Thank you Chair.
Two kilometres drive east along Moggill Road from the Pullenvale and Walter Taylor Wards boundary, the Schrinner Council is getting on with the job of investing in a major road upgrade that will reduce traffic congestion in the western suburbs.
The replacement of the roundabout at Indooroopilly with an overpass will significantly reduce travel times on Moggill Road, and its something that I know many residents in my Ward who use this road daily will appreciate when its finished next year.
Compare that to what the State and Federal Government are doing to reduce traffic congestion at the Kenmore roundabout and Moggill Road in my Ward and it’s chalk and cheese.
The Schrinner Council is addressing traffic congestion on that part of Moggill Road we administer. Unfortunately, the Kenmore roundabout and the section of Moggill Road through to the Centenary Highway overpass is managed by the State Labor Government, and therein lies the problem.
Transport Minister, Mark Bailey’s reluctance to do anything to help address traffic and public transport issues in the western suburbs is well documented.
It’s a disgrace and its not being helped by the fact that the Federal seat of Ryan is now being represented by the Greens who in their fantasy world would have no vehicles on roads full-stop.
Well, the reality is residents still need to travel by vehicle, whether it’s to work, to schools or to the shops and we are taking the necessary decisions and actions to make their travel times as short as possible.
Chair, now lets look at what the State Labor Government has done – or should that be “hasn’t done” – on Moggill Road in my Ward and in particular, at the Kenmore roundabout.
Councillors will recall that in 2019 the then Member for Ryan, Julian Simmonds secured a $12.5 million commitment towards the upgrade the roundabout. Subsequently, the State Government was dragged kicking and screaming to match this contribution, bringing total funding for the proposed project to $25 million.
Unfortunately, since then motorists in my Ward have been left waiting as politicians at both a State and Federal level have either dithered or completely shifted the goalposts on the original commitment.
The State Government ran a “take it or leave it” consultation, asking residents if they’d like a traffic light managed solution. To nobody’s surprise, residents overwhelmingly rejected that proposal.
There was no alternative solution such as an overpass offered – it was traffic lights or nothing, suggesting that the Transport Minister was wishing it to fail.
Instead of heeding the feedback from the consultation and developing an alternative solution, Minister Bailey (on Twitter as is his want), announced that the State Government was going to redirect its $12.5 million towards a bikeway on Moggill Road which will do nothing to alleviate traffic congestion.
You can imagine how this has gone down in my community.
The questions my residents are asking are:
- How will this work, and
- Won’t a bikeway mean taking a section of Moggill Road, therefore creating even greater traffic congestion?
Fair questions both of them, and ones that I haven’t been able to get satisfactory answers to at the moment.
Chair, my local political opponents are already trying to portray me as anti-cycling for supporting this motion. That is not the case, I’m as much for solutions for cyclists as I am for reducing traffic congestion and improving safety at the Kenmore roundabout.
Meanwhile, we have the new Federal Member for Ryan, Elizabeth Watson-Brown who celebrated the ditching of this much-needed upgrade, referring to the broken promise as a ‘positive step’.
More concerning, we are yet to hear from her on where that $12.5 million of federal funding has gone?
Pullenvale Ward residents deserve to know what is happening with this money, if it will ever be spent on the Kenmore roundabout and what the local Federal MP is doing (if anything) to stand up for taxpayers in her seat.
This sorry saga epitomises the points of difference between us and our opponents:
- The LNP Council team has a track record of building the infrastructure needed for a modern, growing city. State Labor dithers.
- The LNP Council team lives in the real world where people drive cars and we look to provide practical solutions to traffic management. The Greens live in a fantasy world where people can obtain everyday essential items while walking around bare foot.
The people of Brisbane can’t trust Labor to deliver key infrastructure projects as they lack imagination. And they can’t trust the Greens because they don’t believe in the need for better transport infrastructure.
I will be writing to residents in my Ward in the coming weeks urging them to contact Mrs Watson-Brown’s electorate office to ask specifically:
- What is she doing to find out what has happened to this $12.5 million, and
- If it is to be spent on this intersection, what project does she propose should be undertaken.
Chair, motorists in my Ward are frustrated and have had enough of inaction from the State Labor Government and the Federal Greens Member.
I will keep calling them out in the hope that pressure can be applied on them to listen to what residents of the western suburbs want and urgently need, or pay the price at the next State and Federal elections.
Thank you.