YOUR SAY: Funding for 'back road' from Orange to Mudgee defies logic

 I travel regularly between Newcastle and Orange. Of the three routes 1) via Sydney, 2) via Wellington, Gulgong, Ulan and the Golden Highway, and   3) via Bathurst, Sofala, Rylstone, Bylong Valley Way, the quickest is via Bathurst, however the majority of travellers use the other two routes.

The majority of the terrain the Bylong Valley Way traverses can hardly be compared to the direct route between Orange and Mudgee, as the Bylong Valley Way is a relatively flat route. The expense of sealing the Bylong Valley Way, which required very little civil engineering and expensive earthworks, was justified because the route is the quickest in travel time from Bathurst, Blayney, Cowra and Orange and will be for many years into the future.

Why would anyone travelling between Newcastle and coastal areas to Orange divert off the Golden Highway at Ulan to travel to Mudgee, then use the upgraded direct route between Mudgee and Orange when the quickest route is Ulan, Gulgong, Wellington then Orange? 

Why would they divert off the Bylong Valley Way before Bylong and travel up to Mudgee via Ulan when the quickest route is to continue on the Bylong Valley Way to Rylstone, then Sofala, Bathurst and Orange. 

The quickest route already exists and you have the choice of three routes. 

For tourists travelling from Newcastle and coastal areas to first visit Mudgee then travel on to Orange the quickest route already exists, via Wellington. 

To say the Orange-Mudgee direct link will open up the tourist trade from Newcastle and the coast is a load of rubbish.

Mr Barlow then mentions the Great Western Highway over the Blue Mountains as a comparison, and that these roads would never have been upgraded if my logic had been used. 

My logic is the very reason why these roads are of the standard they are today.

The majority of people realise the two original routes over the Blue Mountains were the only viable routes that existed.  There was no other choice.

These routes have had to be continually upgraded over many years as traffic volumes have increased because these were the only viable routes between Central West NSW and  Sydney. There was no other comparable route that had a faster travel time that already existed. 

These two routes also serve a much larger volume of traffic from towns such as Lithgow, Bathurst, Oberon, Orange, Blayney, Cowra, Mudgee, Dubbo and towns further west as well as all places in between. Hardly a logical comparison to the Mudgee-Orange direct route.

Interestingly, I also drive between Orange and Sydney regularly. Of the two routes the one route that has had  the lesser amount of money spent on it over many years is still the quickest route in travel time to most parts of Sydney, the Bells Line of Road.  

The money from the poles and wires sell-off to the private sector that member for Orange Andrew Gee is hoping to obtain a portion of for the Orange-Mudgee direct route would also be better put towards the proposed Bells Line highway project. 

This project would cut considerable time off the journey between Sydney and the Central West of NSW, thus having sound economic justification and of greater benefit to a lot more people. 

This route would then become the quickest route to Orange from Newcastle and coastal areas and be of far more economic benefit in opening up the tourist trade to Orange because it would not only serve the tourists from Newcastle and coastal areas north of Sydney, it would also serve the tourists from Sydney, Southern Highlands and coastal areas south of Sydney.

 Mr Gee would be better off applying for funding for projects that better serve the needs of the majority of people in his electorate. The rebuilding of the Orange distributor road or putting the money towards the proposed Bells Line highway project are just two examples.

Trying to obtain funding to upgrade a back road that will cater for a very low volume of traffic and a minority of people/tourists defies logic and commonsense.

Philip Branwhite, Orange