Submission Cover Sheet North East Link Project EES IAC 808 Request to be heard?: yes Full Name: David Morrison Organisation: Blackburn Village Residents Group Affected property: Attachment 1: EES_Submission_f Attachment 2: NELP0049_DataR Attachment 3: Comments: See Attachments. Submission for Environmental Effects Statement for the North East Link Submission to Planning Panels Victoria. Blackburn Village Residents Group Inc. Prepared by David Morrison. When do we reassess our approach? The case for better Public Transport Options. Melbourne commuter vehicles have less than 1.2 passengers per car, about 75% of Melbournians drive to work. A Melbourne train (6 carriages) carries about 1300 seated passengers, more if those standing are counted. Feeder roads south of eastern freeway are already near or exceeding capacity. NEL business case has Springvale Road (800), Surry Road (1100) and Middleborough Road (1600) vehicles per lane per hour during the am peak. Capacity is reached between 800 and 900 vehicles per hour. Land requirements for duplicated train line is much less than a multi lane freeway to move the same number of people. 14 trains leave Belgrave for the City in the morning peak between 7.30 and 8.30am. 18200 seated passengers and many more if those standing are counted. About 17 lanes of arterial road are required to move the 18200 people in that same hour assuming 1.2 people per car. I train line requires about the same space as one lane of traffic. Melbourne’s population will continue to grow. The NEL will not be the final answer. A stronger emphasis on public and active transport is required. Key issues that must be addressed in NEL project. Environment. Local Offset Planting Vegetation loss is to be reinstated within the municipalities from which it is lost. Under legislation offset planting can occur within the bioregion. This could mean that offset planting occurs at locations such as Gippsland well away from the Yarra valley. The community was able to ensure that removal of native vegetation for the Blackburn and Heatherdale level crossing removals was offset to Nunawading Parklands and the Healesville Freeway Reserve open space areas within Whitehorse. Vegetation loss due to the NEL project must be offset in the Yarra floodplain close to the project or in nearby open space parks and reserves and along roads, water courses and streets to strengthen the habitat corridors that link island parks. Landscaping Contracts to ensure outcomes achieved. Experience with landscaping contracts and government projects has demonstrated a longer-term commitment is required. Replanting along the rail corridor after the Blackburn level crossing removal ran for 2 years. Planting was carried out late in the season and the attrition rate for shrubs and trees was very high. Replacement planting was not carried out. The mulch used in the garden beds introduced many weed species including gorse. No follow up management has taken place. This must not be allowed to happen with landscaping and revegetation relating to NEL project. BLACBURN VILLAGE RESIDENTS GROUP SUBMISSION - NEL EES JUNE 7, 2019. 2 Offset Planting Early. The project start date is still some time off perhaps 18 months to 2 years. The end date is certainly 8 to 10 years. The project is committed. Offset planting must commence ahead of vegetation clearing to enable early establishment of vegetation canopy to provide a refuge for fauna displaced by habitat loss related to the project. Early planting commencing winter 2020 to identified sites away from the work zone also will aid in reducing total heat gain and evaporation loss by the large-scale vegetation clearing required for the project. Seed Collection. A seed collection process must be enabled to ensure indigenous species unique to the impact area, are propagated and replanted into the revegetation areas. No Net loss of Public Open Space. With Melbourne’s rapidly increasing population comes additional pressure on open space. The NEL project is an example where a direct impact of population pressure will result in a large-scale increase in paved surface and a loss of public open space in the project area. The loss of public open space both on state owned land and that owned or managed by local councils must be offset by additional land purchase or zone changes to ensure no net loss pf public open space across the municipalities impacted by the project. Financial contributions from the NEL project to councils, for public land resumed for the project, must be tied to direct land purchases for public open space to replace that which has been lost. Passive Recreation The project will result in the loss of sporting facilities such as the tennis courts and swimming centre off Bulleen road. It is anticipated that the replacement by NEL project of these facilities will be expected by the councils impacted. It is likely, but undesirable, that public open space parkland will be lost to accommodate the replaced facilities. It is preferable that new facilities are integrated onto existing sporting complexes such as those in Bulleen Park, rather than consume land best utilised for habitat corridors, revegetation and passive recreation like walking on trails. Active Transport. Walking and Cycling. The NEL Community Technical Discussion Groups (CTDG) for walking and cycling produced a report to bidders for the NEL project. This report seeks better outcomes from bidders than was provided by the NEL reference design. Walking and cycling opportunities encourage healthy passive recreational activities and provide commuting corridors and if well designed would encourage many people including the 60% ‘interested but concerned’ BLACBURN VILLAGE RESIDENTS GROUP SUBMISSION - NEL EES JUNE 7, 2019. 3 who would be likely to use consistent Low Traffic Stress Routes along and across the Eastern Freeway Corridor and the North East Link Corridor if they are provided. Such trips reduce vehicles on local roads and freeways with the additional benefits of less greenhouse gas and particulate matter pollution and healthier outcomes and well-being through physical activity through low stress trails. The CTCG report provides suggested solutions that increase the bias slightly away from a motor car centric project to incorporate gains for the communities impacted by the project for a small incremental cost that would provide important long-term community benefits. The Community Technical Discussion Group • CTDG • Walking & cycling report to bidders May 2019 is attached for your consideration. The suggestions in the report if implemented will result in better community and environmental outcomes. All suggestions have great merit for cycling and walking. The following 3 that also offer to greatly improve community connectivity to environment, art and sports precincts: • An active transport bridge crossing the Yarra near Bulleen Park linking the sporting and education precinct to Ivanhoe East. • An active transport bridge crossing the Yarra From Banksia Park to near AJ Birkitt Oval linking the Heidi arts and Banksia parks precinct to Heidelberg and Rosanna. • A Manningham Road underpass linking Bulleen Park and Banksia Park and providing the opportunity for additional walking trails that provide walking track loops that include aboriginal heritage areas. BLACBURN VILLAGE RESIDENTS GROUP SUBMISSION - NEL EES JUNE 7, 2019. 4 Buses and feeder roads. The business case for NEL doesn’t address the impact of increased traffic volumes on feeder roads south of the Eastern Freeway that are now at or near their peak capacity. The completed project will encourage additional north/south traffic on Springvale, Blackburn, Middleborough roads, Station Street and Elgar Road. The congestion on these roads already reduces the service levels of bus commuters. The rail service along Lilydale and Belgrave railway lines likewise is near capacity and railway commuter parking is full by early am on workdays. If the congestion is not addressed early by making the public transport services more efficient and attractive, direct consequences of the NEL project will, by necessity, require major road rebuilding along some or all of Springvale, Blackburn, Middleborough Roads, Station Street and Elgar Road to the detriment of residents through loss of amenity and associated noise and Air pollution. To remove the temptation of commuters opting for the new freeway and establishing new behaviour patterns a couple of things are needed ahead of the NEL project. • An increase in the frequency of busses delivering services to commuters to railway stations along the Belgrave and Lilydale lines. • High frequency bus services from Bulleen and Doncaster Park and Ride to and from Box Hill, Doncaster, Ringwood and Heidelberg. • An increase in rail services along the Belgrave and Lilydale lines. • Rebuild of Box Hill railway station and interchange to current standards to provide efficiency and a high level of service and reflect the high-rise satellite city that Box Hill has become. • Expanded bus routes that encourage better patronage. • Dedicated bus lanes along Springvale, Blackburn, Middleborough Roads, Station Street and Elgar Road that allow busses to provide a high level of service for buses travelling north to freeway to the city and south to railway stations. BLACBURN VILLAGE RESIDENTS GROUP SUBMISSION - NEL EES JUNE 7, 2019. 5 Community Technical Discussion Group • CTDG • Walking & cycling report to bidders May 2019 Contents 1. A Message to Bidders Bidders have the opportunity to deliver world class cycling and walking infrastructure as part of the North East Link Project. 1. A message to bidders 2 The key is to provide low stress, high quality routes that are: 2. Introduction 3 • Safe and comfortable for riders and walkers — regardless of age and ability 3. Principles & objectives 4 • Convenient 4. Scope & format of this report 7 — connecting to schools, shops, transit stations, and places of employment 5. Eastern Freeway This report by the North East Link (NEL) Walking and Cycling Community Technical - recommended walking & cycling Discussion Group (CTDG) acknowledges significant improvements proposed to the infrastructure projects 11 walking and cycling networks as part of North East Link.