Dale Last slams Mark Bailey over rail crossing upgrades on Peter Delemothe Rd
A local MP says regional Queensland is ‘obviously not a priority’ after a plea to fix a rail crossing where a man died in a horrific crash was rejected by the State Government.
Whitsunday
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A push to build an overpass at a level train crossing where a Townsville man lost his life in a horrific collision with a train has been rejected.
Burdekin MP Dale Last wrote to Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey asking him to consider upgrading the level crossings on Peter Delemothe Rd.
The state route, connecting Bowen and Collinsville, was closed overnight on July 11 after an Aurizon coal train collided with a Toyota LandCruiser ute, killing the ute’s passenger, 50-year-old Bentley Parsgaard.
A TMR spokesman said there were no plans to build three overpasses to replace rail crossings on that route.
The spokesman advised the best way for motorists to be safe on the road was to “remain alert, drive to the conditions, and obey the road rules”.
“We will continue to seek funding where possible to progress priority works,” he said.
He said with more than 1400 rail crossings across Queensland, any upgrades for rail crossings would “compete for funding” based on their “priority”.
Mr Last said his mission to make North Queensland roads safer was back to square one.
Mr Last said the rejection was “hypocritical” considering other train-related projects demanded a lot of public funding, referring to the state government’s $2.4bn budget blowout over its state-funded train manufacturing program in Maryborough.
“For just a fraction of that, the people who drive the Peter Delemothe Rd could have had their journey made safer,” he said.
“Funding is allocated in accordance with statewide priorities and, obviously, regional Queensland is not a priority.”
It is understood a Queensland Level Crossing Safety Strategy should be finalised before the end of this year which will aim at renewing a “commitment to zero harm” at level crossings throughout Queensland.
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