Gold Coast traffic: CEO Tim Baker says city must end its ‘unhealthy’ car obsession
The Gold Coast has an ‘unhealthy’ attraction which must end, council CEO Tim Baker has warned as he laid out the biggest challenges facing the city.
Transport
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Council CEO Tim Baker says light rail Stage 4 will take more than 18,000 cars off the city’s roads and will help solve the Gold Coast’s growing congestion issues.
Mr Baker, who marks two years in the job in early 2024, laid out the case for funding more transport infrastructure in a keynote address to the Gold Coast Business Leaders Breakfast at The Star on Tuesday morning.
He argued that transport was among the five biggest issues facing the Gold Coast and that reducing reliance on cars was critical to dealing with this.
“There is no silver bullet to how we manage transport but right now 80 per cent of all trips in this city are taken by car, something we have an unhealthy attraction to,” he said.
“We cannot continue to have this reliance on cars and if you are unsure about light rail, Stage 4 happens it will take 18,000 trips in cars a day if and when it happens. It will have an impact.
“We are a long and linear city and I understand it is difficult, I understand there will be pain as we put it in but it will have a significant impact in the city and take some of the reliance off transport.”
Light rail Stage 4 will run from Burleigh Heads to the border via Gold Coast Airport.
Mr Baker was a career public servant in Tasmania before he accepted the post of CEO in early 2023.
Since then he has spearheaded a dramatic restructure of the organisation, including the creating of tourism and events super entity Experience Gold Coast.
Mr Baker said he made “no apologies” for the changes he has made.
“We take responsibly for spending your money and the best thing I can do as the CEO of this city is to try and spend as little of it as possible,” he said.
“I make no excuse for reducing the size of council’s Christmas party or the number of senior executives or halving accommodation costs for inside and outside workers.
“Why? It’s your bloody money.”
The City’s Gross Regional Product growth in 2021–22 exceeded the average year-on-year growth rate of the past two decades.
“This indicates a remarkable recovery from the economic challenges caused by Covid-19,” council’s Economic Outlook Report said.
The year-on-year increase of 5.9 per cent between 2021 and 2022 in GRP surpassed the City’s predicted increase of 4.8 per cent.
Mr Baker said in his speech the city’s economy was strong and that his focus was on increasing diversification and help to creating more jobs.
“This economy is booming. It may not feel like it but we are growing at 5.9 per cent which is higher than any other city in Queensland and around Australia,” he said.
“I don’t seek to undermine or diminish tourism it’s the foundation but the strategy is having a real impact in the city.”
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