[Greens-Media] Roads Minister's blind faith in Westconnex and motorways

[Peter Stahel]

Roads Minister's blind faith in Westconnex and motorways  

Under questioning from Greens MP and transport spokesperson Cate Faehrmann during Budget Estimates today, the Roads Minister Duncan Gay has revealed that he has not seen any traffic modelling that shows the Westconnex will reduce congestion, nor has he seen any cost benefit analysis which supports it.

"It's unbelievable that our Roads Minister would advocate for such an expensive motorway without having the information before him on why it should be built," said Ms Faehrmann.

"You'd think the government would be armed with all the facts before appearing at Budget Estimates, especially when common sense tells us that the Westconnex will fill up within years and do zero to reduce congestion in the long term.

"The Roads Minister has no information to prove his claim that the Westconnex will reduce congestion. The Roads Minister and his bureaucrats could also not assure me they had seen a cost benefit analysis showing that Westconnex is good value for taxpayers money.

"The Roads Minister says he will find the Committee the relevant supporting material if it isn't confidential. I would've thought he'd have that ready, or at least have sighted it himself.

"I thought the conventional wisdom would be to assess the project's value to the community, and then decide to build it. But the Roads Minister seems to have it the other way around.

"It all seems like blind faith in motorways instead of decision making based on thorough and objective analysis. If this was done we'd be getting increased investment in essential public transport projects like the second harbour rail crossing," said Ms Faehrmann.

Media contact: Peter Stahel 0433 005 727