Dear Sir or Madam,

I object to the western harbour tunnel and Warringah Freeway upgrade on the following grounds:
I object to Neutral Bay and Cammeray taking the brunt of the construction works throughout the construction phase without any advantage of access to the tunnel from its epicentre, Cammeray, nor egress! In fact, the idea of any suggestion to access the western harbour tunnel through North Sydney is ludicrous - have any of you driven through North Sydney in peak and off-peak times? Similarly the choice of continuing to use Military Road is not a choice at all.
I object to the proposal to build 30-metre high smoke stacks close to green zones - parkland and the golf course at Cammeray!
I object to the construction sites being above ground and compromising public land.
I object to the waste removal being centralised in Cammeray - creating a massive movement of cartage vehicles through the suburb and the consequent vibrations, increased danger for pedestrians, increased noise.
I object to there being no mention of electric vehicles that would reduce the noise and pollutants.
I object to pollution projections being calculated without inclusion of the proposed beaches link, resulting in a falsely “acceptable” pollution level.
I object to any waste being stored outside acoustic sheds for the obvious reasons of dust (think back a few months to the dry and windy summer and the resultant dust) and noise loading haulage vehicles that would drive off in noisy low gear and arrive, slowing using air-brakes!
I object to there being any compromise in the collection of water, currently in a reservoir on Cammery Golf Course, for the benefit of St Leonards Park (or any park)
I object to 200,000 litres of water being released into Willoughby Creak each day instead of filtering it for re-use
I object to any compromise of the Ernest Street entry ramp onto the Warringah Freeway and similarly, the exit ramp from the Freeway onto Ernest Street
I object to the assumption that the intersection at Ben Boyd Road and Miller Streets is an acceptable way of getting on and off Military Road. As a pedestrian, it is really dangerous as cars regularly run red lights because so few cars get through on the green. As a driver, one takes one’s life in one’s hands trying to drive access Military Road along Ben Boyd Road as drivers take crazy risks to turn right onto Military Road. It’s truly frightening as a driver or pedestrian.

Objection to unfiltered exhaust stack of proposed Western Harbour Tunnel
I am a resident of “Northgate”, 20 Moodie Street, Cammeray NSW 2062. I live very close to the proposed unfiltered Exhaust Stack for the Western Harbour Tunnel (Ernest Street / Warringah Expressway).
I would much prefer a railway or metro to the northern beaches as Dr Bradfield proposed in the 1930s, and am really opposed to encouraging more cars on the road s by building more expressways etc. it is universally acknowledged that public transport infrastructure such as rail and metro is much more efficient than road building and NSW, despite the current resurrection of the CBD tramway system, still seems to be lost back in the 1950s American inspired world built around motor vehicles and not people which as we know was promoted by Big Oil and the major US motor vehicle manufacturers.

Regarding detail in the the current proposed project I strongly object to the proposed Exhaust Stack/s for the Western Harbour Tunnel being unfiltered. World’s best practice today calls for vehicular tunnels to have filtered exhaust stacks, and this has been the case with similar tunnels recently constructed in Italy, Japan, Norway, South Korea, Spain and Vietnam, and is not unduly expensive. However in France and Turkey such filtering has not been implemented but those governments have banned diesel fuelled vehicles from using tunnels as such vehicles emit high levels of PM2.5 to protect, as they should, the health and safety of their citizens and visitors to their country. A more complete list of dangerous emissions is well known as is the fact that my area includes many primary and secondary schools and a large number of both very young and elderly residents who are susceptible to such harmful emissions. It is difficult to understand why the NSW government does not want to better fulfill one of its own major responsibilities - ie to support the health and well being of its people. In future citizens may in fact sue the NSW government and specific individuals for damage to their health due to the unfiltered emissions.
While I would much prefer the tunnels be properly filtered in order to protect the health and safety of nearby people (residents, visitors and schools), in lieu of having filtering implemented a not unreasonable alternative for the NSW Government would be to legislate that:
1. the introduction of Euro 6 standard as the only petrol to be sold in the state, and that
2. all diesel powered vehicles be banned from using the Western Harbour Tunnel by 2026 when the tunnel is scheduled to open (or earlier or later if the tunnel does not open in 2026 as currently envisaged).

Virginia Mackay

Please find attached my submission on the Western Harbour Tunnel construction site WHT2.

Susan Trousdale

See attachment

My objection to this project relates to adequate filtering and noise abatement.
I understand the need for road development, although would favour public transport being prioritized over private car use, particularly from the northern beaches where it is long overdue and currently insufficient.
If this tunnel project is to proceed, I am concerned from the information I have read that insufficient investment and effort will be made to filter tunnel exhausts (especially near schools, such as Anzac Park Public. I would also like assurance that all efforts will be made to minimise noise for local residents, both during the very lengthy construction and in operation afterwards (acoustic barriers needed around freeway ramps and open sections). These aspects often seem to suffer from short sighted cost savings rather than investment into the genuine consideration of local residents.

Such projects increase air pollution, encourage car use and eventually fill the increased road capacity they create.

I object to this project because:

• Is based on false assumptions about public transport demand;

• Will not achieve its stated goal of addressing long-term traffic congestion in Sydney;

• Is also not properly tested against competing public transport projects;

• Fails to adequately address impacts on the community, especially noise, air quality and health impacts for local residents;

• Puts homes and businesses at risk of damage from vibrations, settlement and ground movement;

• Requires the compulsory acquisition and demolition of a number of homes;

• Will not require the filtration of exhaust stacks, at a risk to public health;

• Will pollute our Harbour with toxic sediment putting marine life at risk;

• Will have an adverse impact on greenhouse gas emissions and contribute to climate change;

• Is not justified by any publicly released business case.



We moved to Balmain 45 years ago after making a decision to live near our work, to help slow the urban sprawl, to rely heavily on public transport and to help rejuvenate a much rundown historic suburb. I believe we made the decision to live here for the right reasons yet now face our suburb and nearby suburbs being disrupted and partly destroyed by this project.

This project is a missed opportunity to transform our city’s transport system to make getting around Sydney cheap, easy and fast without having to get into a car and pay a toll.

I have two main concerns which will effect the quality of life my family and I will have living at our property. We very much enjoy living here, but our lives will be drastically changed with this proposal of this build and construction.

The biggest concern is the freeway will land just the other side of McIntosh Lane from the back of our building, about 4 to 5 metres away. The freeway will be higher than our block, we will not only loose our afternoon sunlight but also easily see it from Merlin Street standing near our entrance and on our balcony. We will hear the buses and traffic, and it will invade our privacy. Both our bedrooms are on the side of the block near the freeway and we sleep right near the back wall. The construction of the build at night will directly effect our sleep (my husband and I both have work to be fresh for, and both kids have school) and the noise of the buses when the freeway is in use will be very loud during construction and when in use.

The second biggest concern is the park in front of our units will be a worksite (with the permission to operate 24 hours). The bulk of the construction will be built at night, so the use of this peaceful space will be lost. We will have constant noise of trucks reversing and building. Our bedroom and living room directly overlook this space, so again our privacy and peace will be lost. We like to sit on our balcony to enjoy the view and have BBQs at present, we will not be able to do this.

The reason why we love our place, is it has a beautiful green park out look directly outfront. The kids use this space to play and have out door freedom. We have beautiful light and greenery and the construction site will take this all away. I work from home three days a week, and having privacy in silence is very important for me to complete my job to the best of my ability. Any disruption can effect my work flow and will effect my job security.

A potential solution to a bad situation would be for the ramp to be built over or near the existing ramps then cross lower, approximately at the bottom of McIntosh Lane which places it at the furthest point from our property. There is no need for the ramp to be directly near the apartment block when there is about a 10-20 metre space with no properties and just land.

Please understand that there will be numerous repercussions with the construction site on the Merlin Street Reserve and the bridge built at the back of our property.

I would like to object to the project because of the impacts it will have on the Cammeray and North Sydney local areas. Increased construction vehicles and changed local road routes will have detrimental and significant impacts on the local community. The community will suffer through years of construction with no benefit to them once the tunnel has been completed. The adjustments to the Warringah freeway entry and exit ramps will increase daily commute times, create more traffic through already busy areas such as North Sydney.