Brisbane City Council to prioritise public transport over building roads
City Hall’s youngest representative, who has just been handed the council’s biggest project, has declared a major change in council’s fight against congestion.
Southeast
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CITY HALL’S youngest representative has just been handed the council’s biggest, billion-dollar project and declared the new regime would prioritise public transport over roads.
Incoming Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner has bequeathed his former portfolio, Public and Active Transport, to 30-year-old councillor Ryan Murphy.
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The newly minted civic cabinet member, who is responsible for delivering Brisbane Metro and Cr Schrinner’s five green bridges, has promised “a real pivot” in tackling congestion.
“If we’ve been known for anything in the last decade it’s been for delivering road infrastructure but we’ve seen across the world that it’s impossible to outbuild congestion,” he said.
“This new generation of leadership in City Hall sees that we must move our building program towards public and active transport infrastructure.
“We must end the war between cyclists and motorists. Cyclists and pedestrians are the motorists’ best friends.
“The best thing we can do for traffic congestion is not to build more roads, it’s to get more cars off our existing roads, and building Brisbane Metro and our five new green bridges will do just that and I can’t wait to get started on them.”
Cr Murphy holds Doboy on a 3.5 per cent margin — one of the slimmest in Brisbane City Council — but said he was ready to a challenge at next year’s election.
“I’ve been in tough fights before,” he said.
“It’s always difficult balancing responsibilities as a ward councillor and now coming into civic cabinet that will now take additional time I would have spent out in the ward.
“It just means I’ll need to redouble my efforts.”
Cr Murphy was elected in 2012, defeating ALP Cr John Campbell.
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