SEPTEMBER 9, 2020 \ STARWEEKLY.COM.AU
(Damjan Janevski) 214557_04
Collapsed jetties closed A pier and two jetties at Williamstown have been closed amid fears for public safety after a section of Boyd Jetty collapsed, leaving the not-for-profit tenant of the site with a multi-million dollar bill. Commissioners Jetty has stopped operating as a berthing facility because of “structural issues” while Workshop Pier has closed to vehicle access. The structures are on the Seaworks site at 82 Nelson Place, which has been leased by the state government via Parks Victoria to Seaworks Foundation since 2006. The piers provide berthing for commercial and private vessels, and are used by community groups, police and the fire brigade. A Parks Victoria spokesperson said Seaworks as the lessee was responsible for the repairs. Seaworks executive officer Glenn Jones said Seaworks had long identified the three structures needed multi-million dollar investment. “It is unrealistic to think that jetties and piers around the bay … can be adequately maintained without significant and ongoing investment by government and other agencies,” he said. GLENN JONES
Goya Dmytryshchak
New push to clear the air By Goya Dmytryshchak Polluting vehicles should be banned from entering an inner-west “low emission zone” for three hours a day to protect children, a report to the state government recommends. Air Pollution in Melbourne’s Inner West Taking direct action to reduce our community’s exposure was released on Monday and makes 26 recommendations and 65 suggested actions. The report was researched by the Inner West Air Quality Community Reference Group commissioned by the government in 2018. Recommended actions include enforcement
of heavy vehicle bans and restrictions, and the introduction of a “low emission zone” bounded by Grieve Parade, Geelong Road, Kororoit Creek Road and Whitehall Street/Hyde Street/ Douglas Parade. Polluting vehicles would be banned from entering the zone immediately before and after childcare, kindergarten and school hours. Independent group chair Patsy Toop, a personal injuries lawyer, said it was concerning there was no monitoring of ultra-fine particulate matter from diesel-fuelled vehicles. “About 80–95 per cent of diesel exhaust particulates are ultra-fine, which are
particularly damaging to health,” she said. “There is a direct link between diesel fuel emissions and cancer.” Ms Toop said people in the inner west were being hospitalised at higher rates due to poor air quality. “Sadly, people living and working in Melbourne’s inner west are experiencing higher rates of hospitalisation for heart failure, asthma and heart disease, and a higher incidence of lung cancer compared with the general Australian population,” she said. The report calls for better monitoring of air pollution from transport and industry,
including during and after construction of the West Gate Tunnel and for the government to implement alternative truck routes instead of feeding heavy vehicles onto residential streets such as Millers Road and Williamstown Road. “The Environment Protection Authority’s three permanent monitoring stations in the inner-west are situated away from main roads, which means there is no long-term monitoring of where pollution is at its highest,” Ms Toop said. The reference group heard from scientific, public health and industry experts to develop the report.
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