Home Loans provider Neil Galang is launching a signature campaign against the proposed sale of M4 to a private company when the toll expires on February 2010. He is confident that he will obtain at least 5,000 signatures within a few months and will present the people’s objection to NSW Premier Nathan Rees.
Privatization of the motorway will mean the end of the cashback scheme which benefits hundreds of thousands of Western Sydneysiders who use the road daily, including an estimated 30,000 Filipinos from the Blacktown area. “There are currently over 50,000 Filipino residents in New South Wales who will be affected,” Mr. Galang said emphatically.
“Not only will cashback be scrapped but the toll on M4 will be expected to rise,” Galang added. He said that the increase in toll fees for the motorway is a reasonable expectation because the private owner would want to recover the proposed selling price of $2 billion as soon as possible.
It was reported in the May 21 issue of Sydney Morning Herald (SMH) that the sale of M4 was recommended by former Roads and Traffic Authority boss Paul Forward. The SMH report also stated that “money raised could be used to fund transport upgrades, since NSW did poorly in garnering financial support for infrastructure projects in the recent federal budget.”
Those interested in signing the petition against the privatisation of M4 may contact Mr. Neil Galang directly by email.