Don't inHALE
Hale Steet Bridge: health and safety impacts
What is the Hale Street Bridge proposal?
The Lord Mayor wants to build a toll bridge across the Brisbane River beside the William Jolly (Grey Street) Bridge. This new road bridge would link Hale Street in Milton to Cordelia and Merivale Streets in South Brisbane, effectively extending the Inner City Bypass through inner southern suburbs.
The problems: health and safety impacts
More and faster traffic has obvious negative impacts on the safety of pedestrians and cyclists who must contend with it. Children, the elderly and the infirm are likely to be at most risk of injury and death.
Noise pollution associated with this traffic is also very obvious near major roads. Apart from its negative effects on nearby businesses and learning institutions (disrupting work, commerce and learning), long term exposure to high noise levels has been shown to result in permanent hearing loss.
Less obvious, but more widespread and serious in its impact, is air pollution caused by motor vehicle exhaust emissions. At least 40 chemicals found in exhaust emissions are now known to be toxic. For some of these compounds there is no safe limit.
Most insidious and most deadly is the fine particle pollution which can pass through lung walls and into our bloodstreams. Increasingly scientists and health professionals are warning about the hazards of exposure to this type of pollution, and its links with the diesel fuel used by trucks and other heavy vehicles.
Known health problems caused by exhaust emissions include serious respiratory and heart disease, cancer, reduced lung capacity and reduced growth in children. Most vulnerable are children, the elderly and those with chronic respiratory diseases.
It's of particular concern that thousands of school children are directly in the path of all this extra traffic. Brisbane State High School, Somerville House, Saint Laurence's, Saint Ita's, Dutton Park State School and West End State School are all on major roads fed by the proposed bridge; in the case of BSHS, on three of these roads!
What can YOU DO about it? Find out...
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the Hale Street Bridge |
Contact: info@stopthehalestreetbridge.org