Ramps to nowhere, a look at the proposed WestGate ramps

On 30 August, the Greens released a number of costed of policies relating to transport in Melbourne (although not costed at the time of release – they were received at the Parliamentary Budget Office on 3 September).  Upon reading these policies, there appears to be a number of issues with the figures that are used.

For example, the document says that the cost to build 2.85 kilometres of tram tracks from North Richmond to North Melbourne stations, including superstops and other requirements, will be $28.5m, with the Federal government kicking in $15m.  These figures are based on 2002 figures, and have not been adjusted by any CPI or real increase since then.   Anyone who tries to tell you that the cost of building tram or train lines is the same now as it was in 2002 should also be able to convince you to believe in the Easter Bunny.

I won't get started on High Capacity Signalling, with a proposed 'kick start' of $100m in funding towards a total cost of $2.8billion.  This would require major work to ensure grade separation across the metropolitan network, the purchase of more rolling stock, upgraded stations, and the need for more drivers to say the least.  Would $2.8b be enough to do all this?  Doubtful.

This article will focus specifically on the Greens policy of adding on/off ramps to the WestGate Bridge to get trucks off local roads, as stated in the above Greens policy document.  This is topical as there was also an article on this in one of the local papers this week.  The 2013 Greens Gellibrand candidate, Rod Swift, has done a very informative and descriptive YouTube, which attempts to explain the issue.  The lack of opposing views to the Greens policy and lack of analysis on their policy, but hopefully this article helps to add to debate.  

I live near a number of container parks and deal with trucks every day, and right now, I hear trucks going by.  To have trucks moved off local roads would greatly improve the local amenity; improve my family's local area and a significant number of other families and the broader local community.

A major announcement in the Greens policy is $100m from the Federal government to help the Victorian government build ramps for the Westgate, the total cost which is indicated as $390m.  Some believe ramps will take container traffic (which the truck traffic primarily is) from local roads and onto the WestGate Bridge, and then to their destinations. 

Ramps require trucks to go up an incline.  In simple terms, this means more fuel than on a flat road or a decline, as they are accelerating and going through their many gears.  Fuel costs money, and burning fosil fuels adds to pollution.  Therefore, going up a ramp uses more fuel than going down one, or traveling on a flat road.  This is one of the reasons why many trucks tend to avoid the CityLink toll way, it isn't due to tolls, but it is going up the ramps.  Same for the WestGate Bridge. 

If the ramps were built, a new circuit may be implemented where trucks travel into the Port of Melbourne (PoM) along the WestGate, down the ramps and into the PoM.  Going out, would be quicker and use less fuel to travel along the current routes of Somerville and Geelong Roads, Sunshine Avenue and Francis Street and bypass the WestGate ramps.   

The ramps proposal would see many trucks taking a longer route to get to container parks in Braybook/West Footscray than currently.  If the WestGate was the easiest, shortest and quickest route, trucks would be using it and City Link now.  They aren't.  They use the easiest, shortest and quickest route, which is the most cost (fuel) effective. 

For analysis I have provided links to show how trucks currently get from the PoM to container parks in my local area.  There are by no means centimetre accurate, but do provide the observer with an idea of truck routes.  Also provided are routes if the ramps were built – Google doesn't show the ramps but so you need to think about travel along the WestGate, not along the number 11 road.

 Somerville Road, with proposed ramp

Francis Street, with ramps 

Roberts Street 1 with ramps 

Roberts Street 2, with ramps

Sunshine Road, with ramps.

A cursory glance at my ramps routes, shows they are generally longer and involve more turns and stopping than the current truck routes.  Why would any truck driver take the longer route, when the imperative is to minimise fuel usage and travel times?

The completion of the western section of the EastWest Link would provide a second strategic river crossing, spreading the increasing traffic over two corridors, improve amenity in those areas effected by truck traffic currently and would stimulate land use change and urban renewal in West Footscray, Tottenham and Brooklyn.  

It is unfortunate that this issue has been so politicised, and anyone who says the Western Section should be built is ridiculed as wanting a freeway through Footscray.  The proposed Western section is primarily a tunnel with an over land section through what is now industrial land joining up to the Western Ring Road.  The tunnel truck traffic using it would be container and other non-placarded loads that currently route through suburban roads.  Loads that have a placard are not permitted to use current tunnels in Victoria, and it would be very surprising if this was not continued with the Western Section.

The policy says that a $100 contribution from the Federal government will be made to the total cost of the ramps at $390 million, which assumes the state government is going to pay $290 million.  I don't believe this figure is anywhere near accurate.   Further to this, at a recent Western Transport Alliance meeting, a senior VicRoads manager indicated that the cost of ramps on these ramps would be closer to $500 million.  VicRoads would be contracting the work, and one would assume they have a good idea of actual cost.

The Maribyrnong Truck Action Group (Mtag) did a freedom of information request on the previous ALP State Government's Truck Action Plan, which includes the proposed ramps, and received a document that quotes the cost of the ramps as $450 million plus.  Even though the document is undated (most likely 2010 or 2011), it would be safe to assume that the proposed cost of $390 proposed by the Greens is on the low side.

The number one Senate candidate for the Greens in Victoria is Janet Rice, and Ms Rice is a founding member of Mtag.  It is therefore most surprising that the figure in the FOI document weren't used to better sure up the figures released, unless they didn't suit the desired outcome.  

There was a number of Twitter exchange on the night of 30 August between myself, LeadWest, Mtag, and Ms Rice.  And from these exchanges it can be clearly seen that Mtag supports the ramps unequivocally.  Why? Because Mtag believes they will get trucks off Francis Street Yarraville where they are based.  They certainly don't appear to care where they end up, as long as it isn't near them.  This tweet demonstrates this:

This is very disappointing, coming from an organisation that claims to be active in 'Melbourne's inner west, campaigning to reduce the number of trucks on residential streets'.

Mtag has also moved into politics as demonstrated on Facebook Mtag where they that [they], and anyone else concerned about trucks in the inner west, should support Greens because they are 'the ONLY party heading into this federal election with a policy to address the truck problem'.  A policy that appears to costed way below the actual cost.  Mtag continues to show its political colour by saying, in the same post, that Janet Rice should get your vote in the Senate, because Janet 'knows as much about transport and as much about truck problems in the inner west as anyone else and has worked hard on the issue'.  The post goes on to contain further concerning grammatical errors.

Mtag can no longer claim to be non political and should look at changing their 'About Us' page to:  

If it really comes down to it, we are concerned about truck traffic on Francis Street and want it gone, but we do pay lip service to truck issues in other areas of the inner west, and want you to vote Green in the 2013 election.

There are probably unaligned and reasonable members of Mtag.  These people should really stand up to the current administration and tell them that they are not happy with Mtag being used for such partisan purposes. 

As mentioned, the Greens have now put up a costing request at the Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO), which is a re-direction of uncontracted Nation Building funds totalling $2.6 billion to priority public transport projects (are ramps to remove trucks public transport projects I wonder?).

The document mentions 'Prioritising public transport projects', and 'Better public transport options', but little about actual truck transport, but it is mentioned in the document linked called a costed transport plan for Victoria.  But how can a policy be referred to as being costed when it was released prior to the PBO costing it?

In relation to public transport, I have no issue with increasing funding, and have said that I support the Metro Tunnel over the EastWest Link (eastern section).  As a regular user of public transport, I know it needs all the help it can get. 

However, I firmly believe that the WestGate ramps will not solve the issue of trucks on local roads in the inner west.  This pie in the sky policy making does nothing to solve the issue, but rather pretends to show one party as having a solution to the issue, when the solution is known, but can't be supported due to ideological reasons.

You can be sure of one thing, if the ramps are costed by the Greens at $390m, the evidence given above shows that the actual cost to build them would be more like $500m, and probably more.  The $100m contribution will not provide great impetus for them to get the go ahead, and is nothing but tokenism.  The funding shortfall will need to be addressed, and it would be useful to the understanding from the Green candidates in the electorate how this shortfall could be funded.

Who you vote for in Gellibrand is up to you.  I have met most of the candidates, and they are (mostly) reasonable and believe in what they stand for.  One thing is for certain; the WestGate ramps won't be built for a total cost of $390m.  If you do, tell me about the Easter Bunny again.

Disclaimer:  In order to help facilitate change in the inner west, and to offer a different point of view I have recently joined Mtag.  As a member of the local community who wants to see trucks off local roads, I am sure I will be made welcome.