Article: Canberra hears of anger over road and rail chaos

[ozbob]

Great minds think alike? 

From Courier Mail click here!

Canberra hears of anger over road and rail chaos

Canberra hears of anger over road and rail chaos
Article from: The Courier-Mail

August 29, 2008 12:00am

MAYORS from southeast Queensland descended on Canberra demanding more than half the $20 billion Building Australia Fund.

The local government chiefs presented Federal Infrastructure Minister Anthony Albanese with a list of 12 priority projects totalling $11.8 billion.

They insisted it was not an ambit claim even though they want well over half the money allocated for the whole nation.

Allan Sutherland of the Moreton Bay Regional Council said the southeast corner was the fastest growing region in Australia and needed federal help.

"The roads and railways are at capacity," he said. "The place will be on its knees in five or 10 years."

The list includes $273 million to upgrade Kingsford Smith Drive, $1.9 billion to improve the Pacific Motorway and $1.8 billion for the Gold Coast Railway extension.

The mayors also released a survey which showed residents in the southeast were so angry about transport chaos they were ready to vent their anger at the federal ballot box.

The poll of 800 people found 69 per cent of those surveyed said the level of infrastructure spending would affect their vote at the next federal election.

More than half of those surveyed said the main priority for infrastructure spending was main roads, 23 per cent said rail services and 21 per cent said bus services.

Brisbane Lord Mayor Campbell Newman said the $20 billion fund would be "gobbled up" and the mayors were prepared for a long fight.

"This is day one, we will keep chipping away, we will keep lobbying."

Gold Coast Mayor Ron Clarke said money was needed as there was "more and more pressure" on infrastructure.

A spokeswoman for Mr Albanese said the funding decisions would be guided by a new national body.

"Infrastructure Australia is developing a priority list based on nationally significant infrastructure and that priority list will guide allocations," she said.

Mr Albanese told Parliament it was crucial the Senate passed Budget measures and not run down the Surplus which was directly linked to the building fund.

Other projects on the funding bid list for southeast Queensland are the duplication of the rail line to the Port of Brisbane, the Tilley Rd extension, the Petrie to Redcliffe Multi Modal Corridor, the Beerwah to Maroochydore rail line, the north coast rail line upgrade, the Sunshine Coast Airport runway, the Ipswich to Brisbane rail line upgrade, improving bridges in the Lockyer Valley and the Toowoomba Bypass.

[ozbob]

Media Release 22 August 2008

SEQ:  Light rail the sustainable solution for the Gold Coast ? A Building Australia Fund project?

RAIL Back On Track (http://backontrack.org) a web based community support group for rail and public transport and an advocate for public transport commuters has congratulated the Queensland Government, Queensland Transport, and the TransLink Transit Authority on the announcement today by Transport Minister Mickel that the preliminary business case for the Gold Coast Rapid Transit is recommending light rail as the solution to keep the city moving into the future.

Robert Dow, Spokesman for RAIL Back On Track said:

?Today is a very significant day in public transport.  The announcement that light rail is the preferred solution for the Gold Coast rapid transit is one of vision.?

?RAIL Back On Track has consistently put forward light rail as the most appropriate sustainable and capable solution for the Gold Coast rapid transit.?

?We call on the Federal Government to consider funding the Gold Coast rapid transit project from the Building Australia Fund.  On the 13th May 2008 the Hon Anthony Albanese MP Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government said in a statement that in part the Building Australia fund (1) would be used to improve the functioning of and quality of life within our major cities and major regional centres (2).?

?Modern light rail will become an iconic feature of Australia's premier holiday destination. Sustainable, environmentally friendly, high capacity, safe. It is clearly the optimum mass transit solution for the Gold Coast.  It is the type of project that the Building Australia fund should support.?

References:

1.  http://www.infrastructureaustralia.gov.au/

2.  http://www.minister.infrastructure.gov.au/aa/releases/2008/May/budget-infra_15-2008.htm

Contact:

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org