ROAD MADNESS – Where has the commonsense gone?

Thursday, 24 April 2008 10:00

Whilst I was delighted to see the WBTNI reject a bypass through Bellbowrie, Brookfield and Brisbane Forest Park I was very disappointed to see them waste millions of dollars to consider building a highway through Bellbowrie, Pullenvale, Pinjarra Hills and Kenmore to link the Warrego Highway to the Western Freeway.

The State Government vigorously opposed a bypass of Goodna in favour of an upgrade of the Ipswich Motorway but they are now proposing their own bypass. In this case it is unbelievably ill-conceived.

To read the speech I gave to Parliament on behalf of local residents please go to www.moggill.net

The Warrego Highway is a major interstate truck route.  The whole debate about the Ipswich Motorway was to ensure that the many thousands of double B’s and large trucks use the preferred truck route the Warrego Highway, Ipswich Motorway and Logan Motorway.

To build this ill-conceived road would in fact open a truck route from the Warrego Highway through our community onto the already hopelessly inadequate Western Freeway and straight onto Milton Road and the heart of Brisbane.

Quite frankly, this is nonsense and I have urged the WBTNI and the Parliament to stop wasting taxpayers money and start looking at some of a wide range of possible transport improvements that could actually help fix some of the severely inadequate roads and transport within the local area.

Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace

Tuesday, 22 April 2008 10:00

It has been announced that the Kenmore Bypass proposal will now go to a full feasibility and community consultation.

Your chance to have a say ends 16-6-08!

If our community doesn’t answer the call to make comment you can be certain nothing will happen.

That is why you need to have your say by: Clicking Here.

Your response will be forwarded to the Department of Main Roads for inclusion in community consultation.

This is an important announcement.  The Government’s preliminary investigation about which I have been writing to you for some time has made some very important determinations.

Critically the Government’s study has acknowledged what we already know locally that Moggill Road is the only access road to the Brisbane CBD for thousands of local residents and that it is “at capacity”!

The preliminary study also considered measures that would improve traffic flow along the existing Moggill Road and importantly found that these were not feasible.

The Government’s preliminary study confirmed that a bypass would significantly reduce the extensive “rat running” on local streets particularly Kenmore Road and many streets in Chapel Hill and Pullenvale.  It would provide the opportunity to significantly improve public transport to the local area and substantially reduce traffic around Central Kenmore and Chapel Hill and around schools and shops.

A community consultation will commence immediately and submissions close on the 26th of May.

The Government also indicated that they have met with a group of residents opposed to building a bypass and that their views will be fully considered.

I am delighted that our community is to be given the opportunity to consider a possible major local transport solution.

This is what we have been fighting for and at this point in time it is the only proposal “on the table” that is likely to make a significant improvement in our constantly deteriorating traffic congestion. 

But I emphasise strongly none of this is a guarantee that the Government will proceed with this project.

They have identified a number of possible negatives, the principal ones being obviously the cost and the issues around our local traffic entering the Western Freeway.

Clearly the Western Freeway remains a critical issue for local residents and in its present state it is completely unacceptable. The Western Freeway is being studied separately by the WBTNI.  However whilst a bypass of Kenmore would alter traffic flows,  given that it is largely traffic already using Moggill Road and the Western Freeway to commute to Brisbane it would not be adding significantly to overall traffic numbers.

I continue where I began when I first wrote to you, by stating that unless our local community indicates overwhelmingly that it wants something done about Moggill Road nothing at all will happen!

I would like to see every man and woman in the local area telling the government what they think about Moggill Road and a bypass of Kenmore.

We have reached a critical step towards getting a final decision on this issue and it is unlikely that this matter will be revisited for many years if at all.

Click Here to listen to my recent interview on 4BC.

HAVE YOUR SAY - CLICK HERE

Fed Up with Moggill Road?

Tuesday, 15 January 2008 10:00

Make sure you have your say about this proposal - Click Here

Click Here to read my speech to Parliament outling your concerns.

WHAT IS THE KENMORE BYPASS?

There is a road reserve running between Moggill Road near the Vet Farm and the Western Freeway which has been owned by the Main Roads Department for almost forty years. Click to enlarge image.

A Kenmore bypass would see this section of road built to allow in excess of twenty thousand cars a day entering Kenmore along Moggill Road to have the option of going direct to the Western Freeway.

Central Kenmore has become an unpleasant bottle-neck because of the near doubling of traffic numbers with the entry of Kenmore Road, Brookfield Road & Marshall Lane as well as the presence of some eleven sets of traffic lights and the roundabout. 

Central Kenmore is also home to three schools, two of which front Moggill Road.

These schools have frequently raised serious safety concerns because of the physical limitations of the Central Kenmore part of Moggill Road.

The Main Roads Department have long been of the view that little or nothing can be done to actually improve the flow of traffic along Moggill Road.

With continuing growth particularly in the Moggill/Bellbowrie area traffic volumes are increasing significantly every year.

If a bypass were built travel times including those for public transport could be significantly reduced and importantly traffic conditions could be expected to improve dramatically on Moggill Road through both Kenmore and Chapel Hill.

This would improve conditions for locally generated traffic and in particular traffic related to the local schools.

WHAT IS THE MAIN ROADS STUDY LOOKING AT?

Following long running representations from myself, the Main Roads Department has conducted a study which will be released for public comment shortly on the feasibility of constructing the Kenmore Bypass as well as the effectiveness of doing so.

This is only a preliminary study and there is currently no government support for building this road, only the willingness to look at the option.

MOGGILL POCKET SUB ARTERIAL

There is also road reserve extending from Moggill Pocket through Pullenvale to Moggill Road.  This reserve is officially known as “Moggill Pocket Sub Arterial”.  I have always been and remain a staunch opponent of constructing a road through this section of road corridor.

This section of road corridor IS NOT part of the current study for the Kenmore Bypass.
 
However in a separate study (WBTNI) this section of road is being considered in relation to a Western Brisbane Bypass.  I am staunchly opposed to the construction of any Western Brisbane Bypass through our area.  It is important not to confuse the study of the three kilometres of road in the Kenmore Bypass with the totally separate study of the WBTNI into the Western Brisbane Bypass.

If you are confused about the difference please feel free to contact me.

I NEED YOUR FEEDBACK

The road reserve has been around for decades and no action has taken place on it.  In fact following my representation the present preliminary study is the first indication of the Government’s willingness to consider the project.

Previously when it has been discussed no action has been taken because of a perceived lack of local support.

Given the deteriorating traffic conditions on Moggill Road which also seriously impacts public transport and the expected increase in traffic volumes in the years to come this is a project that must be seriously considered.

There are many competing demands for transport infrastructure in South East Queensland and unless there is strong feedback from the local community it is likely that consideration for this project will not be a high priority.

I strongly urge you to tell me what you think by filling in the simple questionnaire.

Click Here to Have Your Say.

I also want to keep you informed of future developments and to do so I intend to use email. So I strongly encourage you to fill out your comments and urge your friends, neighbours and family to do the same.