Opposition to NEL at Council Forum
The full-house audience was decidedly worried about the effect of the proposed additions to the Eastern Freeway in Whitehorse as a result of the proposed North East Link (NEL) and the adverse impact on live-ability and loss of parkland at a Whitehorse City Council Forum on Tuesday 11th September 2018. WATAG was represented on the panel of five speakers.
The WATAG presentation included these slides 
Koonung Wetlands – Before and After views
The WATAG presentation also spoke to the additional impact of NEL traffic on an already compromised future for Active Transport and traffic flows around the Box Hill area when the high-rise Metropolitan Activity Centre really takes off in the immediate future.
The following two links from the NEL show their spin on the project. Big dollars have been spent on artist’s impressions and top-of-the-line video representations and brochure production. It would be good to see equally high-end dollars allocated for Active Transport too. The aim should be for a top-of-the-range Active Transport outcome – at least as good as the convenience and safety outlook for cars and trucks.
http://nelprojectmap.u-c.com.au/NELprojectmap_v03/index.html
Whitehorse Active Transport Action Group Inc. 
Maybe the citizens, Councillors and Council Officers were asleep at the wheel if they only now realise that that planners years ago foresaw the need for the Eastern Freeway to be made wider and had Reserved most of the Zone in which that could happen.
It’s Reserved Zone has appeared on publicly available maps for yonks.
Maybe Council should have had the foresight to plan for this eventuality rather than reacting to it at the last minute.
Maybe we should thankful we had the opportunity to enjoy the green space of the Reserved Zone for so long.
Maybe it is good there were plans in place for widening the Eastern Freeway given it is already congested along its Whitehorse border and vehicles are already backing up to get on it and off it, to get to and from the Box Hill Big MAC.
The Box Hill Big MAC with its unrelenting, unplanned uncoordinated growth of high-rises, proposed ungrades to the shopping centre and transport hub surely is the magnet that is drawing an ever increasing numbers of vehicles (cars and buses for residents and workers and trucks for supplying businesses) to and from the NEL.
Surely the real problem is not the NEL which is the solution for more easily and freely getting to and from the outskirt of the Big MAC, the real problem that needs a courageous, visionary, coordinated and planned solution is that of transporting people and goods from the Big MAC to the free flowing NEL passing on its outskirts.
Maybe building a multi million, multi level car park on the opposite side of the Big MAC to the NEL is an indicator of the Whitehorse Council’s ineptitude on thoughtful planning.
Maybe thought needs to be given to ‘park & rides’ on the NEL using electric autonomous shuttle trams/buses to and from the BIG MAC, Cycle Super Highways into and through the BIG MAC, one-way street systems, other crossings of the railway line, etc., etc., etc….
Maybe the Mayor should now organise community workshops with international urban planning experts from cities that have got it right, focused on the solutions for the congested, chaotic, unliveable future that we are likely to face in and around the Big MAC, largely of Council’s own creation thru lack of vision and courage.
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On April 4th 2018 The Leader reported:
“Councillor Prue Cutts slammed Option A at a recent council meeting as an “ill-conceived, poorly researched idea”, citing inadequate traffic modelling studies and pollution as key concerns.
“Let’s have no doubt that this widening of the Eastern Freeway is going to have catastrophic effects on the whole of the City of Whitehorse,” she said.
All councillors confirmed their opposition to Option A, and agreed they needed to inform the Whitehorse community about the potential outcomes of the proposed link.
Councillors indicated they would host a public forum in which Option A would be discussed with the Whitehorse community. The Council organised the Community Forum on 11th September.
C’mon Whitehorse….a FIVE MONTH delay between opposing something and taking agreed action is hardly reflective of community concern about this.
Refer: https://www.heraldsun.com.au/leader/east/north-east-link-route-a-slammed-by-whitehorse-council/news-story/57f7ca96bc3c11fa1bc47ac6ee25d6a7
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