No to Bypass Protest

Friday, 31 October 2008 13:33

I will not be attending planned protest against the Kenmore Bypass. 

Thirty years ago next year plans to build the bypass and alleviate the chaos that local residents now experience every day were abandoned following similar protests.

Protesters have been given every opportunity to participate in the consideration of the Kenmore Bypass and to put forward their views. 

They are uniquely placed by being represented on the Community Reference Group to put forward their views.  Many other residents do not have this opportunity. 

Read more: No to Bypass Protest

Submissions Closed – The Next Step

Thursday, 17 July 2008 10:00

Our community has endured years of neglect of our steadily worsening transport problems and it has taken this long fight just to get the Government to commit to studying what can be done.

I think that many people have lost sight of the fact that no decision has been made in relation to the Kenmore Bypass, it is just a study and community consultation into what potentially could be done.

The study is the first time in many years that the State Government have even looked into fixing some of the long neglected traffic problems in our community. I think that examining possible solutions to the chaos and asking people what they think can only be a good thing, and I support it.
 
If indeed the study and consultation finds that a bypass of Kenmore is not a practical solution to the problem or that the level of community support is not strong enough, it will not proceed.

As I have said before, it is ultimately not my decision to make, but  I do want  is something done to fix local transport.  At the end of the day it is Government engineers and Main Roads departmental officials who will determine whether proposals, such as the Kenmore bypass, have sufficient merit to have additional study and consultation put into them.
 
I am in no doubt whatsoever that the Government, particularly in its current financial situation, is in no hurry to lavish large sums of money on the Western Suburbs of Brisbane. What I do know is that something needs to be done about the chaos and I fear that some of the tactics being used will simply give the Government an excuse to continue to further ignore and neglect local transport.
 
Public Transport
           
The Kenmore Bypass is largely about improving public transport.
 
Our current road corridor through Kenmore lacks the capacity for any fast, dedicated public transport.
 
The Government study has made it clear only increasing road capacity will allow that extra capacity to be used for the provision of better, more reliable dedicated public transport. Additional lanes added building a bypass will allow a public transport/ transit lane to be created.
 
I vigorously advocated the construction of the community’s first two Park and Rides over the last couple of the years and will continue to call for improvements to public transport in our area. Read more below about Park and Rides in our area.
 
Not all trips are suitable to undertake on public transport, but for those that can feasibly be completed on public transport we need fast, reliable, safe and comfortable services.
 
The State Government’s long-term infrastructure plan, has no provision locally for rail or light rail - it stipulates that public transport planning for our area, as well as much of Brisbane, is for bus transport.
I believe that rail and light rail should be examined as long-term public transport solutions for our area.
 
If we want to improve public transport under present arrangements, that means improving dedicated bus infrastructure. This requires more road capacity.
 
The bypass study is also about cycling.
 
Locally, we have some of the highest rates of cycle use in Brisbane, yet we still have no safe connection between our community and the growing bikeway network within Brisbane.
 
Specifically, the study is examining the construction of a bikeway connecting the Western Freeway bikeway to Kenmore. This would provide a sound alternative for some people to using their car and would also significantly enhance the lifestyle of many local people.
 
Conclusion
 
At the end of the day, there are three outcomes that I want to see from this process:
 
1.      An effective solution to the long neglected and unacceptable traffic conditions that plague our local community.
 
2.      Greatly upgraded public transport that will offer a genuine alternative for local residents. I want to see this area have dedicated public transport infrastructure to provide a reliable link to the major destinations in Brisbane, especially schools and universities. 
 
3.      A safe cycle connection between our area and Brisbane’s growing cycle network.

The Greens Anti Bypass Rally

Thursday, 19 June 2008 10:00

I did not receive an invitation to speak at the Greens Political Rally at Kenmore High School on the 12th June.

The only email I received was unable to confirm a date.

However it is unlikely I would have chosen to attend anyway given that resolving our critical transport issues is a vital issue for every local resident and the scoring of cheap political points will not help us resolve something that I know and understand is very difficult for many people.

The meeting was held 12 days after the close of submissions to Western Brisbane Transport Network Investigation on local public transport issues 

Local people were misled given submissions on public transport had already closed!

Submissions to that $17 million State Government study were the avenue to examine local public transport.

This wasn’t about public transport.  They had months to make submissions on it.

This was just a political rally against the Kenmore Bypass.

I have been contacted by at least one angry local resident who attended the meeting believing that it would be an information meeting but finding they were at a protest meeting and political rally.

I note Main Roads did not attend.

It is important to understand that there has been no decision made to build any transport infrastructure locally.

What is occurring is that proposals have been considered and one of those proposals has been put out for community consultation.

The community should be allowed to make its submissions and have this debate without it becoming a political point scoring exercise for the Greens or the Labor member for Indooroopilly.

The most likely outcome of this sort of political interference in what at this stage is only a community consultation process is the possibility they will give the Government an excuse to continue to do nothing about the deteriorating state of transport infrastructure.

In fact one of the key drivers in the Government choosing to put the Kenmore Bypass out to community consultation is that it is the only option currently under consideration that allows sufficient transport corridor space to give our local area dedicated public transport and a safe cycle link to the growing cycle network within Brisbane.

It is not simply a road and car proposal as painted by those holding the political rally.

Flyers may Mislead

Tuesday, 10 June 2008 10:00

Quite a number of unattributed flyers are being circulated throughout local suburbs.

Some of these flyers are pro-bypass, some are anti-bypass.

Some are designed to look as tough they have come from the Department of Main roads and most do not make it clear who has put them out or why.  I am concerned that there is inaccurate information in a number of flyers.

Information from Main Roads bears the Government logo.

If you are concerned about information contained in flyers, some of which is completely inaccurate please contact the study group at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or myself  at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

 For clarity again I stress that the State Government have put forward the issue of a bypass to give the local community to have a say.  No decision or recommendation has been made to build a bypass.

It is appropriate that local communities are given the opportunity to have a say prior to such decisions being made.  However, people are entitled to have their say based on accurate information.  The study group’s website is www.mainroads.qld.gov.au