I have no objection about the catering school changes at this site.
However like most of our neighbors’ we don’t often complain because let’s face it these days, the elected people in charge usually only pay lip service and issues important to the majority in this community mostly falls upon deaf ears.
For two weeks running, the kids and hubby have been more than a little grumpy at breakfast time than normal. I know my surrounding neighbors are also experiencing troubles with broken sleep cycles overnight. Then I saw a notice from a company called MetroCivill (VICROADS permit MOA-0046297) stating they’d be working on infrastructure upgrades along Spencer Street in West Melbourne every night for seven weeks during the hours of 9pm until 5am.
I have nothing against contractors, they are only trying to earn a living and put food on their families’ tables like the rest of us. Equally I have nothing seriously against infrastructure upgrades generally as a rule as they give everyone in Melbourne a better quality of life.
My first thought was some overzealous bureaucratic bumbler at Melbourne Council (aka the lunatic asylum) might have made such a stupid scheduling mistake. Oh, Lord Mayor Sally, I cried to myself, what have your staff done to us! But then it occurred to me the upgrade works on roads are apparently within the domain of VICROADS, a department of our STATE GOVERNMENT OF VICTORIA, (aka Beijing 2.0). Thanks very much chairman Dan for allowing one of your generals, hell bent acting like rabid Nazis rather than doing the best job for the large number of Victorians living in West Melbourne. Why your generals need to ram such poor practices down all our throats and ears, doing excessively loud works at ungodly hours all night long when there’s already sufficient quantity of construction works during the day that would blend into other daily background noise.
Then I asked myself why the bloody hell are the EPA people not putting a stop to this nocturnal noise Armageddon? Well, I quietly contemplated, then found out just like VICROADS, the EPA is also a department under the control of our wonderful (not) STATE GOVERNMENT OF VICTORIA. Oh, God, please shoot me now.
But seriously scientific studies have shown that children (and adults) who suffer from excessive road/construction noise during their sleep times are 86 percent less likely to absorb and learn skills and information from their teachers (work environment) in the classrooms (or at adults’ jobs).
Oh, Lord Mayor Sally, and Premier Dan, please make the late-night construction noise that we are expected to endure until the 11th of June 2023 overnight be switched to daylight hours. You have kids, surely you wouldn’t want yours to be placed in harm’s way as is being done in West Melbourne.
VICROADS might be worried transferring to day shift could disadvantage some people who live outside this municipality, driving in their vehicles all the way in from the outer western suburbs to come into the CBD, might cause a bit of traffic congestion. The damage you are inflicting upon all the thousands of residents who live within our municipality who are affected by this awful late-night noise will lead to a much bigger problem and long-term health issues to the West Melbournite’s who ride bikes and vote at state and council elections.
I bet you if the shoe was on the other foot, you’d all have plenty to say against the same kinds of late-night construction nose in your own backyard.
Ok, let’s imagine for one second that you actually don’t seriously care about West Melbourne resident’s noise concerns. Then imagine Victoria being shortly overtaken and run by the GREENS, with Adam Bandt (aka lazy Koala) as Premier. Endearing but ultimately ineffective. By that stage goodness knows what kind of strife we’ll all face then.
Come on Premier Dan, please make VIC Roads switch all current and future infrastructure upgrades in West Melbourne from nighttime work to normal business hours.
Do it for the sake of all Victorian children today, now and in their future.
