Today i received word from the LNP candidate for the Stretton/drewvale electorate
Kerrie Frizzell. This is what she had to say:
“The issue you mention regarding the sound barriers is one I am aware of and it is something that I have already flagged that I will be lobbying for. I understand what it is like living near a very noisy and busy road, especially when it comes to attempting to get a sound sleep.
Please feel free to contact me should I be successful in next weekends election and we can discuss this issue in more depth. A meeting with a few concerned residents would be a great start.”
If you which to meet with Kerrie, then send me an e-mail and I will attempt to arrange a meeting.
"We have been trying to lobby our local representatives for the past year to have sound barriers installed along the Logan & Gateway motorways – as a neighbour of once put it, “I would like to just once sleep at night with my windows open and not hear the Motorways.”
History: To date, we have received 3 sound tests - only one of which they got correct by actually testing in our local area near the actual motorways. The last test being the correct one was performed in early December 2008 at 24 Billa Close in Drewvale. The more optimal spot would have been 200 meters closer where new development is taking place, however for the safty of the sound equipment, 24 Billa Close was chosen. The results were absolutely conclusive - its damn loud in our area. the Sunday and Monday night reading were well in excess of 60 decibels (66 and 64 decibels respectively) the following Tuesday also produced sound levels around 59 decibels.
On 17 September 2007, Mr Hardgrave who was our member for Moreton at the time, in parliament argued, “Last year’s state election campaign saw the member for Yeerongpilly, Mr Finn, again promise that fences would be built. Commonwealth money has gone in, millions of dollars. Nothing has been done. Where has the money gone to? Riawena Road residents are putting up with this. The residents around Salisbury who back into Riawena Road are sick of the noise and likewise people at Drewvale, a purpose-built road, which had a toll put on it by Labor— the only toll road in Queensland—through Drewvale and Kuraby, are also demanding that there be some sort of noise attenuation program introduced there.” I rather like Mr Hardgraves solution, though a bit ambitious “Essentially, two large tunnels have been built over the top of compton Road, joining two parts of Karawatha Forest. I think the same thing should be done on the Logan Motorway and the Gateway Motorway.”
Here we are almost 2 years on, and nothing. Not even a promise; on the contrary, Queensland main roads think the level of noise is “well below” the need for any action to be taken.
So, how loud is 65 decibels really? well we live here, so we know exactly how loud it is, but let’s put that into perspective - 60 decibels is the sound of someone talking to you at 1 meter, and 70 decibels is the sound of a vacuum cleaner at 1 meter (so go somewhere in-between). Now the ridiculous level required for sound barriers to be considered is 68 decibels (constant 65 decibel levels is considered detrimental to your health). Yes, unless you live next to a constant level equivalently to a vacuum cleaner at 1 meter, your suburb will not be eligible for sound barriers. it was disclosed during a visit with Queensland Motorways that no-one has actually reached the 68 decibel threshold (odd given there are so many sound barriers along the motorway - not all of which are developer erected).
What about the optimal position for testing?
When taking into consideration the optimal spot for testing however, we do in fact reach this impossible sound level (thanks to our 2 motorways), with a theoretical 69 decibels for the Sunday. To get this result, we need to do a bit of math (Decibels of Change=20xlog(distance 1/distance 2). The formula calculates the difference in sound levels from 2 points based on the readings we already have - which is approximately 6 decibels less for each doubling of distance away from the source of the sound. Inversely, add 6 decibels for the halving of a distance. It's horrible, but true, if you live in the newly developed retirement home, you will want to be deaf, because if you are not, the sound living there will actually be detrimental to your health.
So why no barriers, seems like a no brainer?
Now the usual trick to discount the evidence is to say “there was other influencing sounds” or the sound was not sustained for a period of time, and in the case of our last sound test, birds somehow made noises at night on Sunday and Monday but decided to stay quiet the rest of the week. The neighbouring forest was identified as housing these birds (though a lot of that neighbouring forest has actually been cut down). Further, the report does not indicate at the actual time of testing that birds were a dominate sound in the evening or at night – actually the traffic is indicated as a dominate sound. Remember, we are recording the sound of TWO motorways, not one. As for sustained levels of noise, if you have an 80 decibel noise for 30 of 60 minutes, and 40 decibels for the rest of the time, the average is 60 decibels... looks like you won’t qualify as 68 decibels is needed.
all this is despite the policy of the Queensland Motorways department to conider10 years into the future for growth in the area, and use of the motorways (which they calculate will only add 1.5 decibels of noise, despite needing to substantially upgrade the motorways)
But the motorway was there first and the 10 year policy:
Often Queensland Motorways argue the motorway was there first despite much of the land in the area being privately owned before the motorway was even conceived – just have a look along Illaweena street at some of the houses being pulled down to make way for new estates.
There is a 10 year policy, were Queensland Motorways must consider future development near the Motorways, and use of the Motorway itself. In 10 years we have already seem much development and it is plainly obvious in 10 years there will be a lot more - encroaching ever closer onto the Motorways. This is fact, and it is obviously not being considered.
Sound levels were not nearly as bad for the residence who lived far enough away but had a forest to buffer the sounds... along come GOVERNMENT approved development and there you have it, increased sound levels for existing residence, and even higher levels of sound for the approved new residence blocks.
On top of this, the use of the motorway has increased so much as of late, the motorways both require extra lanes. As disclosed by Queensland Motorways, the Beaudesert Rd bridge across the Logan motorway requires lifting to allow heavier vehicles to pass under it. As stated, the 10 year growth policy is conclusively ignored, not to mention we have already reached the 68 decibel limits (blamed on birds living in the cut down forests).
What has our representative done for us?
Nothing - well he did pass on our concerns, so that is not 100% accurate.
Though “nothing” is closer to the truth. Each time we asked Mr Stephen Robertson (our local ALP member who formally held the Health portfolio and now takes care of natural recourses) to actually represent us, he has simply forwarded our concerns to guess who? The Queensland Motorways department. What do the Queensland Motorways department say? “We will continue to monitor the situation”. This is the line we have been feed for each sound test we have received (the first being performed in a different suburb to any in our electorate, and the second performed over 1km from the Gateway motorway). Correspondence simply iterates what Queensland Motorways have said “we will monitor the problem”.
The actual issue is very well know by Mr Robertson. It was disclosed to me by Mr Robertson that they are “looking into the matter, but no promises can be made just yet”. Well after a year of constant emailing and communications, many members of the community voicing their opinions (including other sound tests we are aware of but have not see yet), we want some assurances the sound will be dealt with via decent barriers. There are many barriers along the Gateway and Logan motorways, but we wear the brunt of having the TWO motorways which converge – meaning slowing and speeding up of trucks, and yet we are the ones being ignored.
