Mr MATT KEAN (Hornsby) [7.01 p.m.]: Tonight I acknowledge the New South Wales Coalition's decision to support the F3-M2 orbital link. This missing piece of road infrastructure has been a long time coming for the forgotten residents of Hornsby, who have been ignored and subjected to years of inaction by previous governments.
Tonight there can be no doubt about the importance of this road link to the residents of Hornsby, the State of New South Wales and the Commonwealth. Every day more than 10,000 trucks travel on that road, carrying 100,000 tonnes of goods—and that is projected to increase to 200,000 tonnes by 2021. Each day one in every three travellers on the F3 is a commuter travelling to Sydney to work. Roughly 25,000 commuters will benefit directly from the link road. Pennant Hills Road is one of Sydney's most congested corridors. Morning peak travel times average 27 kilometres an hour whilst afternoon peak speeds are 33 kilometres an hour. This proposal means that motorists will be able to spend more time with their families and businesses and not waste time sitting in traffic.
Those who travel north to the Central Coast and beyond know that Pennant Hills Road has been an utter shambles for many years now. On a daily basis the road is choked by thousands of trucks that clog up the critical main road artery and turn the area into a car park. After several false starts and a broken promise the Federal Government has finally signed off on a funding agreement deal with the State Government for $3 billion, which will be used to construct eight kilometres of tunnels from Wahroonga to the M2 interchange at Pennant Hills. The F3-M2 link will take 11,000 vehicles off local roads and save commuters 20 minutes in travelling time during peak periods. This crucial roads investment will benefit metropolitan Sydney, the Central Coast and Newcastle.
Locally, it will also mean that Hornsby Council will be able to reclaim the badly gridlocked suburbs of Pennant Hills and Thornleigh, which have both paid the price of years of government inaction. Along with my Federal Liberal colleagues Philip Ruddock and Paul Fletcher, I have been calling for this critical road funding for years now. This is not a State priority; it is a national priority. I acknowledge the efforts of the Federal infrastructure Minister Anthony Albanese in supporting this important initiative. Pennant Hills Road remains one of only two entry points from Sydney to the F3. It serves not only my electorate but also thousands of residents from the nearby electorates of Epping, Castle Hill, Ryde and as far afield as Parramatta. It carries the vast majority of traffic destined for Sydney and bears the full brunt of daily commuters, holiday makers and road freight travelling between the F3 and the M7.
The former member for Epping, Andrew Tink, famously dubbed the troubled road a virtual Berlin wall, cutting in half up to four suburbs. And I can see why he thought that. Any members of the House who have been stuck in this gridlocked nightmare will know there is no realistic alternative to Pennant Hills Road heading north and those who get stuck in traffic can spend up to an hour trapped in their vehicles. Last year Transurban Group submitted a construction proposal to the Government to build the missing F3-M2 link. What Transurban Group proposed was an eight kilometre stretch of tunnel with a four-year construction period. The tunnel solution will enable motorists to skip 22 sets of traffic lights on Pennant Hills Road, provide greater reliability of travelling times, reduce noise and air pollution impacts for local residents and greatly improve safety standards.
Recent figures show Pennant Hills Road is still considered one of the worst black spot areas in Sydney, with 156 accidents recorded between July 2011 and July 2012. Public concern for this road is also shared by the NRMA's Motoring and Services director, Kyle Loades, who said, "Pennant Hills Road is a link which can't be sustained." Mr Loades further stated, "The previous New South Wales Government dragged its heels on spending the money when it was available to them." Unlike members of the former Government, Premier Barry O'Farrell is known for his forward thinking and shrewd negotiating skills.
This agreement is the result of the Premier directly intervening to ensure that the residents of northern Sydney and across Sydney will benefit from the solution that this link will provide. I acknowledge the Federal Labor Government and the Federal Coalition for supporting the initiative. Now the final steps need to be taken to sign the agreement and complete work on a major piece of infrastructure that will transform the suburbs and the lives of residents in my community. It will enable improvement of businesses and productivity throughout the State and the nation. This great initiative is well overdue, and I am delighted to have been part of the campaign to bring about this change.
Read the full transcript in Hansard here.
