NEW ROADS ARE ALWAYS POPULAR

The Government of Victoria proposed in the early 1990's to construct two major roadways bypassing the central area of Melbourne. The Southern Bypass would provide a link, partly in tunnel, between two existing freeways (the South-Eastern and the Westgate). The Western Bypass would link the Westgate Freeway (and hence the Southern Bypass) with the Tullamarine Freeway.

The three existing freeways were examples of freeways that go nowhere: at their "city end" they disgorged into the local street system.

These links were duly built as privately owned and operated tollways and known as Melbourne City Link. They opened to traffic progressively in 2000.

At the time when the need for these links was being debated, Balance Research made a submission to the Panel considering the Environment Effects Statement. The director of Balance Research also appeared at the Panel hearings. This was in 1994.

The Submission will someday be put "on line". The hearings were not recorded.

In its submission, Balance Research proposed that the links between existing freeways be constructed on a simpler basis, like major arterial roads rather than freeways.

The growing need for freight movements around the metro area should be met by provision of metro freight stations on existing suburban railways. The demand for cross-metro personal travel should be met by provision of substantial non-radial transit links, some of which should be railways. Some of those railways would make use of abandoned former "circle lines".

The proponent of the bypasses, Victorian Roads Corporation (VicRoads), stated in their papers that even if four billion dollars were to be spent on improving public transport, the proposed bypasses would still be warranted. Part of the submission by Balance Research attempted to show the deficiencies in that argument.

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