North East Link impacts and truck ban

Current construction progress on the North East Link project.

What we are seeking

We are advocating for:

  1. ongoing management of disruption during NEL construction, including parking issues
  2. an extension of the night time northeast truck curfew to a 24 hour ban
  3. dynamic management of community disruption during NEL construction, including parking issues
  4. tree planting and replacement trees
  5. review of through truck routes on existing arterial roads between the M80 and the Eastern Freeway.

What it will deliver

We want to ensure the construction of North East Link does not only impact our community, but improves it.

About truck traffic

  • Over 129 reported crashes in 5 years (Rosanna Rd, Lower Plenty Road and Greensborough Hwy).
  • Given the history of crashes and near misses, there is a high level of community angst, fear and calls for change.
  • The Transport Infrastructure Minister agreed with reviewing non-local truck movements through Banyule.

What you can do

You can contact a member of parliament to raise concern and ask for action on this issue.

Lower house

Upper house

Overview

Currently, a massive 10-lane, 65-metre wide trench cutting through the middle of Watsonia is proposed as part of the northern section of North East Link.

It will be so big that it will separate people from shops, services, schools and the station, impacting our leafy green community forever.

We have identified several key issues with the current design:

  • more than 100 metres wide in places
  • community places and open spaces will never be able to be developed above the trench – a significant opportunity missed
  • delays and disruptions likely to affect local traders
  • separates station/carpark from Watsonia Village
  • does not improve existing accessibility issues
  • noisy and visually unappealing.

We’ve worked with tunnelling, analytics and modelling experts and identified a better alternative. That is to put a green bridge over the trench that will:

  • help keep businesses open and our community thriving
  • create up to $340 million in value from opportunities enabled by a covered road
  • inject up to $20 million into our locally economy each year and create more than 200 jobs
  • create more than three hectares of land that in years to come can be used to make the places and spaces our community needs and deserves
  • boost accessibility and access between Watsonia Village, the train station and car park.

Extended green land bridges would accommodate bike paths, a wildlife habitat and provide an east-west connection where locals could link with shops and a new station without having to negotiate a 105m concrete trench.

The North East Link Program (NELP) is also required to plant and maintain 2 trees for every advanced tree removed for the construction of the North East Link. These trees need to provide canopy cover by 2045. We have identified 12,000 locations in the municipality where established trees could be planted.

Additionally, a draft UDLP for the Watsonia Station precinct has not yet been released by the State Government. We propose a transformational redevelopment of the Watsonia Station that integrates best-practice transport and land use to respond to the unique precinct opportunity. These upgrades need to be undertaken simultaneously with North East Link works so as not to further inconvenience Watsonia traders.

A major redevelopment of the station could:

  • include residential and commercial development on top or alongside of the station, on the station carpark site
  • underground station parking maximising the activation, amenity and safety of the precinct
  • include modern, attractive station design that promotes increased public transport use, community safety, sense of place and civic pride
  • effectively integrate the station with the broader commercial, residential and open space environment.

Curfew and truck movements

  • A truck curfew for vehicles over 16.5 tonnes is currently in place between the hours of 10pm and 6am on Rosanna Road, Lower Plenty Road and Greensborough Highway.
  • We made a submission to the North East Link Environmental Effects Statement (EES) process requesting extension of the existing North-East truck curfew within Banyule to 24 hours.
  • An extension of the truck ban was not supported by the DTP as Rosanna Road remains a key arterial route for over-dimensional trucks and placarded vehicle.
  • A 24-hour truck ban is supported by our neighbours Nillumbik and Manningham councils.

Why now?
We want to make sure the final urban design landscape plans provides the best outcome for the community.

Location

Focus on Watsonia, Across Banyule, Watsonia 3087  View Map

Google Map

Priority at a glance

Officer

Advocacy Team
9490 4222
advocacy@banyule.vic.gov.au

Fast facts

Priority: Delivering on Watsonia commitments

Electorate: All of Banyule

Key focus

Accessibility, local economy, neighbourhood character, safety, sustainability

Recent updates

  • Met with Federal Member for Jaga Jaga, Kate Thwaites in May following the Federal Government’s announcement of $3.5 billion for North East Link.
  • Co-ordinated onsite meeting with Senior Executives from North East Link in April to discuss the Tree Canopy Replacement Program that NELP is responsible for delivering. The meeting identified sites where NELP had provided best practice tree planting and sites where their replacement trees had already died within the first year.
  • Council advised NELP it has identified more than 12,000 locations where amenity trees could be planted in our municipality so there is no need for any replacement trees to be planted outside our municipality. • Council proposed to plant the replacement trees (and maintain them) on behalf of NELP for what we believe is just 29 per cent of what it would cost them.
  • Met with Federal Senator, the Hon Jane Hume and outlined the importance of a better design of North East Link for local residents.
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