When I told Dad what I had discovered through the research and interviews I had carried out he said “it looks like you’ve opened up a real tin of worms”. He couldn’t have been closer to the truth. The tension between the various groups involved was visible in all the interviews I carried out and the information I gathered sent me down many paths I did not expect to travel. As you hopefully have seen there are many complex issues surrounding the City Link project.
The underlying problem with the noise barriers is the fact that they are not well designed aesthetically. Transurban was given specific contractual requirements for the noise barriers which related to noise reduction only. As a result not a huge amount of consideration has been given to the barriers aesthetic appearance. The barriers are too tall, too close to buildings in many places and too ugly.
The concrete barriers can be easily improved visually using texturing and colouring techniques. However the City Link barriers have been left way too plain, with only sparse use of these techniques. "…concrete constructions can be used as effectively as any other barrier if the overall design is well-conceived…Flat areas of dull concrete should be avoided by using texturing and robustly patterned form-work to create patterns of light and shade…Massive concrete work without some kind of planting or variation in design should be avoided” (Kotzen and English, 1999, page 117) As well as a lack of decoration the barriers also suffer from a lack of originality in regards to positioning and shape. Most of the barriers are completely straight and simply run parallel to the tollway.
The barriers’ visual appearance is also affected by landscaping, or lack thereof. On the inside of the barriers landscaping is adequate, but on the outside there is a major landscaping problem. In many places the original landscaping has died and is having to be replanted. In others the landscaping is sparse and unhealthy. This is generally due to a lack of regular maintenance.
Shading and loss of views are also major problems for residents living near the barriers. The effects of these problems could be reduced by lowering the height of the barriers. It would be possible to do this without losing noise reduction benefits if the barriers were cantilevered. A much simpler option however is to include more transparent sections.
Consultation with the community was not adequate in the sense that the community feel the consultation carried out was only for show, rather than because the developers were interested in others’ opinions. Some residents in houses directly affected by the construction of noise barriers received no more than brochures outlining what was going to be done. Any that did have the opportunity to make comments feel they were not taken on board or dealt with correctly. Allegations made by residents that information given to them about size and appearance of the barriers not being correct is also worrying.
People’s proximity to the barriers had a significant affect on their perception of them. The barriers designers could have angled the walls and designed their layout so the barriers would have the minimal possible affect on nearby residents. Residents who’s properties were stuck up right against a barrier had a more negative feeling then those who had some sort of space between them. Even if the space was only a few metres.
In conclusion I believe Transurban have not done a good enough job in the design of the barriers for City Link. The developers should have had a more caring and understanding attitude towards residents. They should have made them feel that their comments and suggestions were valued and that as much as possible was being done to have them included. Community works such as the redevelopment of Moonee Ponds Creek have had a positive effect on peoples’ perception of the project. Transurban should be congratulated for continuing to invest money back into communities who have lost so much due to the construction of City Link. Unfortunately, projects like these will never make the barriers more attractive or livable.
It must be accepted that the barriers are there now and will not be going away. There are things that can and should be done to improve what is already there. These include better landscaping and more regular maintenance of that landscaping to allow a screen of vegetation to be created along the noise barriers. Which will take away from the visual intrusion the barriers have become.
Transparent panels are the way to go. Although Transurban are claiming that it is too expensive to install any more transparent sections, they are ideal as they allow light and views and decrease the visual impacts of the barriers. Nearly all residents I spoke to said the transparent panels were good and wished there could be more. It seems to me that the extra expense in installing transparent panels would be worthwhile considering the extremely positive effect they have on people’s perceptions of the noise barriers.
It seems unlikely that Transurban will spend a lot more money now on improving the outside of the barriers. This is because they do not value the feelings of residents. It is a private company and deep down its sole objective is to make money. Unless specified in their contract Transurban do not have to do anything. This is why we should not be selling off the rights to create public infrastructure to private companies.