Article: Residents slugged public transport levy (Sunshine Coast Daily)

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Residents slugged public transport levy
22nd April 2009
by Alan Lander

All Aboard: A levy on ratepayers would improve the Sunshine Coast?s rail system and other public transport systems. Barry Leddicoat/181497
Sunshine Coast councillors have unanimously recommended an annual $20 public transport levy be introduced in the upcoming budget.

A prioritised project will be the Greenlink transport route from the Palmview master-planned community to the proposed new Sunshine Coast hospital at Kawana.

The levy would strictly be used to fund projects involving development of a multi-modal transport network across the Coast ? light rail, links to heavy rail and bus, and a substantially improved hinterland transport connection system to the Coast.

With traffic growth trends showing the Sunshine Motorway would be 10 lanes wide by 2032, due to the number of cars on the Coast now outpacing the rapid population increase, councillors agreed it was imperative that action be taken immediately.

Council chief executive John Knaggs said the council would not achieve its sustainability goal if it was not prepared to do the hard yards.

At a budget meeting yesterday, a report highlighted a proposed Gold Coast light-rail system, which included a $150 million council contribution to the projected $1.67 billion cost.

Mayor Bob Abbot said while the proposed levy would produce only $3 million a year, it would send a message to the state government that the council was being proactive in its quest for sustainability.

He said some smaller aspects of the public transport plan could be implemented quickly with the levy.

?What is really important about this levy is that we are serious about public transport and sustainability,? Mr Abbot said.

?Transport will be core business in a few years for us.?

He said the levy would be the up-front revenue, but caution was required to ensure it was not allowed to be ?jumped up? in cost every year.

?It provides quick, obvious results from the investment,? Mr Abbot said. ?We will all get a good return from this; it?s an opportunity to say we are in the business of public transport.?

Mr Abbot said the Gold Coast project showed ?if we invest a dollar, we will get $11?.

?The state government has never got past a basic transport service,? he said.

?By us investing in public transport, we will jump the queue.?

The meeting was presented with a report showing trends included growing expectations of an improved public transport system on the Coast, due to election promises; growing climate-change consciousness, ongoing population growth and the likelihood of increased fuel prices.

Councillors insisted the levy be targeted to projects that enhanced public transport, such as light rail. Cycle paths and minor improvements would be funded out of general revenue.

Sunshine Coast Daily article HERE