TRACEY BENDINGER | Culture | Contact
For the third time in a few days, Sydneysiders have awoken to their overpriced homes being filled with the smell of bushfire smoke from the 50 or so bushfires burning in the Hawkesbury and northern regions of NSW.
It was a shock for the citizens, with some of them even going out and purchasing face masks – the kind worn in Beijing, one of the most polluted cities in the world.
A recent report by pollution experts at the CSIRO confirmed Sydneysider’s pollution fears, saying that it was so bad in the CBD that they actually advised citizens take refuge in the Cross-City Tunnel.
“We never thought we’d suggest people walk into the Cross-City Tunnel, but here we are”
“We measure air quality by what’s known as PM2.5, fine particle matters”
“Usually Sydney’s air reads a PM2.5 level of eight micrograms per cubic metre”
“It has been reading levels as high as 734 micrograms per cubic metre – that’s the equivalent of smoking about 37 cigarettes”
“By comparison, we measure the Cross-City tunnel at a PM2.5 level of 500 micrograms”
The Advocate reached out to tunnel operators, Transurban, to see how they might deal with the increase in foot traffic in the tunnel given the CSIRO report.
“We’d advise all pedestrians and vehicles to be aware of each other, but also that pedestrians should have their bank card or phones ready to tap the payment terminal as they pass through”
“We’re offering pedestrians a discounted rate of $3.54”
“If they don’t like it they can just go smoke 40 ciggies in Martin Place.”
