Group calls for intersection upgrade after fatal accident

A community group is putting pressure on the State Government and council to fix an intersection where a nurse died.

The Prince Charles Hospital emergency department. Picture: AAP/Josh Woning

THE State Government and Brisbane City Council are being urged to prioritise funding for a safety upgrade at an intersection outside The Prince Charles Hospital.

The Queensland Community Alliance (QCA) has called for an upgrade at the intersection of Hamilton Rd and Staib Rd/Zenith Ave, Chermside following an accident on November 24 last year.

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Nurse Solita Honorio, who was leaving the hospital, was critically injured in the two-vehicle accident. The 52-year-old Fitzgibbon resident died three days later.

Solita Honorio of Fitzgibbon died after a two-vehicle accident outside The Prince Charles Hospital in November 2018.

Last week Council sent the State Government a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to co-fund a signalised intersection at Hamilton Rd.

QCA member and Together Union delegate Michelle Byard said while it was fantastic there was an MOU “the thing we’re really disappointed in is there’s still no agreement on the funding.

“It’s a council road and they have offered to pay 50 per cent but the other 50 per cent needs to come from somewhere. We don’t care who’s paying for it.

“It’s been four months since Solita died and there have been accidents since then, and another terrible accident where a car got written off.”

Member for Stafford Anthony Lynham said he was committed to working cooperatively with Brisbane City Council on the issue.

“Funding has not been discussed as we still await appropriate traffic planning by Council, as agreed,” Dr Lynham said.

“It has taken significant effort to get to this point. It is good news that this matter is moving forward.”

Member for Stafford Anthony Lynham. Picture: AAP/Josh Woning

Council Infrastructure Chairman Amanda Cooper said she and the Lord Mayor would meet with Dr Lynham and QCA members in the coming fortnight to discuss safety around the hospital.

“People’s safety comes before politics, which is why the Lord Mayor agreed to contribute 50 per cent of the cost to signalise this intersection after Cr (Fiona) Hammond brought the community’s concerns to his attention,” Cr Cooper said.

“The Prince Charles Hospital has been within the State Government’s planning control for the best part of two decades, and the State Government has completed a master plan to detail its future growth.

“Council has not been provided a copy of the State Government’s plans, and any expansion will put more pressure on the local road network so it is vital that the intersection of Hamilton Rd and Zenith Ave (opposite the Staib Rd hospital exit) is signalised to meet this increased demand.

“As with any major health care facility, there needs to be safe access for patients and staff and Council urgently calls for a copy of the master plan so we can work with the State Government to ensure that visitors move safely around the precinct.”

Lord Mayor Graham Quirk and Infrastructure chairman Amanda Cooper. Picture: Ellen-Maree Elliot

In December last year, the QCA surveyed 726 people at the hospital and 722 said the Hamilton Rd intersection needed to be redesigned.

More than 470 said they had been involved in or witnessed a near miss at the intersection, and 114 said they had been involved in or witnessed a collision.

However Ms Byard said the intersection wasn’t the only one on the Alliance’s radar.

“We started this a year ago when residents and patients started to say they were really quite scared exiting and entering Prince Charles particularly on Rode Rd and Webster Rd.

“Rode Rd is the main entrance. You have to give way and, in peak hour traffic, to turn right you have to dodge two ways of traffic and fit in that bit in the middle. There are lots of trucks because there’s an industrial area nearby.

“On Webster Rd people can go 70km either way with people trying to get in and out of Prince Charles Hospital.

“So that’s where we thought would be our first priority, but Solita died and we turned our attention to Hamilton Rd.”

The Prince Charles Hospital Executive Director Michele Gardner said the hospital “takes safe traffic management for our staff and community very seriously”.

“Metro North is very supportive of Brisbane City Council’s plans to consider an upgrade of the Hamilton Rd/Staib Rd intersection.

“We are actively engaging with the Council on strategies to improve local road safety, including the preparation of a Move Safe plan to address traffic management issues both on campus and near the hospital.

“We will continue working with the Queensland Community Alliance, Brisbane City Council and local representatives on ways to improve road safety,” Ms Gardner said.