Ann Wason Moore: Unlikely friendship over Palm Beach light rail Stage 4 controversy

Last week she asked the question, what exactly does Palm Beach want? This week Ann Wason Moore has forged an unlikely friendship across what most would consider enemy lines.

MAYBE I’m a glutton for punishment.

Or maybe I just really care about this city.

Regardless, a few days ago I found myself forming an online friendship with a member of Palm Beach’s anti-light rail group, among whom I have become a favourite target.

And it started, of course, with shared common ground – abhorrence of Donald Trump. As they say, the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

Despite the antipathy shown to me by many in the group, the direct message I received from Nicolle Archer was both reasoned and measured in tone, and I felt it was worth the risk to reach out.

The light rail path through Burleigh and Palm Beach as originally proposed in the GCC consultation. PHOTO: Supplied

Although I am exasperated and frustrated by what seems to me a group focused on problems rather than solutions, I also respect the fact that these are people who are operating from a place of fear for the future of their own beloved neighbourhoods.

My own family and home will be directly affected by construction of Stage 3A, impacts that I believe will be positive for both our neighbourhood and for our children. Which is why I have a vested interest in seeing this light rail infrastructure succeed.

But I truly do want to understand what Palm Beach wants.

So far, none of the major proposals suggested – whether it’s light rail travelling down the Gold Coast Highway to the airport or turning off down Nineteenth Avenue – have been met with approval from these community groups.

LIGHT RAIL STAGE 4: WHAT PALM BEACH RESIDENTS REALLY THINK

Meanwhile, the rest of the city waits to hear the fate of our shared public transportation system.

And so, tired of typing longwinded messages and explanations, I phoned Nicolle directly … and we had a delightful and fairly fruitful conversation.

Did we solve the dilemma of the direction of the light rail? No. But we did find some light at the end of the (above-ground) tunnel.

At the heart of Nicolle and her neighbours’ frustration is a sense that they have not been heard and a fear that they never will be.

Despite assurances of community consultation, Nicolle says the tone of the few meetings that have been held has not been one of conversation but direction.

Mayor Tom Tate has spoken out about the anti-light rail movement. Picture by Scott Fletcher

“From the very first meeting about Stage 3A and looking towards 3B, it felt like a sales pitch. The decision had been made and now they were telling us why we should agree, not listening to our concerns,” she says.

“That night everyone was just furious. Poor (Division 12 councillor) Pauline Young was just attacked.

“They didn’t come to discuss, they came to tell. It really set the tone of hostility rather than conversation.”

Nicolle says anti-light rail activists are also frustrated by a lack of official information on proposed route details.

She says workers from the Department of Transport and Main Roads have told her there are issues with the engineering of the track along the council’s and State Government’s preferred Gold Coast Highway route.

PALM BEACH CRITICS BLAST TATE OVER PROPOSED LIGHT RAIL ROUTE

“I really feel that we just don’t have enough information to make any sort of informed decision right now. How many people are really going to use the light rail?

“It’s not a quick mode of transport and how many locals are going to take all their luggage on it to get to the airport?

“And the idea of squeezing it on the Gold Coast Highway and losing lanes? That just makes no sense at all.”

To be honest, I agree that restricting the flow of the Gold Coast Highway would prove problematic.

And conversely, when I pointed out to Nicolle that abandoning the light rail to end abruptly in Burleigh was not a practical option, she could acknowledge the logic.

The truth is that the light rail system is here, we’ve already built and funded the bulk of it, it’s simply not realistic to lobby against its completion. Of course, people are free to do so, but to set yourself up for failure seems futile. Instead, what are ways we can make it better?

After all, we can’t ignore some of the very real points and fears that our southern neighbours have called out.

There’s been no shortage of controversy over the light rail route. Photo: Kit Wise

There is a solution to be found, but it won’t be one that will make either side 100 per cent happy.

What we need to do is drop the animosity, to stop shouting and to start listening. And that goes for both sides.

The Mayor and activists alike need to drop the confrontational posturing and concede some points to one another. It’s not a matter of a show of good faith, but truly good intentions and better outcomes for all.

We live on the Gold Coast because we love it. We want what’s best for the city, its businesses and our families. The definition of “best” will always differ. But we owe it to each other to listen.