Opening of Brunswick to Yelgun Freeway
Crowds braved the wintry weather to walk on the Brunswick to Yelgun Freeway
on Sunday 8th of July, for the official opening of the Brunswick River
Bridge and Pacific Highway upgrade near Brunswick Heads.
Many community groups participated setting up information and food stalls
along the roadway. Locals rode their push bikes demonstators demonstrated,
and hundreds walked along the new highway during the day.
Greens candidate for Richmond, Mr Giovanni Ebono, congratulated NSW Roads Minister Roozendahl and the Abi Group on the completion of the Brunswick to Yelgun section of the new Brisbane to Sydney railway.
"It's great to see the pedestrians and cyclists on this engineering marvel today. Cars and trucks will be the next to have access to it," Ebono said during the family fun day on the new bridge on Sunday July 8th. "I look forward to a Greens government laying the rail tracks before the end of the decade." Watch Video
In Canada and Europe trucks and containers are moved long distances by rail and travel only locally by road. Rail is more than ten times as efficient as road transport in terms of its energy use. If you take into account the embedded energy involved in building the vehicles, the numbers are even more in favour of rail.
Manufacturing concrete and steel are two of the greatest users of energy and emitters of carbon dioxide. It is critical for the long term viability of society that they are used to build infrastructure designed to last centuries, not decades. With oil destined to run out by 2050 according oil industry figures, long term transport planning is already critical.
Pedestrians and cyclists were among the many and various forms of transport that gathered for the family fun day on the new roadbase. Pedestrians and cars will have access to it for one day. Cars and trucks until the end of the decade. A Greens government will lay the rail tracks that will finally make the infrastructure viable.
The use of helicopters and other small aircraft is at its peak due to underpriced energy. Kids at today's family fun day will be the last generation to mingle with flying machines with such nonchalance, Ebono guesses.
The Macquarie Street suits had time to remove their ties during the hour stuck in traffic as they crawled up the freeway to cut the ribbon on the new section. Such delays will be a rarity once the railway is laid on one half of the roadway, leaving the other half dedicated to local and domestic transport.
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