The RTA half cleans the City West Link

I was driving around the City West Link not long ago and spotted a crew cleaning away graffiti from the sound barriers.  Then this letter arrived.

The CEO is half right.  His cleanup crew has indeed removed all the graffiti that you can see when you drive around the City West Link.  However, as this photo shows, they didn't remove the graffiti on the rear side of the sound barriers - and I asked for that to be done in my original letter.

Back to the keyboard.  Another letter coming right up.3

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Mr Les Wielinga

Chief Executive

Roads and Traffic Authority of NSW

P.O. Box K198, Haymarket 1240

13 June 2008

Dr Mr Wielinga

Cleanup of graffiti along the City West Link

I refer to your letter CE08/769.

I happened to be driving along the City West Link on 29 May and spotted the cleaning crew in action.  From the road side, the noise barriers are now quite respectable in appearance.

However, please note that in my original letter, I pointed out that graffiti was to be found on both sides of the noise barrier – that facing the road, and that facing the houses behind the barriers.  The photo below was taken at the corner of Lilyfield Rd and Balmain Rd, and shows the reverse side of a noise barrier that has been extensively defaced.  

(photo) 

The bridge over the railway line at this point has also been heavily defaced, and the graffiti is clearly visible when driving into the city.  Given that the City West Link is one of the key gateways into the city, graffiti along it presents a poor impression of Sydney to residents and visitors.

 

I included this photograph in my previous letter.  It shows the reverse side of the noise barrier along the City West Link.  I returned to this spot on 12 June and found that the barrier was still in this state.  This is just a small sample of the graffiti along this barrier.

(photo)  

Please get your crew to revisit the City West Link.  They have done a great job on one side of the barrier – it would be great if they could do the same to the other.

Yours sincerely

NOTSEP

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Update

I noticed this morning that I completely goofed when I asked the RTA to clean a bridge over the railway next to the City West Link.  I had placed a defaced noise barrier and a railway overbridge at the same spot, when they are at two different intersections.  The bridge below is at the Catherine St intersection.  Regardless of the location, it still needs cleaning up.