Crossings the priority

IN RESPONSE to Casey MP Tony Smith’s letter to the editor (‘Mail’, 28 May): Sorry, Tony, but the people condemned were the people of metropolitan Melbourne, when Dennis Napthine signed a contract to build the East-West Link, knowing that eight to nine out of 10 people wanted crossings fixed first.
I went to one of many meetings run by the Liberal Party to gauge people’s feelings on the East-West Link versus railway crossing upgrades.
Eighteen people were invited to each meeting.
Sixteen of the 18 voted for crossing upgrades first, mainly because of, firstly, the potential lives saved and the accidents and trauma on crossings.
Secondly, because of the congestion in Melbourne, travel time; and the healthier state of the people’s minds when commuting to work.
Thirdly, because 90 per cent of the traffic on the East-West Link gets off at Punt Road and the city-connecting streets, before the extension would even be built.
So sorry, mate, the East-West Link was never a priority infrastructure investment and was definitely not the major project of the people.
In fact, it was signed up to by the Napthine Government fully knowing that many people wanted crossings first.
John Mills,
Kallista.