Open letter to residents of Moreland

Dear fellow residents of Moreland, comrades, compagni,

On Wednesday April 30, John Brumby introduced a plan to extend clearways on a whole series of roads, including Sydney Road and a number of other shopping strips. The clearway would extend from 6.30-10am and then from 3pm to 7pm, turning Sydney Road into an inhospitable and dangerous highway for 71/2 hours a day (instead of the current 41/2 hours). This would start on July 1.

We have written to The Age (see below). We could say a lot more, but you get the idea:

Dear Letters Editor,

I was astounded to read of the state government’s plan to extend clearways along a number of shopping streets (The Age, Wednesday 30 April), including the heart of my own community, Sydney Rd. As it is both the Brunswick and Coburg shopping strips die between 4pm and 6pm, when the deafening noise of fast traffic wipes out all other community life. It is already a dangerous period for pedestrians, cyclists and tram passengers when traffic speed increases and cars often fail to stop for descending tram passengers and pedestrians. Now the government wants to extend it so it will affect children coming home from school. This announcement comes one day after the report that greenhouse gas emissions are growing far more rapidly than even the most pessimistic estimates developed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (The Age, 29 April) and in the face of rising fuel prices.
A few Sundays ago, as part of Cyclovia, Sydney Rd was closed to cars from 8am to 2pm but open to bicycles, trams, pedestrians and kids’ scooters and its residents reclaimed the street. The most striking thing was the quiet– you could hear voices and the quiet hum of trams. You could stop safely to talk to friends and neighbours, to browse in a shop and to have a coffee or a meal. You and your kids could ride anxiety free. We had a glimpse of what a car-free future could be like. In Bogota, Columbia, Cyclovia is held weekly over 90km of its road network. Instead our government wants to turn our shopping streets into super highways for 7 1/2 hours a day. Let’s oppose this plan with everything we’ve got!

Yours,

etc

If you are also upset about this plan can we encourage you to contact Carlo Carli, John Brumby, the transport minister and write letters to the local and other papers (the council is opposed to this plan). If this fails we think we should take an example from the cabbies (what great direct action and unity) and blockade Sydney Road!

We know there are hundreds of things to be upset about, but this affects us all directly!

To help, here are some email addresses and addresses:

carlo.carli@parliament.vic.gov.au (our local member, who most of you probably know personally)

We think the Ministers and Premier only respond to letters. We've heard you get no reply to emails.
John Brumby
Office of the Premier
1 Treasury Place
Melbourne
Australia 3000

Hon. Tim Pallas, MP
Minister for Roads and Ports
Department of Transport
GPO Box 2797
Melbourne VIC 3001
Australia

or Ministerial Office
Level 16, 121 Exhibition Street
Melbourne VIC 3000
Ph: 9655 6210

or Electorate Office
36 Station Place
Werribee 3030
Ph: 9742 6888
Fax: 9742 6866
Fax: 9655 6651