Published Tuesday, 15 January, 2008 at 07:44 PM
Deputy Premier and Minister for Infrastructure and Planning
The Honourable Paul Lucas
Lucas demands answers to Lord Mayor’s daily diet of gridlock
Queensland’s Coordinator-General will urgently meet with Brisbane City Council over its plan to keep Brisbane motorists in gridlock for two years during construction of the Hale St Bridge.
Acting Premier Paul Lucas today asked Coordinator-General Colin Jensen to meet with council and Main Roads tomorrow (January 16) to discuss traffic management plans for Brisbane City Council’s proposed Hale St Bridge.
“I’ve got a lot of faith in the Coordinator-General and in Main Roads,” Mr Lucas said.
“Unfortunately, Brisbane City Council has demonstrated its unwillingness to budge over its traffic management plan that would gridlock city roads for years.
“We support this council project and the State Government has a good history of working with Brisbane City Council and the Lord Mayor on a number of other projects.
“But Brisbane City Council’s own plan to manage traffic during construction shows there could be delays of 50 minutes each trip on Milton Rd and 80 minutes a day on Coronation Drive.
“That’s not acceptable to the State Government.
“Delays like that mean people would have to leave home an hour earlier each and every morning for two years and wouldn’t get home until an hour later.
“Drivers might as well be commuting from Laidley rather than Toowong.
“Main Roads told council it wasn’t good enough to gridlock the city for two years and asked for an improved traffic management plan.
“Unfortunately, the Lord Mayor has chosen to play politics with this rather than come back with a solution that would reduce delays.”
Mr Lucas said he would like to know whether Cr Newman had asked motorists if they were willing to put up with massive delays while work on the project continued for two years.
“Motorists are being very patient with work happening on projects like the North South Bypass tunnel, the Gateway Upgrade Project, the Ipswich Motorway and the Inner Northern Busway.
“These projects all have traffic management plans and they’re not causing 50 minute-per-trip delays that the Lord Mayor wants to foist on South East Queensland motorists with Hale St.
“If it’s good enough for projects that are much longer than this bridge and much more expensive, I don’t see why council can’t get it right for this one.
“I urge the Lord Mayor to take another look at this. Handing in the same piece of homework that has already been given a failing grade isn’t good enough for motorists and it’s not good enough for me.
“I’ve asked the Coordinator-General to try to resolve these issues within the next two weeks.
“If this can’t be sorted out and council still refuses to budge in that time, the State Government will look at its options for taking control of the project.”
Media inquiries: Robert Hoge 0419 757 868
Attached: Section of Brisbane City Council Hale St Bridge Traffic Management Plan detailing traffic delays.
What the RACQ says:
Bridge project needs more effective traffic plan
The RACQ has urged the Brisbane City Council and State Government to cooperate in devising a more effective traffic management plan for the Hale Street Bridge project.
RACQ chief executive officer Ian Gillespie said the club shared the State Government’s concerns over unacceptably long traffic delays while the bridge was being built.
“To delay commuters for up to 50 minutes a day for an extended construction program of two-and-a-half years is just not an acceptable plan,” Mr Gillespie said.
“With State Government support, the council needs to find a better way to manage traffic flows, or change the design or building method.
December 13, 2007
Full release:
www.racq.com.au/cps/rde/xchg/racq_cms_production/hs.xsl/News_Archive_Foun_6953_ENA_HTML.htm
Acting Premier Paul Lucas today asked Coordinator-General Colin Jensen to meet with council and Main Roads tomorrow (January 16) to discuss traffic management plans for Brisbane City Council’s proposed Hale St Bridge.
“I’ve got a lot of faith in the Coordinator-General and in Main Roads,” Mr Lucas said.
“Unfortunately, Brisbane City Council has demonstrated its unwillingness to budge over its traffic management plan that would gridlock city roads for years.
“We support this council project and the State Government has a good history of working with Brisbane City Council and the Lord Mayor on a number of other projects.
“But Brisbane City Council’s own plan to manage traffic during construction shows there could be delays of 50 minutes each trip on Milton Rd and 80 minutes a day on Coronation Drive.
“That’s not acceptable to the State Government.
“Delays like that mean people would have to leave home an hour earlier each and every morning for two years and wouldn’t get home until an hour later.
“Drivers might as well be commuting from Laidley rather than Toowong.
“Main Roads told council it wasn’t good enough to gridlock the city for two years and asked for an improved traffic management plan.
“Unfortunately, the Lord Mayor has chosen to play politics with this rather than come back with a solution that would reduce delays.”
Mr Lucas said he would like to know whether Cr Newman had asked motorists if they were willing to put up with massive delays while work on the project continued for two years.
“Motorists are being very patient with work happening on projects like the North South Bypass tunnel, the Gateway Upgrade Project, the Ipswich Motorway and the Inner Northern Busway.
“These projects all have traffic management plans and they’re not causing 50 minute-per-trip delays that the Lord Mayor wants to foist on South East Queensland motorists with Hale St.
“If it’s good enough for projects that are much longer than this bridge and much more expensive, I don’t see why council can’t get it right for this one.
“I urge the Lord Mayor to take another look at this. Handing in the same piece of homework that has already been given a failing grade isn’t good enough for motorists and it’s not good enough for me.
“I’ve asked the Coordinator-General to try to resolve these issues within the next two weeks.
“If this can’t be sorted out and council still refuses to budge in that time, the State Government will look at its options for taking control of the project.”
Media inquiries: Robert Hoge 0419 757 868
Attached: Section of Brisbane City Council Hale St Bridge Traffic Management Plan detailing traffic delays.
What the RACQ says:
Bridge project needs more effective traffic plan
The RACQ has urged the Brisbane City Council and State Government to cooperate in devising a more effective traffic management plan for the Hale Street Bridge project.
RACQ chief executive officer Ian Gillespie said the club shared the State Government’s concerns over unacceptably long traffic delays while the bridge was being built.
“To delay commuters for up to 50 minutes a day for an extended construction program of two-and-a-half years is just not an acceptable plan,” Mr Gillespie said.
“With State Government support, the council needs to find a better way to manage traffic flows, or change the design or building method.
December 13, 2007
Full release:
www.racq.com.au/cps/rde/xchg/racq_cms_production/hs.xsl/News_Archive_Foun_6953_ENA_HTML.htm