will
continue to do so in the future. The issue is
whether the provision of such a link at this point
in time will yield striking benefits to compensate
for the considerable environmental and social
disruption occasioned by its construction.

2.6 The Land-Use Implications of the Cooks River Route

The Cooks River route conforms to the URTAC (now
TRANSAC) preference for the development of 'cross-
regional routes'. At the same time it violates
certain principles which a major road ought to serve:

It will induce more travel rather
than less
It will encourage people to journey
further when travelling to work
It will hinder a policy of regional
self-containment
It will encourage cross-regional
commuting

----------(lxiv)----------

It will strengthen the attraction
the Central Industrial Area.

The Planning and Environment Commission had this
to say in the course of its submission:

"..a shortage of skilled tradesmen
in the inner areas (in the Central
Industrial Area) is contributing
to decisions by some manufacturing
firms to move out of the inner area."

Is that not something to be encouraged? It is
likely to reduce the imbalance between resident
population and jobs in the Western and South-
Western regions. It is that imbalance which
creates a traffic burden, as people are forced to
leave their region in search of a job.

Skilled tradesmen are not enticed by jobs in the
Central Industrial Area because of the relative
difficulty in getting to them. Inaccessibility,
created by congestion or the absence of continuous
road links, contribute to a decision to work elsewhere.

So where does that leave us? There is a ‘missing
link’ in the road network. Accessibility in the
Cooks River corridor is poor. That has inhibited
commuters from travelling in that direction. That
inhibition has, accidentally, aided a policy of
regional self-containment. It ought not to be put
in jeopardy. The only claim for the corridor,
therefore, is in catering for the accessibility
needs of trucks. That is a significant argument.
The problem is that no sooner is a link provided
to service the needs of trucks, than it becomes
cluttered with cars.

It is timely to ask the question: can the problems
of the corridor be solved by some other means? Has
it been demonstrated that there is 'no prudent or
feasible alternative?’.

----------(lxv)----------

2.7 Can the Problem be Solved by Some Other Means?

We have formed the view that the following programme
is likely to yield benefits in the short-term (in
contrast to the road). The benefits will not be
accompanied by the environmental and social disrup-
tion occasioned by the major options. The measures,
moreover, will not jeopardise certain land-use trends
(promoting regional self-containment) which may
otherwise suffer. The measures we suggest are these:

containers where possible should be
transported by rail (Volume I)
a concerted effort should be made to
formulate a road hierarchy, so that
its implementation coincides with the
implementation of SCAT (co-ordinated
signals )
truck routes should be established as
part of the hierarchy
spot improvements ( in the nature of
intersection widenings, adding right-
hand turning bays, and road widenings)
should be undertaken
consideration should be given to
measures which can be implemented
to improve the amenity of shopping
centres (by the introduction of by-
passes, or by planning controls, or
by re-constructing the shopping
centre).

Quite apart from the environmental, social and
transport advantages of such a programme, it would
not throw out of kilter the equitable distribution
of road construction funds. It would not divert a
large sum to a major project with local rather than
regional benefits.

----------(lxvi)----------

3. THE ECONOMIC CRITERIA

3.1 Cost/Benefit Analysis

The figures have been given already. Making the
appropriate adjustments the benefit/cost ratios
were (employing triptable C):

1.16 Cooks River Option
0.95 South-Western Option

Employing triptable D the figures were:

1.2 for the Cooks River Option
1.5 for the South-Western Option

In the words of Professor Beesley the Cooks River
Option would be 'a highly doubtful investment’ in
cost/benefit terms.

3.2 Equity

We have said before that this issue was not
adequately addressed. We do not know the extent
to which local disadvantages could have been over-
come by a package of measures designed to ameliorate
adverse impacts, and compensate those likely to
suffer.

4. THE SOCIAL CRITERIA

4.1 Displacement of People and Property

We have remarked already that the Cooks River option
fared less well than the South-Western Option
according to this criteria. The short facts are:

212 homes demolished for the Cooks
River Option (maximum open space)
158 homes demolished for the South-
Western Option (original alignment)
113 dwellings demolished for the
South-Western Option (revised
alignment)

---------(lxvii)-----------

If the Cooks River Option were built, certain
changes in design would be appropriate. The
changes may reduce the number of homes demolished.

4.2 Accidents

The evidence concerning accidents was curious.
There was certain evidence (which emerged from the
cost/benefit analysis) which suggested that the
community would be worse off (in terms of accidents)
if any of the options were built than if nothing
were built at all.

We are inclined to the view that the differences
between options (and the base case) on this
criteria are not substantial. The choice should
be made on other grounds. There are certain
features of the Cooks River Option, nonetheless,
which cause disquiet. It cannot be counted a
boon to the cause of preventing road accidents.

4.3 Severance

The Cooks River is a municipal boundary. The
number of points at which it may be crossed is
limited. There is already a degree of severance
between one side of the river and the other.

The option, however, does not follow the river for
its entire length. The river twists and turns.
The option maintains a more or less direct path.
A number of communities would be severed in the
process.

The severance effects of the Cooks River Option
are worse than the South-Western Option, although
better than the Bexley Road Option. People are
isolated from their neighbours. Children are
isolated from parks.

---------(lxviii)-----------

5. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPLICATIONS

5.1 The Noise Induced by the Cooks River Option

We must again distinguish between the effects of
an option upon the immediate area, and its effect
in promoting the regional objective of ‘reducing
noise’.

The noise induced by the Cooks River Option in
the immediate area would be more severe than the
noise engendered by the South-Western Option. The
valley is flat. The homes would be closer to the
carriageway. The traffic would not be free flowing.
It would be stopping and starting.

In the broader context of regional noise, the option
is likely to be rather better, in our judgement,
than the South-Western Option. The Cooks River
Option is less likely to encourage traffic, encourage
long journeys, and encourage people to desert
public transport, than the South-Western Option.
Both options, however, will tend to generate more
car travel (and therefore more noise) than if
nothing were built at all.

5.2 Air Pollution

The same factors which operate to disadvantage
the Cooks River Valley in the case of noise, also
influence air pollution. The flatness of the valley,
the proximity of the homes to the carriageways and
the dramatic transformation which can be expected,
will all impose severe hardship upon the residents
who line the route.

5.3 Ecological Consequences

The major ecological impacts have already occurred
in the Cooks River Valley catchment. Further
ecological (as opposed to environmental) damage
is likely to be minimal.

----------(lxix)----------

5.4 Visual Intrusion

The Cooks River Valley is uneven in quality. In
some places (between Hume Highway and Coronation
Parade) it is fairly desolate. The trickle of
water in the bottom of a stormwater channel can
hardly be dignified by the word 'river'. The
area has been allowed to lie fallow because of
the road corridor.

In other areas the valley has enormous attraction.

We do not doubt that every effort would be made
to sensitively mould the road to the landscape.
However, we are left with the impression that
whatever steps are taken (and they certainly should
be taken) the road would visually overwhelm the
landscape. The tranquility would be lost. One
bank could never be much more than a strip of green,
and the road. A strip of grass adjacent to the road
only faintly resembles the parkland which this area
could become.

5.5 Loss of Open Space

In terms of open space the municipalities on either
side of the cooks River option are amongst the most
impoverished in Sydney. They can ill afford to lose
a blade of grass, let alone a valley with vast
potential.

The poverty of these suburbs is accentuated by the
fact that they are clustered around each other.
They cannot seek out plentiful open space in an
adjacent area. The poverty is shared.

5.6 The Environmental Consequences of the Cooks River Option

What should be done? We return to the principles
we outlined in the beginning of this Report, which
we also applied to the South-Western Option.

----------(lxx)----------

The environmental and social sacrifice occasioned
by the construction of the Cooks River option would
be enormous. Those who advocate the road must, in
these circumstances, be in a position to demonstrate
that there is no practical or feasible alternative.

We are not persuaded that there is no alternative.
Indeed, it seems to us that a series of smaller
projects directed at specific problems would be
far more efficient than one large project. We
repeat the important suggestion made by the Study
Group when it reviewed the very same option:

"If anything, the analysis of critical
intersections showed the need for a
large number of small, localised
improvements within, and immediately
surrounding the industrial area,
rather than a small number of large
new roads.”

The option fails the remaining test. It fails to
demonstrate 'high economic or other benefits'. It
was characterised as a 'highly doubtful investment'
by Professor Beesley and 'unimpressive’ by Mr.
Peterson of the Study Group.

That is not good enough. The sacrifice is far too
great. If the benefits were overwhelming, the
community may have to suffer the loss which would
attend the construction of this Option. In the
Inquiry's judgement the benefits are far from
overwhelming.

6. THE RETENTION OF THE COOKS RIVER CORRIDOR

6.1 The Cooks River Valley Afflicted by Planning Blight

There is a striking difference between one side of
the Cooks River Valley and the other. One side
(the side of the corridor) is afflicted by planning
blight. The other is not. One is landscaped with
trees. The other has a tree here and there, and even
some pleasant parks, but overall it is neglected.

----------(lxxi)----------

6.2 The Retention of the Corridor

Having come to the view that the Cooks River
Option does not adequately serve the transport
needs of the community (present and future), and
would occasion considerable environmental and
social disruption, it is with some reluctance
that we have to come to the view that the corridor
should be retained, at least for the time being.

--------------------

X RECOMMENDATIONS

l. THE OPTIONS

There were a number of major road options before
the Inquiry namely:

the Bexley Road Option
the South-Western Option
the Cooks River Option

RECOMMENDATION: The Inquiry recommends against
the adoption of any of these
Options.

2. ROADWORKS WITHIN THE STUDY AREA

The evidence identified a number of specific
problems created by traffic in the Study Area.
The Inquiry has come to the view that the options
are rather less efficient in dealing with those
problems than measures which are tailored to the
needs of the particular location.

RECOMMENDATION: We recommend that rather
                 than concentrate a huge sum
                 on a large project within
                 the Study Area, the following
                 strategy would be more likely
                 to yield more striking and
                 immediate benefits:

spot improvements at specific locations
identified as suffering congestion or
loss or amenity (including intersection
widening, adding right-hand turning
bays, road widening and reconstructing
shopping centres away from the main road).

----------(lxxiv)----------

a concerted effort should be made to
ensure that a road hierarchy can be
introduced at the same time as SCAT
(Co-ordinated signals) comes into
operation.

a network of truck routes should be
developed as part of that hierarchy,
after consultation with local councils
and trucking bodies.

3. THE BOTANY GOODS LINE

It was suggested that the Botany Goods Line should
be used for a passenger rail service.

RECOMMENDATION: The Inquiry is not in a
                 position to recommend the
                 use of the goods line as
                 a passenger service.

4. THE BESTIC STREET/VILLIERS STREET (ROCKDALE) CORRIDOR

One of the sub-options for the Bexley Road Option
involved the use of Bestic Street and Villiers
Street, Rockdale. No transport corridor presently
affects either street.

RECOMMENDATTON: The Inquiry recommends against
                 the use of either Bestic Street
                 or Villiers Street, Rockdale as
                 a transport corridor in any
                 planning instrument.

5. THE ROCKDALE BY-PASS CORRIDOR

Having recommended against the Bexley Road Option,
the Inquiry is obliged to consider the retention
of the Rockdale by-pass corridor.

--------- (lxxv)-----------

RECOMMENDATION: The Inquiry is not in a
                 position to recommend the
                 corridor’s removal. There
                 are strong arguments for its
                 deletion. The Inquiry urges
                 the Department of Environment
                 and Planning and the Rockdale
                 Council to reconsider the
                 matter in the light of the
                 findings made in this Report.

6. THE CAMPSIE BY-PASS CORRIDOR

Should the corridor be deleted in view of the
rejection of the Bexley Road Option?

RECOMMENDATION: The Inquiry is not in a
                 position to recommend the
                 deletion of the corridor.
                 It urges a reconsideration
                 of the matter in the light
                 of this Report.

7. THE SOUTH-WESTERN CORRIDOR

The corridor has been established along the Wolli
Creek Valley for the purposes of the South-Western
freeway.

RECOMMENDATION: The Inquiry recommends the
                 release of that section of
                 the corridor between the
                 Princes Highway, Tempe and
                 King Georges Road, Beverly
                 Hills. The recommendation
                 must be subject to the
                 proviso that the land is
                 returned to the public as
                 open space. On no account
                 either now or in the future)
                 should it be used for resid-
                 ential, commercial or indus-
                 trial development.

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8. THE RETENTION OF THE COOKS RIVER CORRIDOR

The enormous potential of the Cooks River Valley
has never been realised because of the corridor.

RECOMMENDATION:

1. The Inquiry recommends the retention
of the corridor for a period of four years.

2. It should then be released if the
scheme suggested by the Inquiry for
the transportation of containers is
adopted by the Government, and is
seen to work, and if the Airport
issue is resolved in such a way that
the case for the road is made no more
compelling.

3. In the meantime it is imperative that
work begin to develop the valley.
Money has already been made available
by the Government for that purpose.
Consideration should be given to
allotting further money, having regard
to the enormous potential of the Valley,
and the poverty of surrounding areas in
open space.

-------End of Summary to Volume IV -------

EVALUATION OF OPTIONS

VOLUME IV

February 1981

Volume 4 (pp 1-424 and Appendices) not currently reproduced.

Sunday 22 February 2015

Volume IV - Report (Summary)