WestConnex Action Group | Businesses

WestConnex Action Group

Add/Update information

Reviews

Tags

• Businesses
• Non-profit organisation

25.01.2022 Tolls going down a fraction is good news for Sydney drivers but don't think this has anything to do with generosity by greedy Transurban. Some tolls are linked to inflation which means when there is deflation, which has been very unusual in recent decades, tolls go down a little. But this is not true for WestConnex. These tolls are linked to Cost of living rises or are 4% annually, whichever is the greater. Westconnex - Screwing the public all the way. https://www.9news.com.au//66cafdef-c582-43f4-99dc-bd724975

24.01.2022 While the public, including millions of ordinary motorists, are confronted with a future of endless tolls that add to their cost of living, private consultants continue to make a motza out of planning, building and privatising WestConnex. Labor is questioning the $78 million that has been spent by NSW Treasury under Treasurer Dominic Perrottet on privatisation advisors. Why is so much outside expertise needed when the pubic is already paying huge salaries to in-house Treasury staff that is stacked with people with a privatisation agenda? The latest list include RCB ( Royal Bank of Canada) and Allens, one of the most powerful corporation law firms in Australia. Does anyone seriously think these advisors are not going to push the tollway gravy train. https://www.abc.net.au//sydney-news-millions-spen/13121974

24.01.2022 #WestCONnex have added another 200 homes in Leichhardt to the thousands already at risk of serious damage from the #M4M5Link tunneling, as hundreds of home owners who's homes have already been damaged by this and earlier WestCONnex stages are left fighting for compensation. https://www.facebook.com/watch/

23.01.2022 Today's SMH reports that the cracking building at Ashfield was identified as being at risk in 2016, but Minister Constance was very quick on Friday to dismiss any connection between Westconnex and the cracking at the Green Trees building. The Government's own compliance reports reveal that this building was identified as of high risk of ground movement back in 2016. Leichhardt Against Westconnex (LAW) spokesperson Jennifer Aaron and Anti-WestConnex campaigner Andrew Chuter assisted SMH in researching this article in today's SMH. https://www.smh.com.au//evacuated-sydney-building-named-as

22.01.2022 Local streets are being impacted by WestCONnex traffic rather than being returned to the local community, so a City of Sydney committee has recommended council approve road closures in and around Alexandria to prevent motorists rat-running through the area. https://www.smh.com.au//inner-sydney-roads-closed-to-stop-

20.01.2022 Yesterday, it was a toxic site being pushed onto the City of Sydney and the Inner West Council for parks. Today it is the potentially deadly exposure of workers to asbestos, silica and lead. Is there no end to the reckless disregard of Transurban Westconnex and Lendlease for community safety? It's good to see the CMFEU union is taking action. We feel for the workers many of whom are from interstate and overseas and are locked into long term promises of work at a very precarious time for many. https://www.miragenews.com/westconnex-workers-exposed-to-d/

19.01.2022 This is an important local story that should be widely read by everyone in NSW. It's not just the people with badly cracked houses and communities whose neighbourhoods were wrecked that are paying the who are paying the social cost of WestConnex. Since the M8 opened the traffic has become much worse in Bexley. This was predicted in the EIS which found that the traffic on the old M5 would be split between the old M5 tunnel which is now tolled, the New M8 and the LOCAL ROADS in...cluding in Bexley. It's just that COVID and high tolls have made toll avoidance even higher than expected. Only about 300 cars an hour one way are using the M8. Maybe even less. Even people who could save quite a bit of time by using the new tunnel are avoiding it because it is just too much money. Once again local communities pay the price. One option would be to reduce the tolls but of course, that's not possible because the Gladys Berejiklian government sold the tunnel with built-in regular toll rises. What a scam! https://www.theleader.com.au//toll-dodgers-making-bexley/ See more

18.01.2022 Thanks to #WestCONnex Sydney is the highest tolled city in the world, costing drivers in the West more than $6,000 a year, and these will rise at 4% per year. Unsurprisingly drivers are avoiding tolls by using local roads, exactly the opposite of what #WestCONnex was supposed to achieve.

17.01.2022 Don't take the heading on this story about Transurban in the pro business AFR too seriously. It is overly positive spin. But the story fromJenny Wiggens is informative but misses some points. WestConnex is certainly not a roaring success. There is no discussion of likely continuing toll avoidance in tough economic times and there is no mention at all in the story of WestConnex M8 which is often virtually empty. Traffic on Transurban's US tollroads has plummetted and Transurban is likely to have to sell a share at bottom price. https://www.afr.com//transurban-on-road-to-recovery-after-

16.01.2022 ICYMI some great news for residents and congratulations to local community campaigners who pushed for this Great work!

16.01.2022 The Government claimed that NorthConnex would take trucks off Pennant Hills Rd. What they DIDN'T tell us is they would use side streets instead! There is a truck-detecting camera south of Thompsons Corner to detect trucks continuing to use Pennant Hills Road now that Northconnex is open. But truck drivers have found bypass routes (eg via Castle Hill Road, Coonara Ave, Taylor Street and Aiken Road or Oratava Ave) so, like WestConnex toll roads are only a solution for those w...ith lots of money to give to Transurban! Since the opening of NorthConnex, the West Pennant Hills Valley Progress Association has had reports that heavy trucks, including B doubles, have been using local roads at night. By coming through the valley, they can save $24 toll on NorthConnex and avoid the detection camera on Pennant Hills Rd at Oratava Ave. A silver lining to tollways is that road transport is now paying at least some of the cost of the roads they use. This will help level up the playing field between motor vehicle and other forms of transport such as rail. However the government should get the silver, not TransUrban. Thanks to Bill Holiday and WPHVPA for this information. https://www.sydneytimes.net.au/toll-mania-strikes-again-as/

16.01.2022 This story will come as no surprise to Sydney motorists and residents using crowded roads in inner south and southwest Sydney. The M8 is virtually empty at many times while local roads are even more crowded. WAG campaigned long and hard against WestCONnex M5 ( now M8) and the tolls. Gladys Berejiklian Must Go, Mike Baird and @AndrewConstance didn't care. They were looking after their mates in a cynical and undemocratic exercise of political power. We now have the most tolled city in the world. It turns out that toll avoidance is worse than predicted. We hate to say we told you so but we always said the @AECOM traffic assessors were dodgy.https://www.smh.com.au//thousands-of-vehicles-flooding-syd

15.01.2022 WESTCONNEX PROPERTY DAMAGE WAG has been working with residents whose homes have been damaged by #WestCONnex construction since 2017. In 100% of the claims for damage we are aware of, the claim has been initially denied by the Contractor as not being caused by construction. We only know of a handful of claims that have been settled. We set up the Property Damage Register to ascertain the extent of damage claims and to lobby for timely and full compensation. To date more than 250 people have registered. Here's where their homes are located. Looks like the WestCONnex route to us. http://www.westconnexactiongroup.org.au/damage_register

14.01.2022 The saga of the #worldsworstpark continues. The first section was due to open in 2019 but, oops, there's been a landslide on their rubbish pile. Thanks to Anne Picot and Clr Pauline Lockie for keeping the focus on a continuing #westconnex fail.

12.01.2022 While many were focussed on the US election, NSW's slippery Treasurer Dominic Perrottet announced that the government would offload the rest of WestCONnex. This will give the government even less power over relieving the extraordinary toll burden on motorists and truck drivers in the future. We see that IFM is mentioned in this story as a potential buyer. IFM is a consortium of big industry superfunds. Tolls are a grubby business which most members of superfunds would rather avoid as a source of income. Tolls are designed to screw as much money out of the public as possible - but at a certain point, people can just decide to avoid expensive tolls so for this reason, it's also a risky business. https://www.smh.com.au//nsw-government-to-sell-remaining-w

11.01.2022 The saga of the #worldsworstpark continues. The first section was due to open in 2019 but, oops, there's been a landslide on their rubbish pile. Thanks to Anne Picot and Clr Pauline Lockie for keeping the focus on a continuing #westconnex fail.

08.01.2022 It's no surprise that Netta Lettieri continues to experience pain and post traumatic stress after a massive Transurban sign fell on her car in Melbourne. Now she's suing Transurban and CPB contractors which was responsible for the construction and installation of signage on the Tullamarine Freeway. CPB is also accused of repeated negligence, including failing to adequately design, construct and install the signage. CPB is a familiar name to those who have lived through the pr...oblems of building WestConnex. It built the New M5, the M4 and are now building the Rozelle Interchange. This is the same company that has refused to compensate scores of home owners whose property it has cracked - that's quite apart from the problems caused by uncontrolled emissions from construction sites. It's also the same company ( Leightons) whose executive was charged this week with bribery overseas not too long before the company was invited by the NSW LNP government to join it in planning the Westconnex tollway system without any tender. That's eight years ago and there are still years of construction to go. It will be interesting to see how many other lawsuits eventuate. https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au//woman-launches-court-act See more

08.01.2022 Important community meeting next Thursday, 29 October organised by Jamie Parker MP for residents impacted by #WestCONnex tunneling. Although the meeting will focus on Annandale, it will be very helpful for those in other parts of the WestCONnex route also impacted.

07.01.2022 WAG took a break over recent weeks. We hope that all of you also had a great break and wish everyone a Happy New Year in these tough COVID times. Unless you are using tollroads, which many prefer not to do, you might've missed the annual rise in tolls on WestConnex - 4% increase on the M8 and M5. This is so unfair on those who are already ripped off in Sydney, the toll capital of the world. Many have little choice but to use the private roads. Some pass on the costs to their ...customers - the rest of us. Even worse, there's news that tolls will likely continue and an additional one be imposed on the Harbour Bridge. We're sharing this page from our friends at Stop the Tunnels page. They've spent their Summer writing responses to the Beaches Link EIS. We know this experience well as this is the very same time of year that we spent preparing thousands of responses to the WestConnex M8. The only difference is that they have been given a little more time. Nothing symbolises the lack of democracy in this state more than the sham EIS process. See more

06.01.2022 ICYMI Looks and sounds like those behind #WestCONnex are going to do the right thing by residents and the community at #Rozelle but we know the community will need to be ready to hold them to account. We will. Shouldn’t have to be like this?

05.01.2022 The NSW government has proved many times that it won't listen to residents or independent transport experts but let's hope it will listen to the Grattan Institute on the approval of more big road projects."We know that these big road projects for instance were based upon big increases in population, but that's not going to happen...All of these big projects should be halted, with their business cases reviewed to make sure they stack up." Anyone who has been observing the low ...levels of traffic around the new M8 could tell you that there should be a halt to any more destructive projects such as the Western Habour Tunnel or the Sydney Gateway. These projects should be halted now and the jobs redirected to projects that fill community needs not impose outrageous costs on the community who either can't afford them or don't need them. https://www.theage.com.au//current-infrastructure-projects See more

05.01.2022 Don forget Jamie Parker MP is hosting an online community meeting tomorrow 29 October regarding the disruptions, damage and destruction WestConnex is causing.

04.01.2022 Those of you who have been following the Westconnex Transurban saga for the last few years, will remember that the M4 East was meant to be all about fixing the traffic on Parramatta Road. In fact, that was one of the key reasons for destroying scores of beautiful homes and a perfectly good apartment block. But 7 years later and while the tunnel is used by some, many can't afford or don't want to pay exorbitant tolls into the coffers of a completely unaccountable company. This is a brilliant column by @emfarrelly https://www.facebook.com/emfarrelly https://www.smh.com.au//poor-old-parramatta-road-our-could

04.01.2022 Transurban loves to spin its business but the reality is that this year has been a crisis for the company as well as the rest of us. Even with the addition of two new toll roads ( M5 and M8), its tollroad traffic was only up 1.5% in Sydney in the last quarter. This is no surprise to those who've been stuck in traffic on local roads that are busier because people can't afford tolls. In Melbourne and Brisbane traffic has substantially dropped. It's been even more catastrophic on Transurban's tolled US express lanes. So Transurban has a plan to sell off equity in their US interests. They are eyeing off superfunds. One would hope pension and super funds could find something much more socially useful in which to invest retirement savings. https://www.washingtonpost.com//tollroad-operator-transur/

03.01.2022 Promised "parkland" St Peters #WestConnex interchange contaminated and not fit for recreational use. Another article in the The Sydney Morning Herald about the world's worst park. So that’s just confirming what the community said all along #WorldsWorsePark!

03.01.2022 Can you imagine how many trucks have used local roads to carry soil including toxic waste during the construction of WestConnex and Northconnex. There are still years to go. This has not only affected the Inner West but the outer West, South West and North West of Sydney as well. The community has never been compensated for the damage done. Now we are seeing that due the high tolls, many trucks are sticking to the old non tolled routes rather than pay the outrageous tolls. This means more damage and pollution. Bacchus Marsh in Victoria is also trying to stop trucks and toxic waste going through their area. This video is very relevant to Sydney as well.

02.01.2022 The NSW government has consistently refused to take responsibility for the destructive impacts of WestConnex - we knew that it was nonsense when it blamed the cracking of an Ashfield apartment block over the M4 East on a minor issue with a pipe. Luckily, there is satellite imagery. Right now, Transurban 's Lendlease contractor is tunnelling 14 metres under homes in Crown Street St Peters for Stage 3. Homes are already cracking houses, in some cases badly. In one case a resident was trapped in his home. Thanks, John Bartholomew and Peter Boyle for speaking out. This is a good report from Channel Nine but the question remains : how do we hold this government accountable? How do we get some fairness into this process? Why was the tunnelling ever approved in the first place? https://www.9news.com.au//0fbbc704-6612-4127-861f-2deaa975