Mr Murray accuses me of misrepresenting the proposed West Byron development and urges people to rely on the developers’ claims (Letters, January 21).
Rather than the West Byron suburb being for the claimed 850 dwellings, housing 1,000 people, the Department of Planning and Infrastructure now admits it is for up to 1,100 houses. At current occupancy rates of 2.55 people per dwelling this represents an increase of 2,800 people to the 10,000 currently residing in Byron Bay and Suffolk Park.
This represents a major impact on Byron Bay’s already stressed infrastructure.
The West Byron traffic study is based on a maximum of 856 houses rather than the 1,100 now proposed, and does not account for customers or deliveries to the numerous shops and businesses proposed. Rather than the claimed eight per cent increase in traffic using Ewingsdale Road to enter town on a weekday, the increase in vehicles using Ewingsdale Road is likely to be over 20 per cent.
The increased congestion due to increased traffic will be worsened by reduced speed limits, two additional roundabouts, pedestrian crossings, and incoming traffic having to give way to traffic from West Byron. The traffic study maintains, ‘If nothing is changed then an intolerable, and unsafe, traffic environment will develop in the near future – even without the West Byron Development proceeding.’ How much worse will it be with West Byron?
The assessment of the impact of the West Byron proposal is predicated upon a town centre bypass being in place. It does not assess the consequences of the development without this bypass, yet this is what is being proposed.
Any benefit of the proposed bypass in alleviating traffic congestion in the town centre will be effectively neutralised by the increased traffic from West Byron.
As has been repeatedly stated in report after report since the mid 1990s, no development of west Byron should be allowed until after a solution to the traffic congestion has been implemented.
Remember you only have until the end of this month to have your say on the West Byron suburb.
Dailan Pugh, Byron Bay
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