'And they're off!': Derby Day for East-West Link Protestors

Off to the Races - Not!

Dressed to impress in black and white, in keeping with Derby Day tradition, Tunnel protestors from a range of different groups met this morning at the corner of Racecourse Road and Bellair Street, the epicentre of Flemington Racecourse-bound traffic.
As Hummers, limousines, taxis and private cars jostled for position or sat immobile beneath the trains flashing overhead, the case for committing public funds to the expansion and improvement of our public transport system couldn't have been more self-evident.

My Kingdom for a Train

Protestors didn't just restrict the racing motif to their clothing. Many placards were designed with race fans firmly in mind. There was Take Your Blinkers Off, Premier Napthine. And $8 Bn Will Leave Victoria Saddled with Debt. But my personal favourite would have to be:

The perfect touch - a bandaid - just what the Tunnel would turn out to be

It was great to meet new people from other parts of town, equally determined in their opposition to the East-West Link. It's beginning to feel like a ground swell to me. Or perhaps it's a wellspring of hope I'm experiencing...

New friends and allies

Sure, it might be a photo finish. Perhaps we'll only get across the line by a nose. But I know where I'm placing my bet.