Greenwashing is a feature of the Victorian government’s North East Link project.
When the Minister for Transport Infrastructure, Jacinta Allan announced a $69 million park and ride facility in Bulleen as part of the project, the minister declared it to be Victoria’s “first green roof park and ride.”
As it has taken shape, this is what it looks like now.
The concrete structure has taken over the genuine green open space to the west of Kampman Street at the intersection with Thompson’s Road in Bulleen.
This parkland provided an antidote of sorts for the steadily increasing visual and noise pollution from the Eastern Freeway. The North East Link would make this much worse, with a forecast 100,000 increase in daily vehicle numbers.
This very expensive facility is planned to cater for only 370 cars. In normal circumstances, there are about 20,000 bus connections each weekday for the suburbs for which the park and ride may cater. This is transport “planning” at its worst. The $69 million should have been spent on upgrading route bus services so that people could connect with these services in their own neighbourhood where they live, not on a massive concrete structure perched on the edge of the Eastern Freeway in Bulleen.
22 November 2022