Trees, nuclear reactors and re-elected governments

I'm a little loathe to inject into this blog a criticism of the RTA's removal of 97 trees along Moss Vale Rd, Kangaroo Valley since it is, after all, a State Government matter. However it is also a matter very close to home for me (about 6 kms to be exact) and there is a valuable lesson re the upcoming Federal election to be learnt.
But firstly, for what its worth, my take on the issue at hand.
There are three factors that should have been taken into account before any decision to remove the trees.
1. The safety of the road through Kangaroo Valley, from one side of the valley to the other, for trucks, coaches and other oversize vehicles and car drivers with a determination to drive excessively fast. I would argue that the geography of the valley, especially the egress and ingress is completely unsuitable for large vehicles. Many of these vehicles currently exceed the nominal weight limit on the historic Hampden Bridge with the full knowledge of the RTA. As for the speedsters; where to start? Perhaps with a blanket speed limit of, say, 60km/hr for the whole of the valley. The only exception would of course be the school zone in the centre of town. Numerous signs announcing "TOURIST ROAD. KV speed limit is 60km/hr" together with a speed camera or two should slow most down.
2. An acceptance by the RTA that Moss Vale Road is not and never should become, a freeway. It is first and foremost a road of utility for the residents of Kangaroo Valley. Secondly, it is a road for use by tourists and an access road between the coast and Highlands for those who wish to drive according to the speed limits and the conditions.
3. An acceptance by the RTA that a community has some right to have a say in the government infrastructure that impacts on their lives within their community and in many ways defines what their sense of community is. Is KV a pitstop tourist town on a freeway or a rural village with a part-time tourism focus but with a very real local community life nevertheless?

Unfortunately all three above points depend on the RTA and the State government getting the message. They no doubt would have been far more accessible prior to the recent election but now, having won easily, are back to their same old arrogant ways.

The lesson in all this. All governments become stale, arrogant and lazy over time. Just as a re-elected State governemnt is now turning its back on the people of Kangaroo Valley, a re-elected Liberal-National coalition government in Canberra is unlikely to listen as the people of the Shoalhaven cry foul when the decision to build a nuclear reactor at Jervis Bay is announced.