Gold Coast T2 to go

It will be a smoother journey for people driving along the Gold Coast Highway through Southport and Labrador, with T2 transit lanes set to be removed mid-2013.

Transport and Main Roads Minister Scott Emerson and Member for Broadwater Verity Barton said $100,000 would be spent to remove the unpopular transit lanes, improving capacity.

“Motorists along the Gold Coast Highway were unhappy when these transit lanes were installed and as a result they have been under-utilised,” Mr Emerson said.

“The out-of-touch Labor Government failed to listen to what people actually wanted, so the ‘car-pool’ concept that drives the reason for having transit lanes has been a flop.”

Figures from a traffic survey showed fewer than 30 per cent of weekday vehicles were eligible to use the T2 lane in the PM peak and fewer than 21 per cent were eligible in the AM peak.

“The Member for Broadwater Verity Barton has made strong representations to me about these concerns and I agree the best outcome for Gold Coast motorists is to return all lanes on the highway to general use as soon as possible,” he said

“I understand these concerns are also supported by Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate.”

Ms Barton said removing the T2 lanes would be welcomed by the local community.

“I am pleased the Minister has been able to deliver such a simple but cost-effective solution that will see motorists get the maximum benefit from the Gold Coast Highway,” Ms Barton said.

“It really shows how out-of-touch the Labor Government was, given they introduced these T2 lanes with very little community support.

“Removing the transit lanes will allow traffic to flow more freely and improve the congestion which often occurs on this stretch.”

This move comes at the same time as the announcement of the removal of T2 lanes on the Pacific Motorway stretch from Klumpp Road Interchange to Exit 16 near the Gateway Motorway merge.

The Newman Government is committed to delivering better infrastructure and better planning without the excessive price tag.

T2 transit lanes were originally installed by the previous Labor Government in stages as part of the Gold Coast Highway upgrade in 2010 and 2011.

[ENDS] 18 October 2012

Media contact: Stephanie Shield 0418 186 625