27 Nov 2014: Sunshine Coast: Call for state government to coordinate planning

[ozbob]

Media release 27th November 2014



Sunshine Coast: Call for state government to coordinate planning

Pomona has become the focus of a call by public transport advocacy group Rail Back On Track for the Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) and Queensland Rail (QR) to better coordinate their planning around the upgrade of the Reserve Street level crossing and the proposed closure of the cross-track pedestrian pathway linking Station and Factory streets via the Pomona Railway Station.

Queensland Rail wants pedestrian and cyclists to use a new pathway to be built on the northern side of the level crossing, between the IGA supermarket and Pages furniture factory.  Work will start early next year.

Pathway connections from the surrounding streets, as well as on-road bicycle paths are planned, but won't be built at the same time as the new level crossing boom gates and controlling mechanism are installed.  Noosa Council is objecting to the close of the mid-town crossing connecting the Majestic Theatre with the Pomona Hotel.

Spokesman for Rail Back On Track, Robert Dow, said the situation at Pomona reflected planning inadequacies at other railway towns on the North Coast Line where the needs of pedestrians and cyclists had not been considered adequately, resulting in the railway becoming a barrier to connectivity and walking movements.

"At Pomona, QR is contemplating closing a popular mid-town pedestrian pathway, forcing pedestrians and cyclists to go the long way around to an alternative crossing point at a dangerous intersection in town.  New paths along roads controlled by TMR are required, but TMR refuses to pay for them.  QR also refuses to consult the local community after written undertaking that it would do so."

Mr Dow said managing a modern railway was not confined simply to steel tracks, sleepers and signals, but to a gamut of issues about how people lived, connected, worked and shopped.

Rail Back on Track Sunshine Coast spokesperson, Jeff Addison, said now was the time for TMR to act and establish a railway towns revitalisation taskforce in conjunction with the Sunshine Coast and Noosa councils.

Mr Addison quoted from the Sunshine Coast Council's Sustainable Transport Discussion Paper, which states:  "The planning and delivery of sustainable transport for the Sunshine Coast requires an integrated partnership approach between all levels of government, key stakeholders and the community at large.  Clear direction and a platform for future transport funding and delivery is required in entering into partnerships with transport service providers at the early stages of planning in order to assist in meeting the challenge of addressing transport needs for a growing population with changing demographics."

"Clearly, TMR and QR need to be at the table, negotiating with councils the integrated, place-based planning solutions envisaged.  As we see at Pomona, currently, these agencies remain disengaged," Mr Addison said.

Contacts:

Jeff Addison
Sunshine Coast Region Spokesperson for RAIL Back On Track

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org
RAIL Back On Track http://backontrack.org

[ozbob]

From the Cooroora Connect December 2014

Call for state government to coordinate planning