Ros Nelson describes living in Narrabeen Place, Glenmore Park which is adjacent to the M4 Motorway, as “absolutely intolerable”.
The resident and her husband Jacques Moulin have been struggling for years to get a concrete sound barrier on their street extended to block out the increasing noise of traffic.
“We moved here 10 years ago but the wall stops before our place and has around a 200-metre gap as we are next to a reserve with a lake before it starts again for the houses on the other side,” Nelson said.
“It was not like this when we moved in otherwise we wouldn’t have bought the property and since major works were done on the M4 around 2017 the traffic and noise has got progressively worse.”
After contacting multiple people including Member for Mulgoa Tanya Davies over the years, Nelson said that the couple have received no relief.
“Tanya referred us to the RMS (Roads and Maritime Service) which put a noise monitor in our front garden but it was low to the ground surrounded by trees, shrubs and a fence so they said it wasn’t loud enough to do anything,” she said.
“I am 75 this year and can’t go to sleep unless I’ve got earplugs in it is that bad from around 4am to the finish of peak hour and it is a lot worse in the rain, you can hear the tyres on the road.”
Davies said she understands the frustration that can arise from noise pollution in residential areas and takes the issue “seriously”.
“After making representations on behalf of the constituent, noise monitoring equipment was installed by the RMS in 2019 in line with the Noise Abatement Program (NAP),” Davies said.
“Whilst the investigation at that time didn’t recommend additional sound proofing, the continued growth of western Sydney and increased traffic requires a review of the circumstances.
“I am more than happy to revisit the issue again and work with the relevant authorities to investigate all possible solutions.”
It is understood that the noise monitoring showed noise levels below the level of normal conversation and did not meet the minimum threshold set out by the NAP guidelines.
The NAP states that to meet the eligibility criteria, noise levels at the property are at least 65 decibels during the day or 60 decibels during the night.
After speaking with Nelson and looking at the area this week, Labor candidate for Badgerys Creek (formerly Mulgoa) Garion Thain said some help in noise reduction doesn’t seem like “too much of an ask”.
“A lot of heavy traffic comes through here, so I’d like to know why there wasn’t any follow-up action taken after the noise monitoring equipment was installed,” Thain said.
“Ros and the other residents deserve some finality to this, and I would be very interested in trying to resolve this if elected.”
Welcoming the assistance, Nelson hopes that it will lead to a final solution to the issue.
“We don’t want any more promises, they don’t do anything for us,” she said.
“Promises do absolutely nothing, it is action that we need.”
A graduate of Western Sydney University, Emily covers Local, State and Federal politics for the Weekender, as well as crime and general news.
