“Deputy Chair, I rise to speak on this motion as I have a critical road project in my ward at Bracken Ridge. Councillor Wines has referred to it and I previously have in the Chamber. It is a fantastic upgrade that is proposed and that was committed to by the Federal Government after our local Federal MP, Luke Howarth, lobbied to get this project done under the Urban Congestion Fund. The community is very excited about this, as it is a very important project and will actually link up and support the State Government’s Beams Road overpass, if and when that gets done. So it is critical that these four lanes support that. We did do extensive community consultation. We actually listened to the community on this, and there were changes made to the final project. It has some great features that are going to improve the safety, but also connectivity.
One of the main things that is being done is the upgrade of the Dorville Road intersection with traffic lights, including pedestrian crossings. There have been nearly 30 accidents in that area, and so, obviously, it is a critical project that we would like to get done. There are going to be four—we’ll go from two lanes to four lanes along this corridor. There is going to be widening in the culverts and constructing a new shared path underpass at Cabbage Tree Creek. Now, this is not only important for the new Holy Spirit College that’s being built there, but also St Flannan’s in Councillor Cassidy’s ward, to improve the safety of children on their way to and from school.
The upgrading of the traffic lights at the intersection with Handford Road, I know Councillor Cassidy would be hoping will go ahead because this will provide dedicated left turn lanes, as well as improve that safety and connectivity, and the installation of pedestrian-activated signalised crossings throughout the corridor to improve people walking and riding. There’s also traffic lights at the intersection of Cowie Road to improve safety for all road users, and that will include U-turn facilities for residents on the other side of the street, and the upgrading and installing new shared paths throughout the corridor to improve the connectivity for people, in particular for riders, and widening the kerbside lanes throughout the corridor for active transport users.
I know that Councillor Cassidy supports this project, as Councillor Wines referred to before. So, too, does the member for Lilley, who spoke about it while she was in Opposition. So I’m hoping that, now that she’s in Government, she will advocate for this project because, as they said on Facebook, we know this is going to deliver a great outcome for the community, less congestion and more jobs here on the northside. I do hope that you will support this motion, Councillor Cassidy. Thank you.”
16 May 2023
