Kingston Bypass – another way

Encouraged by support from a number of sustainable transport interest groups, I wrote an article entitled “Kingston Bypass – another way” and forwarded it to all Kingborough Councillors on 25 September 2009. With Councillors holding strong views both for and against, the Kingston Bypass is likely to generate some fireworks, with the vote going down to the wire.

Read the article …
Kingston Bypass – another way

The excavators are ready to roll to construct the Kingston Bypass. Kingborough Council has been a willing partner with the State government to develop the project. Both the State Government and the State Opposition are impatient and the public are said to be overwhelmingly in favour. Only the Kingborough Council stands in the way of this $42 million project.

Should Kingborough Council give the Kingston Bypass the green light? Greg Clausen argues that to do so would be a tragedy and an appalling betrayal of the youth of Kingborough.

The $42 million Kingston Bypass Project will have the biggest climate impact of any development that Kingborough Council is likely to ever consider. Not since the Southern Outlet was upgraded to 4 lanes some twenty years ago, has there been a project of such climate significance in Kingborough.

Last time, Kingborough Council had no say in the matter. This time it must weight the Bypass project against intent of the Kingborough Planning Scheme.

So, what’s wrong with the Kingston Bypass?

A climate impact assessment has never been undertaken on the Kingston Bypass. As the realization slowly and belatedly dawns throughout the world that climate problems will impact upon all life on earth, the world meets in Copenhagen in two months time to ward off ecological disaster.

The latest prognosis of the planet’s health will be laid before the world just prior to Christmas. Do we heed the climate warning or do we continue business as usual? Do we continue the old way or do we can choose a sustainable future?

The justification for the Kingston Bypass is an investigation carried out in 2005 called the Kingston and Environs Transport Study (KETS). But 2005 was another era. The Resources Boom was in full swing, oil was cheap and climate concern was the backroom chat of climate scientists. KETS assumed that historical growth of traffic would go on forever and on that basis the Kingston Bypass would be essential to the future of Kingborough.

Hurricane Katrina, wild fires in USA, Spain and Greece and massive floods in East Asia and Europe paint a familiar picture of extreme climate chaos of recent years. The Victorian bush fire last February was a bit close for comfort but even the memory of that has receded. On one hand, Kingborough says; “We must all reduce our impact on the environment that sustains us. Responding to climate change in a proactive way by reducing our carbon footprint, encouraging self-sufficiency, keeping our community clean and creating leafy green open spaces is part of our collective responsibility (Draft Strategic Plan 2010-2020).” On the other hand unashamed enthusiasm for the Kingston Bypass means; “We’ve got a lovely climate. There’s nothing wrong with it down here.” Peace in out time, proclaimed Chamberlain in 1936 after his meeting with Hitler. How wrong he was!

Climate impact is the most glaring omission from the Kingston Bypass project assessment, but other ecological impacts have barely seen the light of day. The Associated Report for the Bypass Development Application released to the public on 10 September 2009, summarises the ecological cost in forensic detail.

It will result in the clearance of 5.65 ha of listed threatened species of Eucalypt and 2.32 ha black gum together with associated wild life. As Kingston fills out towards the new Kingston High School, the destruction of the last intact woodland in Kingston has never been publicly discussed. Rather than bypassing Kingston, the bypass road actually cuts a swathe through woodland right in the heart of Kingston.

The KETS study is flawed. It was only ever a traffic study, not a transport study. An alternative integrated transport response to Kingborough’s commuter needs was never developed and costed. Kingborough has never has an alternative transport vision. KETS only arrived at one response to the Kingborough commuter nightmare, namely that the Kingston Bypass was the only possible remedy.

But is it?

The Kingston Bypass will swallow up the Kingborough transport budget for four years or more. $42 million for the Kingston Bypass means nothing for sustainable transport.

It means no integrated transport, no rapid commuter transit system. It means no safe bicycle routes to the new Kingston High School. It means there will only be crumbs – a few crumbs here and a few crumbs there – maybe a few crumbs for the commuters of southern Kingborough and a few crumbs for cyclists and little else.

The ideology of the Kingston Bypass sets the future character of Kingborough – more cars, at a time when the sustainability of both transport fuel and climate have become tenuous. After Chamberlain proclaimed, “Peace in our time”, war clouds gathered and he resigned. Then a true leader emerged by the name of Winston Churchill to lead England through the dark days of defeat, Blitz and combat to emerge victorious with the nation’s integrity intact at war’s end.

On Monday 28 September 2009, the Kingston Bypass comes before the Kingborough Council and there is the unparallelled opportunity to exercise leadership and vision. Climate, sustainability, environmental impact and integrated transport have never had a full public airing. Some of these issues only entered the public domain on 10 September 2009 with the first release of the Planning Report for the Development Application. The Bypass does not encourage ecologically sustainable development of Kingborough and by approving the project, the Kingborough Council fails to uphold the intent of the Kingborough Planning Scheme.

What’s the urgency?” Let’s find out what the people really want. That opportunity comes in the form of the State election early next year.

If Kingborough really wants it, she can have it, but let the ballot box decide. A six month delay will make little difference to any completion date, which would have more to do with some election cycle than the commencement date.

It just so happens that the Kingston Bypass is in the electorate of Greens leader Nick McKim but the Greens have been awfully quiet about it. Do they fear that it is not a winner? The Bypass is also in the electorate of Liberal leader Will Hodgeman. Only recently, Mr Hodgeman publicly endorsed the immediate commencement of the project. No doubt he would relish the opportunity to run on the platform of getting the excavators rolling the day after he took office. Somewhere between the two poles sits Labor, trying to talk up its climate credentials, but pursuing whatever strategy is necessary to remain in government at both Federal and State level.

Is there a sustainable transport alternative to solve the Kingborough commuter nightmare? There are plenty of examples around the world where communities have chosen a sustainable path. Kingborough has a unique opportunity to lead Australia’s domestic response to the global climate challenge and carve out a sustainable future for Kingborough youth. It is up to the Kingborough Council to lead the way and vote against the Development Application for the Kingston Bypass.