Campbell Newman's Legacy

I have written the following letter to my Community & Stakeholder Coordinator for the Northern Link Road Tunnel Project.

N-Link is a $1.8b project for a four lane underground motor way from Toowong to Kelvin Grove.

It makes me wonder:

Is tunnels all Can-Do could do?

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/year-old-fig-tree-to-be-felled-to-make-way-for-legacy-way-tunnel/story-e6freoof-1226080885651

Teresa Millar
Community and Stakeholder Coordinator - East

Dear Teresa,

Thank you for your email today.

I wonder if there is anything TransCity can do to re-route the N-Link transitions, to avoid the Fig tree which was re-located during the construction of the Inner City Bypass (ICB).

This tree was relocated at great expense by a previous regime. It makes a mockery of the guilt offset process, if relocated trees are going to be mowed down by subsequent projects. The tree holds a degree of sentimental significance to some people in my community.

I understand there are also two Hoop Pines (Araucaria cunninghamii) which are approximately 40m high. The hoop pine are allegedly around 100 years old. I am also told there is a significant and healthy Moreton Bay Fig ( Ficus macrophylla) to be removed.

My main concerns about the Northern Link Road Tunnel, are related to perpetuation of car dependence, peak oil, climate change etc and the related social justice issues for future generations & those in developing communities who will suffer the worst consequences of climate change.

This current project that you represent will produce 32 000 tonnes of CO2e during construction and an estimated annual GHG emissions for the operation of the project are 18 120 tonnes CO2-e (averaged over a 12 year period from time of opening).

Mowing down old growth trees only adds insult to injury.

regards,

Rowan Barber

A message to Graham Quirk

A Message to Graham

With households feeling the weight of cost-of-living pressures and Brisbane still recovering from the impact of January’s floods, I’m mindful of the need for a responsible, ‘back to basics’ approach to Council’s finances.

That’s why I wonder why the largest line item in the 2011/12 budget is $456m for another road tunnel, while basic services like libraries & parks were cut in March 2011. Residents of Brisbane are suffering a rate rise to pay for the "Tunnel Vision" which was hospital passed from Can Do Campbell to Captain Quirk.

Graham is on track to deliver a little bit of guilt offset that was promised (and paid for) in 2008 - planting two million trees, purchasing 500 hectares of bushland for conservation, putting 500 new buses on Brisbane roads and chipping away at a $100 million upgrade to our fragmented bikeway infrastructure. In reality, how far will $100m go? How much has been spent? What improvements have there been?

At the same time Captain Quirk is proceeding with his white elephant, Northern Link Road Tunnel from Toowong to Kelvin Grove, (also known as the Legacy Way). The Federal Government have poured half a billion dollars down another hole in the ground. Additional funds will be bled from core Council services, with record spending on one single road project.

Captain Quirk is committed to making Brisbane a rabbit warren of tunnels. Like his predecessor - Campbell Newman, Quirky will leave our children with a Legacy of Debt. This tunnel unlike all the others is fully funded by taxpayers and ratepayers. Clem 7 and Airport Link were privately funded. Legacy way is not.

If you have any questions, or would like more information on what this year’s budget means for you, please contact the Lord Mayor's office on 3403 4400 or e-mail Captain Quirk at lordmayor@brisbane.qld.gov.au

Rowan Barber

BRISBANE RESIDENT

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A Message from Graham

With households feeling the weight of cost-of-living pressures and Brisbane still recovering from the impact of January’s floods, I’m mindful of the need for a responsible, ‘back to basics’ approach to Council’s finances.

That’s why my 2011/12 budget is focused on improving core Council services while delivering one of the lowest rate rises in the past 35 years.

We’ re on track to deliver key promises we made in 2008 - planting two million trees, purchasing 500 hectares of bushland for conservation, putting 500 new buses on Brisbane roads and completing a $100 million upgrade to our bikeway infrastructure.

At the same time we are proceeding with our important traffic congestion busting project, Legacy Way, with a welcome contribution from the Federal Government. Additional funds will be invested in core Council services, with record spending on road resurfacing and footpaths.

I’m committed to making Brisbane a cleaner, greener and more inclusive city. This Budget - concentrating on the fundamentals of rates, roads and rubbish - does exactly this.

If you have any questions, or would like more information on what this year’s budget means for you, please contact my office on 3403 4400 or e-mail me at lordmayor@brisbane.qld.gov.au

Graham Quirk

LORD MAYOR

my letter to Lord Mayor Campbell Newman asking him to be an advocate for the people of Brisbane

Dear Lord Mayor,

Sorry I have not written for a while. I note that we are in a Federal election campaign and I have also been distracted by the State Government's failure to regulate the coal seam gas development and underground coal gasification industries.

Again I would like to commend Brisbane City Council and your administration, for having a better response to address the causes and the consequences of climate change than your opponents and colleagues at a Federal level.

Since I sent you the correspondence below on the 14 July 2010, I have had two letters from you and a phone call from one of your staff, informing me that you are considering your response.

My question is really quite simple. Would you please re-consider your strategy to provide more & more infrastructure for individual cars as proposed by the "TransApex"?

You have done a great deal to address the issues of traffic congestion in the city of Brisbane. Perhaps it is time for you to focus on advocacy for the people of Brisbane with the State and Federal Governments to provide us with the iconic, rapid, mass transport systems that we need.

kind regards,

Rowan Barber
30 Normanby Terrace
NORMANBY Q 4059

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On Wed, Jul 14, 2010 at 9:49 AM, Rowan Barber wrote:

Campbell Newman
Lord Mayor
Brisbane City Council

Dear Lord Mayor,

I find myself needing to commend you once again for Brisbane City Council's green initiatives.

Last night, I observed you launching the EzyGreen programme in the "Green Street Mall".

I have signed up to EzyGreen and I will be encouraging my friends, neighbours and personal and professional contacts to do the same.

EzyGreen and purchasing of renewable energy for the Council are commendable and practical actions. EzyGreen will help your constituents address their personal behaviours which lead to excessive generation of Greenhouse gases.

However, your relentless pursuit of the "TransApex" projects sends a mixed (conflicting) message. Providing more infrastructure for motor vehicles will only encourage people to continue to drive.

You have stated that "TransApex" has widespread support and two electoral victories and the conditional approvals by the Coordinator General, demonstrate a "mandate" to procede with the "TransApex" strategy.

I would ask you to reconsider your "TransApex" strategy in light of the following recent developments (which have not been considered previously):
* the failure of the Clem7 to attract the predicted traffic flows and toll revenues;
* the impact of revenue losses on the viability of the Northern Link Road tunnel;
* the impact of the recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico on the perception and reality of reliance on motor vehicles;

If these matters are not considered, then I can only assume that EzyGreen and the purchase of GreenPower are simply attempts to GREENWASH and provide some sort of guilt offset.

This is akin to being unfaithful to your lovely wife - Lisa and then believing that paying others to be refrain from infidelity would somehow compesate Lisa for your behaviour.

I apologise for the personal nature of this letter. The Northern Link Tunnel has deeply personal impacts on the amenity of my precinct and the future for my 11 month daughter. I also have grave concerns for vulnerable people and species we share this planet with.


Regards,

Rowan