SYDNEY Morning Herald columnist Elizabeth Farrelly put more than a few noses out of joint recently when she took issue with the highway bypass quickly taking shape between Foxground and Berry.
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In doing so, she displayed the sort of urban disconnect loathed by locals, who each summer share their home with thousands of Sydneysiders who pour into the region to leave behind the city grime.
In taking a shot at the way the road works have changed the landscape, Farrelly haughtily claimed that the weekend logjam that paralyses and suffocates Berry was part of its character, part of its charm.
This was more than surprising from someone who so often writes in defence of the environment. Just how she thought it fair long-suffering Berry locals should continue to endure traffic snarls so she can window-shop and admire the quaintness from the airconditioned comfort of her becalmed car is mystifying.
It was also bizarre this columnist was championing traffic over people after devoting hundreds of column centimetres over the years to decry the loss of city amenity because … of cars. It was inner-city silliness at its worst.
Little wonder then that Kiama MP Gareth Ward last week wiped the floor of the NSW Parliament with Farrelly’s commentary.
The fact is the South Coast is not here for the sole edification of city folk after some quaint with their soy lattes as they head south for the three-day break with fresh air, sand and sunshine.
While we accept the inevitable changes to the landscape the highway upgrade will involve, we also look forward to the improved safety and quality of life the bypass will bring to Berry. We are pleased it will enable people like Elizabeth Farrelly to arrive sooner and perhaps get out of their car, look around, marvel at the serenity and reacquaint themselves with reality.
