This Wednesday, November 14, the petition will be tabled in the NSW Parliament by Jodie McKay, opposition spokesperson on transport. Thank you to everyone for their hard work and support to reach this stage.  What a difference it would make to everyone in our region if the line was fully electrified - more services, not having to get heavy bags on and off at Kiama, easier access for specialists appointments, education and the list goes on.  Also, it may result in some jobs in our area!  We are continuing to raise this matter with the community to ensure it doesn't drop off the radar.  Unions have always been about jobs, pay, conditions and the community and the tabling of the petition is just one more example of unions working with our Shoalhaven community to try to achieve improved access to transport.  

Since October 2017, we the undersigned, have achieved minimal attention or response to our request for assistance from either our local Member of Parliament or the Minister for Roads, Maritime and Freight regarding the detrimental impact of extreme traffic noise in our lives. Since Berry By-Pass opened to traffic, we are forced to live with our windows and doors closed. We suffer sleep interruption and sleep deprivation and we are unable to engage in normal activities on verandas and in gardens. In the absence of any noise mitigation, our homes have become the “noise barriers” for the rest of the Berry community, which is blissfully unaware of the inescapable, relentless traffic noise eroding our home environment.

The construction of the Berry By-Pass, locally signposted Highway Re-alignment was, and remains, the responsibility of our NSW Government. The safety, health and well-being of constituents is a government responsibility. Therefore, it is not unreasonable that the NSW Government, which constructed a harmful environment, which discriminates against a minority of constituents in Berry, be responsible for the reparation and restoration of acceptable living conditions.

The front-page news story (South Coast Register, September 12) headlined ‘Living Hell’, highlighted our predicament. The editorial provided evidence of research that, “prolonged or excessive noise has been shown to cause a range of health problems ranging from stress, poor concentration, productivity losses in the workplace, communication difficulties and fatigue from lack of sleep to more serious issues such as cardiovascular disease, cognitive impairment, tinnitus and hearing loss” and strongly urged the NSW Government and the RMS to treat all constituents fairly and equitably. (Recently several residents have reported health issues, partly attributed to traffic noise stress.)

Despite bringing our problem to the attention of both our local MP and The Minister for Roads, Maritime and Freight in October 2017, there is no evidence that our elected representatives are concerned about the well-being of a minority of constituents or committed to addressing our situation. 

We, the undersigned, do not dispute the improvements as a result of redirecting highway traffic to by-pass Queen Street, Berry. However, we note the noise-mitigation works in other parts of Berry and now the preparatory noise barriers under construction south of Berry. We question the reasoning behind the decision to omit noise mitigation measures around Mark Radium Park, Windsor Drive, North Street, parts of “The Arbour” and Huntingdale Park.