No light at the end of Beaches tunnel
Northern Beaches residents have been left wondering how traffic congestion will be eased now the State Government has confirmed the project has been cancelled.
Commuters were promised a reduction in commuter time on Military Road by up to 40 per cent, with are now left with the question of how the government is going to alleviate the traffic congestion on arterial roads such as Military Road and Warringah Road. The Beaches Link was supposed to reduce traffic on Spit Road by up to 33 per cent, with the heavily congested road one of only two leading to the Beaches.
Member for Pittwater, Rory Amon, expressed his dismay at what he said was the fifth time the link had been cancelled. Mr Amon claimed the Labor Government ‘only intends to invest in areas where votes can be won’.
“It is disappointing to see the Labor Government play politics with Northern Beaches infrastructure. They know punishing the Northern Beaches plays well with their base, so they have strategically chosen to announce the cancellation of the Beaches Link five times,” Mr Amon said.
In August, Roads Minister John Graham told Peninsula Living Pittwater there would be a roads review on the Northern Beaches. When Peninsula Living Pittwater asked the minister’s office and Transport for NSW for specifics in September, they could not provide any details about whether it had begun, or if there would be consultation.
A spokesperson for TfNSW said: “With the cancellation of the Beaches Link, TfNSW is carrying out an internal review of the state’s key road corridors, and ensuring this aligns with the government strategies to cater for forecasted growth within the Northern Beaches.”
Michael Regan, Member for Wakehurst said in a statement the government must urgently invest in solutions to the congestion on the Beaches.
“I’ll be pushing for future funding to upgrade the A8 corridor from Mona Vale to Seaforth – with a focus on the ‘Officeworks intersection’ in Dee Why,” Mr Regan said.
“That said, the government has confirmed it will begin the process of reviewing congestion and ways to address that on the Beaches. The A8 will be part of that review.”