Hi All,
There was an interview this morning on ABC Radio regarding the duplication. Thought some of you may be interested in reading the transcript.
DISCUSSIONS ON PROPOSED DUPLICATION OF MAJURA ROAD.
INTERVIEWEES: SARINA LOCKE, ABC RURAL REPORTER, ; MATT SWAINSON(*), CYCLIST, ; SHERI MCARDLE-ENGLISH, TRUFFLE GROWER, ; FRANK VAN DE LOO, MT MAJURA VINEYARDS,; MATT ROSSITER, CYCLIST,
ROSS SOLLY: Good morning Sarina Locke.
SARINA LOCKE: Good morning Ross Solly. Can you hear all the trucks and cars that are already going by at - what time is it - 22 minutes past six?
ROSS SOLLY: Yes, I can.
SARINA LOCKE: On 666. Yes, I'm on Majura Road. Majura Road is the road that runs down to the airport, links up with the Monaro Highway, and all the people perhaps going skiing. It also links up to the Federal Highway heading up to Sydney, so north of Canberra.
But I'm with some cyclists who have already been out and about so early this morning. And we're dancing about on the spot, even though it's only six degrees. It is quite chilly. Matt Swainson, you're concerned about the proposal to double this sort of road. What's your main concern?
MATT SWAINSON: Yes, look, this is a pretty iconic location in terms of Australian mountain biking. And the alignment that's currently proposed - we're looking at losing about 30 per cent of these trails. Which you know, it's a fairly small mountain bike park already. You know, with 30 per cent of the trails gone, that could spell the end of the park.
SARINA LOCKE: What will you lose? What will that 30 per cent cut into when the road is built?
MATT SWAINSON: The 30 per cent is mainly intermediate and beginner trails. So in terms of holding races - and you know the National Solo 24 Hour Race was held here this year. In terms of those sorts of races, without the flatter sort of trails those races are very hard to put on.
SARINA LOCKE: Why? Why do you need the extra 30 per cent? What would you lose with that?
MATT SWAINSON: Yes, look, when you've got 100 or 200 riders out on a trail, you need some flat areas. You need some more beginner-type trails to allow those races to go ahead. We can't all be racing on rocks and jumps the whole time.
SARINA LOCKE: And when you did have the 24 Hour Race here, you were camped at Mount Majura Vineyards. Is that right Frank van de Loo from Mount Majura?
FRANK VAN DE LOO: That was huge. They really filled the whole paddock. They had a great time. It was a really big weekend.
SARINA LOCKE: And a cinema set up and food stalls?
FRANK VAN DE LOO: All sorts of things going on, and wine tasting as well.
SARINA LOCKE: Well indeed. And it will cut into the vineyard. We've heard from you already, before six, that it will cut partway through the vineyard. Do you have a problem with the alignment, do you, as well?
FRANK VAN DE LOO: Just really a question though - why the alignment that is currently chosen is the one that has been chosen. Because, like as Matt is saying, it does have some impacts that a different alignment might not have.
SARINA LOCKE: Sherry McArdle-English is also on Mount Majura. She's a farmer here. She grows truffles. But you were wised-up, as well as the Mount Majura Vineyards, that the freeway would go through here.
SHERRY MCARDLE-ENGLISH: Yes Sarina. In 2004, I actually went and spoke with Roads ACT, saw the preliminary plans at that stage, and then based on that information I made a conscious decision at that time to move our fence line for the truffle farm back 30 metres from the road. So for us I guess it has minimal impact.
SARINA LOCKE: And you see that there is a need for it. We're standing here at quarter past six, twenty past six, and the road is very, very busy.
SHERRY MCARDLE-ENGLISH: It is very busy. I've noticed in the time that we've had the truffle farm in place it means that I spend a lot more time down near the road area. I've been amazed at the amount of traffic that has increased over the last four years.
SARINA LOCKE: Matt Rossiter is a cyclist as well. Come forward a bit. You are concerned that they're forced into this alignment because of the proposal to put a very fast train through to the airport. What are you concerned about?
MATT ROSSITER: We're just concerned that the alignment of the road seems to be being pushed west because of the very high speed train. We're not entirely sure if the consultation process has gone through to say that Canberra actually needs a train. And the fact that the train is going to the airport, where perhaps going into the city or somewhere else in Canberra might be a more sensible option for Canberrans.
SARINA LOCKE: So there were sort of five options that they could have taken, and
they've come down to one with asking people to accept one.
MATT ROSSITER: It seems that in the initial reports that were undertaken into the viability of the different alignments, there were three additional options proposed using the existing alignment of the road and not going through Majura Pines or the vineyards or near the truffle farm as well, yes.
SARINA LOCKE: For those people who don't ride mountain bikes, they see that there is already Mount Stromlo. There's already one out towards Bungendore, on the Bungendore Road, the Kings Highway. Matt Swainson, why should we worry for mountain bike riders that they might lose the Mount Majura Pines?
MATT SWAINSON: As I was saying before, this is a pretty iconic mountain bike location, even in terms of throughout Australia. If you sort of think of Noosa and knocking out the reef at Noosa, what that would do for surfing, that's sort of what we're talking about here with this mountain bike park.
You know, it's an inner-city park. It's 15 kilometres from the CBD. It's pretty unique in that you're riding in pine. It's a lot different to riding out at Stromlo. And I've also heard there's news in the pipeline that they're going to knock out Sparrow, so that's the trail out of the Bungendore that you were talking about.
SARINA LOCKE: So you might be down to one bike track?
MATT SWAINSON: Yes, and also, we've also got to remember the O'Connor Ridge. We obviously lost that trail, had that cut in half for a road. So yes, we're losing trails bit by bit.
SARINA LOCKE: Yes. I mean we're opposite the AFP, the training ground for the enlarged AFP. Could they take more of that pines, do you believe?
MATT SWAINSON: Sarina, I've never had a look in there myself, being an AFP ground. Look, I understand that there's room there to put an alternative route there. I think that really is the point as to what consultation and what thinking has gone into alternative routes.
We've been presented with a route that goes through our mountain bike park at the moment. What thinking has gone into other routes that are possibly less damaging, cost less and are less damaging to the environment?
SARINA LOCKE: Matt Swainson, Matt Rossiter, Frank van de Loo and Sherry McArdle-English, thanks for getting up so early, dancing around outside Mount Majura Pines. I'll hand back to you, but I'll just tell you Ross that they had a letter that they were sending to the Planning Minister. And they thought they might send it in with 10 signatures. They've actually got 150 signatures. And the movement is still growing to support the mountain bike riders out here.
ROSS SOLLY: So do they actually feel confident that they can actually make any change, Sarina?
SARINA LOCKE: Do you think?
MATT SWAINSON: We shall see. The numbers are growing.
ROSS SOLLY: Well, bigger movements have started from very, very small things and been successful. But it's very hard to change government minds, isn't it?
SARINA LOCKE: I think they're probably trying to get what they can out of what's left. Is that right? Yes. I think we're getting nods here.
ROSS SOLLY: Thank you very much Sarina.
SARINA LOCKE: Back to you Ross.
ROSS SOLLY: Yes, thank you.
SARINA LOCKE: No worries.
ROSS SOLLY: And thank you to your guests out there at what does sound like a very busy Mount Majura. There might be some traffic delays now as people slow down to have a look at the person on the side of the road with a microphone making a lot of noise. That is Sarina Locke, our rural reporter, out and about.
