Brisbane City Council says Queensland Government needs to invest in city’s transport network

Brisbane’s infrastructure and public transport bosses are fed up with the State Government’s “reluctance” to invest in the capital and have listed the top priority projects the city needs.

Aerials of Brisbane

BRISBANE’S infrastructure and public transport bosses are fed up with the State Government’s “reluctance” to invest in the capital city’s transport network.

As the State Government consults on its South East Queensland Draft Regional Transport Plans Brisbane City Council has issued a list of priority projects the state has left behind.

The council wants the State Government to commit to funding the Eastern and Northern Busways; upgrades to major state-controlled roads; green bridges across the river; building the North West Transport Corridor and a schedule to replace open level crossings.

Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey listed billions of dollars worth of projects the state had invested in to benefit Brisbane and said City Hall was “responsible for its road network”.

Brisbane City Council Infrastructure chairwoman Amanda Cooper and Public and Active Transport chairman and Deputy Mayor Adrian Schrinner. Picture: Ellen-Maree Elliot

Infrastructure chairwoman Amanda Cooper said the plan was a good basis for future growth but too reliant “vague half promises” and Cross River Rail.

“The State Government have always been quite reluctant to deliver infrastructure in Brisbane and have really relied on council to do that work,” she said.

“The next step of this report needs to be concrete commitments to delivering infrastructure — not just vague half-promises and essentially making other people responsible for doing their job.”

Traffic on Gympie Rd, in Brisbane’s northside. Picture: Marc Robertson

She said Gympie Arterial Rd and Sandgate Rd on the northside and Beaudesert Rd on the southside all desperately needed major upgrades from the State Government.

“That’s why we’re experiencing additional pressure on council roads — because the roads that are meant to carry the large, heavy volumes of traffic can’t cope,” she said.

BRISBANE’S HIGH PRIORITY TRANSPORT PROJECTS

• Gympie Arterial Rd upgrades
• Sandgate Rd upgrades
• Beaudesert Rd upgrades
• Eastern and Northern Busways
• Green bridges across the Brisbane River
• North West ‘missing link’ from Alderley to Carseldine
• Schedule to replace Open Level Crossings

Deputy Mayor Adrian Schrinner said he supported the general direction the State Government’s plan and that it aligned with Brisbane City Council’s own Transport Plan.

“Where the rubber hits the road is the actual budgetary commitments to these projects, and taking them from concept through the business case phase and then to delivery.”

Cr Schrinner, who is Public and Active Transport chairman, wanted to know why plans for the eastern and northern busway extensions had “disappeared”.

Cr Adrian Schrinner says the State Government should commit to funding the northern and eastern busways. Picture: Jack Tran

“The busways have just disappeared from state planning altogether … You can’t have a long-term transport plan that doesn’t include that infrastructure,” he said.

He said extended busways would mean the council could extend Brisbane Metro.

Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey issued a scathing response to the councillors’ wishlists but was silent on committing to any of the council’s high priority projects.

He said Brisbane City Council had a $3 billion budget comparable to the Tasmanian State Government and that “City Hall is responsible for its local road network”.

Brisbane Deputy Mayor says the State Government needs to fund more bridges across the Brisbane River to change the way residents and visitors move around the city.

“City Hall, however, have allocated $650 million on one project at Kingsford Smith Drive and continues to ignore the Walter Taylor bottleneck at Chelmer and Indooroopilly in the southwest,” he said.

He said the State Government would spend $5.4 billion on Cross River Rail for Brisbane plus $355 million on roads in the Brisbane metropolitan region in 2018/19, including $9 million for local roads.

Mr Bailey said the state had also increased the council’s share of funding under the Transport Infrastructure Development Scheme.

He listed billions of dollars worth of State Government commitments to the Ipswich Motorway, Logan Enhancement Project, the M1, and the Sumners Rd Interchange.

Queensland, Minister for Transport and Main Roads Mark Bailey. Picture: AAP/Darren England