New road proposed for east of the Bruce Highway opposed by SSRC

[Stillwater]

Today's Sunshine Coast Daily contains a story about TMR briefing Sunshine Coast Council on a new road proposed for east of the Bruce Highway that would alleviate highway traffic, similar to the 'Coomera Connector Road' for the Gold Coast. Councillors fear this is a Trojan Horse for new development. They have made clear their priority remains SCL Upgrade.

But, watch this space -- see whether TMR advances the road planning ahead of rail planning.

[ozbob]

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Sunshine Coast Daily 18th September 2019 pages 1 & 4

PLAN JUST A TROJAN HORSE



New hwy move is off mark

[ozbob]

Today's Sunshine Coast Daily contains a story about TMR briefing Sunshine Coast Council on a new road proposed for east of the Bruce Highway that would alleviate highway traffic, similar to the 'Coomera Connector Road' for the Gold Coast. Councillors fear this is a Trojan Horse for new development. They have made clear their priority remains SCL Upgrade.

But, watch this space -- see whether TMR advances the road planning ahead of rail planning.

Good that the Councillors are alert to the scams peddled by TMR.  They are anti-rail and pro-roads. 

Until rail is brought out of TMR this state is doomed!!

[achiruel]

I am generally pro-rail and not in favour of massive road expansions. However if extra road capacity is needed in that area particularly to serve local destinations etc as there is a very limited bus network between Caboolture and Landsborough, wouldn't the logical thing to do be to duplicate Steve Irwin Way? i.e. the area in which towns such as Glasshouse Mountains, Beerwah, Landsborough already exist? There's basically nothing but forest on the eastern side of the Bruce Hwy between Donnybrook and Golden Beach and IMO it should stay that way!

[Stillwater]

SCRC in favour of duplicating Steve Irwin Way (west of Bruce Highway).  The TMR proposal is for east of Bruce Highway new road alignment. Of course, this sits pretty with the Stockland proposal to serve a proposed new 'mega city' at Hall Creek.  SCRC has opposed Halls Creek development in favour of Beerwah East, which would be serviced by CAMCOS.

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/7NewsSC/status/1174594892485365766

[Stillwater]

Sunshine Coast Daily report today: https://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/news/mayor-condemns-devastating-new-highway-plan/3835213/

It's great to see the community and council united on this. Mr Bailey and Co. propose even more planning (for a new road corridor) when the projected works for the Bruce Highway, Steve Irwin Way and SCL have not been implemented. 

It is a classic case of a minister and a government wanting to be seen to be doing something without doing anything -- a political distraction as some have rightly identified.  In reply to a question from the media about congestion on the Sunshine Coast, the Minister wants to be in a position to say: "We have plans for the railway there, but only if the Federal Government comes to the party, and we want to discuss six-laning the Bruce Highway between Caloundra and Caboolture.  The state government is being pro-active about this, and we have now begun planning for a relief arterial route east of the Bruce Highway."

The state government is under pressure from developers to open up new tracts of land for housing in that area -- housing that would cause detriment to Pumicestone Passage.  The housing would be in the green buffer that separates the Sunshine Coast from 'northern Brisbane' (Moreton Bay Regional Council area), bringing about the 'Noosagatta' conglomeration abomination -- 200km of urban form between Noosa in the North and Coolangatta in the south.

In other words, more development will be allowed to occur while infrastructure provision lags.  The answer is there and won't go away.  Duplicate the SCL and six-lane the Bruce Highway between Caloundra and Caboolture, in the same way as the MI has been widened.  But we know that has not worked as it becomes the M1 Carpark in the peaks. So rail should be a priority for investment.

Remember, the state government has been told what's needed in numerous reports, yet still it won't act. A Parliamentary Committee report even said that 'doing nothing is not an option' in respect of SCL duplication.  What's the government doing? -- nothing.

The timing of this announcement (a new east of Bruce road corridor) must also be seen in light of the Minister's comments about 'getting on with upgrading the SCL', which is stuck in the land acquisition and pre-construction phases. In that regard, Mr Bailey is trying to make a silk purse of a sow's ear.

Fast and frequent rail services to the SC would relieve pressure on the Bruce Highway and Mr Bailey knows this.

Let's hope this does not degenerate into another state-feds fight, with the federal government proposing North Coast Connect (rail) and the state saying the answer is for any money earmarked for that project to be diverted to a new road east of the Bruce Highway. But it probably will, with nothing happening in the meantime.