I object to the Beaches Link Project for the following reasons:
1. Our streets have not been built to handle large trucks moving up and down them, moving earth and rocks etc for five and a half days a week for years. These are just suburban streets and even Military Road is just coping with the traffic that currently travels along it.
The increased noise is a concern but so is the potential for an accident with a child walking to school, an elderly person attempting to cross the road or a car backing out of it's driveway.
I have lived my home for 50 years and have experienced the difficulty of congestion on these roads without the continuous flow of trucks using them.
2. I am also concerned with the ecological impact in particular the impact on the Burnt Bridge Creek. Specifically I am concerned with the implications on flora and fauna such as the protected flying foxes.

This project does not need to go ahead and is way out of touch with the current needs of the community.

I provide the following comments in my capacity as a private citizen.

I object to the adequacy of the EIS because the threats to significant local threatened species have been overlooked. The large-footed myotis is not mentioned in the Biodiversity summary and is only mentioned in brief as a possible species for the area in Chapter `19.

The large-footed Myotis is a threatened species of bat that is highly specialised for foraging over waterways. It is known to forage over water within Middle Harbour and a highly significant maternity roost has also been identified near Berry Bay, North Sydney. Details of the ecology of this species have been published in the scientific literature and should have been considered in the EIS. This publication and its findings appear to have been ignored by the EIS.

Gonsalves, L. and Law, B. (2017) Distribution and key foraging habitat of the Large-footed Myotis Myotis macropus in the highly modified Port Jackson estuary, Sydney, Australia: An overlooked, but vulnerable bat. Australian Zoologist, 38, 629-642. doi: 10.7882/AZ.2017.012.

Given that the species flies and it feeds on invertebrates and small fish from the surface of the water, it is likely to access areas of disturbed sediment that are proposed to be contained within the water column by silt curtains, tough surface water in such areas presumably remain exposed and could be accessed by the large-footed myotis. Additional research has identified that the species is vulnerable to the effects of water pollution.

Clarke-Wood, B., Jenkins, K.M., LAW, B.S., Blakey, R.V. (2016) The ecological response of insectivorous bats to coastal lagoon degradation. Biological Conservation 202, 10-19. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2016.08.014.

The EIS states that the species, if present, would not be affected because it can forage elsewhere in the harbour, but if contaminated sediments are exposed it may still forage in the area and be exposed to the detrimental effects of pollution. This could happen over any period of brief exposure. This likely scenario has not been considered by the EIS despite the known presence of the species along Middle Harbour, and published findings confirming this and its vulnerability to pollution.

Such obvious oversights call into question the robustness of the EIS and biodiversity assessments more broadly.

In addition, there are known roosts of the threatened Eastern Bent-wing Bat in storm water drains near Primrose Park and again this was not identified in the EIS. Roosts of this species are sensitive to disturbance and it is a major concern that the EIS has not identified this as a potential issue for the project. Details about some of these roosts have also been published in the literature (see below), so this omission is again a major concern about the adequacy of the EIS for biodiversity.

Gonsalves L., Law B. (2017) Seasonal activity patterns of bats in North Sydney, New South Wales: implications for urban bat monitoring programs. Australian Mammalogy 40: 220-29.

Mitigation of the air and noise pollution from the construction of the tunnel and the air pollution from not filtering the ventilation stacks have not been adequately addressed. I find the blatant disregard for the health and wellbeing of residents and schoolchildren, and the arrogant dismissal of concerns expressed by impacted residents like myself, to be negligent and offensive. Where I live, where I send my children to primary school (St Cecilia's) and where I was intending to send them to high school (Balgowlah Boys) are all directly impacted as a result of this tunnel being pushed through, all without a solid business case. If doing it properly by filtering emissions means it doesn't stack up, then it shouldn't be built.

As much as I support progress, I believe that this project will have long-term catastrophic impact on the local environment and community. What I'm highlighting here is likely similar to what many thousands will be saying:
- the economic and "time-saving" calculations (saving 30+ mins to the city, when it only takes 35mins now) are based on old, misinformed and inaccurate factors ... the forecasts were made in 2016, prior to the B-Line service introduction, growth in work from home and introduction on the Northern Beaches hospital. The quote in the documentation that, 2016 being the baseline year and there will be little material difference between 2016 and 2020 is incorrect - private traffic is still only 90% of levels of 2019, public transport is down 50%. Thus the fundamental business case justification is already incorrect, ill-conceived and will NEVER achieve its stated outcome.
- the community consultation has been sporadic at best. It is clear that any community submissions/concerns have not been considered or acted on. ONLY 184 out of 2427 submissions supported the proposal, but it is clear that zero community-focused adjustments were made.
- Emissions: for me the most fundamental reason for objecting to this project. The planned high emission/unfiltered exhaust stacks (double World Health emission standards) are to be built right next to sports grounds and public schools: "In the view of the medical experts (through the NSW Chief Medical Officer and the technical experts on air flow from ventilation stacks) there will definitely be an increase in the level of air toxins in the atmosphere close to the stacks (1.2 km and below), but the “modelling” tells the experts that not enough people will die as a result of the increase in air toxins to justify the expenditure on filtration to justify the additional expense on installing filtration in order to reduce those additional deaths" - in simple terms, the value of people's lives falls below the cost of adding filters to these stacks!!! According to health experts, there is no safe level of exposure, yet the EIS says it is safe.
- there is a lack of implementable controls relating to environmental, construction noise and contractor breaches (see the inquiry into WestConnex construction breaches). One component that stands out is the construction hours being at the "discretion of the contractor". This is a delegation of responsibility by the authorities to the mental, physical and health detriment of the residents. Who will be responsible for the health litigation associated with this poorly planned construction project?
It is clear the impact on residents and rate-payers' lives are inconsequential to the bigger picture, which is unfortunate, as it is our children and their children who will end up carrying the polluted burden of this project.

Hi there,

I would like to object to spending this public money given the radical economic, social and community upheaval caused by COVID. We need to reset on work from home statistics, transport requirements, workforce planning. I do object to the overall concept in any case given the pollution, environmental impacts and the band aid approach which does not consider infrastructure to support the movement of NEW people in and out of the area because of transport flow changes. Thank you for stopping this project in advance. Kind regards Kellie Wade 0427 251 592

I’m greatly concerned about Northbridge Sailing Club’s sailing area being greatly compromised. All our sailing courses will be affected by the maritime exclusion zones between Seaforth Bluff and Clive Park associated with the submerged tunnel works across Middle Harbour, and the temporary re-location of yacht moorings into a zone northwest of Seaforth Bluff.
NSC is a significant part of my life. I love sailing, and the works will mean sailing at NSC will become more difficult, less attractive, and even potentially completely infeasible. NSC is a jewel of a club, with an amazing history and a strong community ethos, helping people like myself to sail, a sport which is of particular importance in these Covid-19 affected times, being inherently a socially-distanced, outdoor pursuit that greatly assists with the collective mental health of the community (even in non-Covid times).
The impact on our club and community will be profound. With the sailing degraded we may lose members or be less able to attract new members, which affects the club’s viability. We depend on volunteers for our maintenance and improvements; if membership drops then there is simply less of a critical mass to regenerate the club following the Beaches Link construction.
We request TfNSW minimize the impact of maritime restrictions by urgently consulting in good faith with Northbridge Sailing Club, to help assist in retaining and regaining NSC’s attractiveness/viability.

Cities all over the world are improving their public transport infrastructure, not building massive road tunnels for private cars. To combat conjested roads the government should be encouraging working from home and improving public transport. Please stop this backwards thinking and plan more carefully for Sydney's future.

Hi, my name is Bezi and I am 16 years old.
I started sailing at Northbridge Sailing Club in 2012 when I was 7 years old, and over time, this has impacted who I am today greatly. Being able to go down to the club everyday and go out on the beautiful middle harbour founded my love for sailing, which I now compete in at a State and National level, representing Northbridge Sailing Club.
I am also employed by the club, where I work as a sailing coach.
I also volunteer to teach the learn to sail program, spreading my love of sailing to all.
Not only this, but being at the club around the community there and being able to spread the love of sailing is something that impacts my mental health in such a positive way.
The Beaches Link tunnel will affect this greatly.
Now I know better than anyone how useful this tunnel will be, as I live in Castlecrag but attend school at Manly Selective - in North Curl Curl. This tunnel will affect me positively every day and hopefully change my 2 hour + commute every day JUST to go to school.
But I am also not stupid, and I know that the effects of the tunnel will be detrimental for Northbridge Sailing Club.
If you go sailing in middle harbour, chances are the wind will blow from an easterly direction (it's called a seabreeze) A typical sailing course involves an upwind and a downwind, and a wide harbour is needed to do so, because boats 'tack' across the harbour. The only feasible place to put this course is from the pontoon of the sailing club up about halfway up the harbour (east) towards Mosman. However, in your proposed plan there will the cofferdams and exclusion zones there?? So how will this be possible?? The harbour will also not look as pretty with barges and cofferdams, and this will drive away people from joining the sailing club and therefore I will eventually be put out of work for my job at the sailing club. Not only this, but without a learn to sail program, I will lose my meaningful connections with my friends at Northbridge Sailing Club, therefore possibly losing my love of sailing.
Please, please, please don't let this happen. I need Northbridge Sailing Club to stay alive.
I urge TfNSW minimize the impact of maritime restrictions by urgently consulting in good faith with Northbridge Sailing Club, to help assist in retaining and regaining NSC’s attractiveness/viability.
All I want to do is be able to keep sailing, and keep my job. Please make this possible. I beg you.