Perhaps more importantly, the carriageway over the park was deliberately split into two separate three-lane carriageways, to allow sunlight down into the space under the road.
Here you can see how well that worked. My dog Binzi is standing under the city-bound carriageway, where the sun doesn't reach and the soil is of course barren. But in between the two concrete strips the greenery flourishes so this remains a very pleasant walk. It is therefore rather surprising that the BCCT's August newsletter on the topic doesn't explain that Transurban propose to fill in this gap, and to extend the west-bound carriageway's width, to turn the overpass into a monster ten lane highway - a bicycle lane, three car lanes, and a bus lane, each way!
Compared to the outrage in 1997, described so comprehensively by the Beecroft Cheltenham History Group in this bulletin, one has to assume the present apathy of locals is more due to lack of information than anything else. Why isn't the BCCT out there telling people of what is about to come, instead of just publishing the decade-old history of the park?
Their website says "The BCCT has been very active in informing the 2119 residents about the forthcoming M2 upgrade. We have informed people via our newsletter and also we targetted a letter to all residents living adjacent to the M2" yet this latest bulletin contains only a history lesson. All their latest bulletin says on the future is "The 2010 proposed widening of the M2 means further impacts on the adjacent bushland and nearby households." I would have said, to use the BCCT History Group's own words, the proposed M2 widening project will destroy the Reserve.
PS added Jan 2011: I am now pleased to see that the BCCT has started its own blog and is addressing M2 and other issues there.
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