A southeast Queensland delegation will meet with Turnbull Government to talk M1 funding
LONG-simmering tensions between the federal and state governments over the M1 upgrade will come to a head at a meeting on Tuesday as both sides refuse to budge on funding.
Transport
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LONG-simmering tensions between the federal and state governments over the M1 upgrade will come to a head at a meeting on Tuesday, with both sides refusing to budge on funding.
Both Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey and his federal counterpart, Urban Infrastructure Minister Paul Fletcher are sticking to their guns over whether the Turnbull Government should pay more than 50 per cent of the $110-million price tag.
The state says the funding should be split 80-20.
The delegation, led by Mr Bailey, will also include Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate and representatives of the RACQ and CCIQ and will meet with Mr Bailey in Sydney.
Mr Bailey said he would go armed with a December 2014 statement from then-deputy prime minister Warren Truss, in which he described reintroducing the federal 80-20 funding split, which he called “traditional”.
Mr Bailey said he was surprised to see Mr Fletcher dismiss the M1 as a “country road”.
“I will show Minister Fletcher it was a statement of his own government in which his own deputy prime minister said the traditional 80-20 model was being restored,” he said.
“We are hoping to change their minds and I have the documentation to do that.
“The M1 is the most trafficked road in Queensland and we need them to understand what a key piece of infrastructure it is.”
In a fleeting visit to Logan in June, Mr Turnbull pledged $110 million to widen a 5km stretch of the highway between Mudgeeraba and Varsity Lakes from four to six lanes.
Attending the meeting for the Federal Government will be Mr Fletcher and Transport Minister Darren Chester.
Mr Fletcher wrote to Mr Bailey on Wednesday and declared the newly returned Federal Government had no intention of compromising.
He said many projects received differing levels of federal support, including both 50-50 and 80-20.
“You would be aware that Queensland is already receiving more transport infrastructure grant funding per capita than any state in the Commonwealth and more in absolute terms than every state, except NSW,” he wrote.
“For these reasons, as I have publicly indicated, the Commonwealth considers that a 50-50 funding split is appropriate.”
Separate suggestions by the Gold Coast Bulletin and Cr Tate for both governments to consider a compromise 65-35 funding split have been rejected.
WHAT YOU SAID
AS state and federal politicians continue their stand off over funding upgrades of the Pacific Motorway, nearly 30,000 frustrated Gold Coast drivers who use the M1 every day are caught in the gridlock. As posted on social media, below is just a taste of their pain ...
Lloyd Finn: “Local, state and federal will continue to just ignore it. Roll on the Games so we can all be ashamed and look like clowns that can’t keep a main road moving. Shudder to think how bad it will get by then.”
Renee Hazell: “Bloody hell, when will our government listen to us. This road needs to be sorted.”
Michael Robinson: “Think of this, we’re to have a big sports event soon and if the players can’t make it to their event we going to look stupid as hell and a joke worldwide.”
Clarke Kelsen: “Every week there is something stopping traffic.”
Patrique Emrz: There seems to be a major accident on the M1 every week now. What’s going on? What needs to change?”
Daryl Pilbeam: “It took 55 minutes to get from AB Patterson, Arundel, to Robina. I went Kopps Road, Maudsland Road, Alexandra Drive, Gilstone Road then Worongary Road. We need another freeway.”
Demii Wyllie: “A 20-minute round trip to pick up my son from daycare took almost three and a half hours.”
Deborah Howard: “Four to three to two lanes stuck everyday. What a crap road this is.”
Stephen Izzeard: “The M1 is an absolute joke. You can’t call it a highway, a snail trail perhaps.”
Charlene Pollock: “Took me nearly two hours to get home and should have been 40 minutes.”
Ryan Alderman: “Side roads are just as bad. Might be a bit quicker if you detour via Darwin and Alice Springs, come round that way.”
Stacey D’Arcy: “Took me an hour to get from Coomera to Oxenford at three.”
Russell Needham: “The M1 is always gridlocked around 3pm or 4pm.”
Ann Foster: “Nightmare Alley every single day and yet another crash today holding everyone up.”
COMMUTERS TURNING TO TWO WHEELS
CONGESTION on the M1 is causing so much frustration many Gold Coast commuters are turning to two wheels to beat the four-wheel jams.
In the past five years the number of motorbike registrations in the Gold Coast City Council area has risen by more than 4500.
The number of people with a motorbike licence has jumped from about 63,000 to more than 72,000.
RACQ head of technical and safety policy Steve Spalding said there were simple reasons for the increase.
“One is people that are using them for commuting,” he said.
Mr Spalding said motorbikes not only were able to reduce travel time in heavily congested traffic but were also cheaper to buy and run.
He warned that riders needed to be wary when cutting through traffic.
“When riders use them for lane filtering, there are sometimes savings but that doesn't mean taking risks,” he said.
Mr Spalding said riders also needed to ensure they were taking into account the cost of correct safety equipment which included long protective pants, jackets and gloves.
Open motorcycle licence holders are able to lane filter in Queensland at a speed of 30km/h or less between two lanes travelling in the same direction while those lanes are stopped or moving slowly.
Ashmore man George Christoph, a sporting shooter who regularly travels to the firing range Belmont in Brisbane from Ashmore, said a motorcycle cut down on travel time.
“It saves probably about 20 minutes each way,” he said.
He said he was not the only person he knew who he was switching to a motorbike.
“People are doing it for leisure, as well as for transport,” he said.
Mr Christoph said he was worried what would happen on the M1 when the Commonwealth Games shooters needed to travel to their events and something needed to done to ensure the competitors did not have to leave hours early for their events, or risk missing events due to traffic.
Member for Mudgeeraba Ros Bates said that during her regular commute between Gold Coast and Brisbane she had noticed people doing more and more to avoid the congestion.
“I am seeing a lot more motorbikes and I am also seeing more motorbikes taking unnecessary risks,” she said.
“The congestion is getting worse and worse.”
Ms Bates said she often saw motorbikes filtering when it was not safe or using the emergency lanes.
A Transport and Main Roads spokeswoman said motorbike riders were among the most vulnerable of road users.
“We consider motorcycling an important part of the transport system and we aim to make it a safe and enjoyable experience,” she said.
The spokeswoman said motorbikes accounted for just one in 20 registered vehicles.
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