Image of preparatory electrical cabling works.

You might have recently heard Chief of the Defence Force Angus Campbell say “We are increasingly living in a post-truth world where perceptions and emotions often trump facts…leading to ‘truth decay’, greatly challenging the quality of what we call ‘public common sense’, seriously damaging public confidence in elected officials and undermining the trust that binds us.”

Our collective history in following this ramp issue surely serves as an example of this phenomenon. The Transport minister responsible requested an independent review of our Community Cycle Ramp plan but TfNSW appointed a tame consultant who has been working on TfNSW’s own linear scheme. The resulting review was not independent but successive ministers and our local MP have accepted it as such.

Furthermore, as a result of TfNSW making an incorrect measurement of the height from bridge deck to ground, TfNSW have based all subsequent assessments of public submissions to their own scheme on false premises. We pointed out this error but rather than correct it, TfNSW doubled down and rather than lose face, mounted a PR campaign to sweep aside any scheme but their own.

So we now have a new Transport Minister who has accepted flawed departmental advice and will oversee the building of a brutish, intrusive bike ramp to nowhere, destroying scarce green space and impinging on the heritage features of the area including to the visual appreciation of the world-renowned Sydney Harbour Bridge itself.

It is sad to have witnessed and experienced the ‘truth decay’ cited by General Campbell and as a result can have no confidence in the advice of TfNSW nor any minister or MP who relies on it. Sadly, the mainstream media don't rate this as an issue. 

Thank you for caring and sharing. More soon, I promise.