Why mayoral candidate Mona Hecke does not want to talk about trams heading south
Mayoral candidate Mona Hecke has told the Bulletin she is ‘deliberately’ avoiding the light real debate. Here’s why.
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MAYORAL candidate Mona Hecke admits she is deliberately trying to avoid the tram debate about light rail heading south.
At a Central Chamber of Commerce ‘Meet the Candidates’ breakfast, Ms Hecke focused on three topics — transport congestion, the need to widen the economy from tourism and construction and supporting better development which matches expectations of the City Plan.
Ms Hecke, who has previously been reported as saying the tram network should be “paused”, has distanced herself from comments by rival candidate Virginia Freebody who today called for a rollout of the network south to Coolangatta to be halted.
Ms Hecke told The Bulletin: “I deliberately omitted speaking about the light rail this morning because people keep pressing me for a simple Yes or No on whether I will support Stage 3B heading south from Burleigh Heads.
“Transport planning and infrastructure delivery is complex. To speak of singular issues ignores the broader context and considerations. Since 2015, I have been advocating to fast-track heavy rail to Coolangatta. It’s the lynch pin in our entire transport system. I have also been pushing for east-west public transport links.”
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On the light rail heading south from Burleigh, Ms Hecke said she has consistently called for a wider debate about the design, the route and technology options.
“No-one can deny that Stage 1 badly affected the main streets of Southport and Surfers Paradise, and that type of impact should be avoided in other areas,” she said.
“I’m not alone in wanting these things. Many Gold Coasters have been waving the flag for
better east-west public transport links.”
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