Light rail tram-pede: Government receives thousands of submissions in first two weeks of community consultation

The state government says it has been inundated with light rail stage four consultation submissions as a divide emerges at council over its own survey of views about the project.

More than 2700 submissions have been made to the state government’s light rail stage 4 community consultation in less than two weeks.

Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie revealed the figures in parliament on Wednesday afternoon as he urged residents to have their say on the Burleigh Heads to the border project.

“More than 2700 have been received in less than two weeks,” he said. “Finally the residents of the southern Gold Coast are being listened to.

“It shows how keen the residents of the southern Gold Coast are to finally have their say.”

Mr Bleijie said he looked forward to working with Mayor Tom Tate and the Gold Coast City Council to deliver public transport infrastructure in the area.

It comes as civic leaders remain divided over the project’s future.

Division 13 councillor Josh Martin announced he would not support a new survey report commissioned by council.

“I must admit, I thought it was an April’s Fools joke – I hadn’t heard about it,” he told colleagues at a transport committee meeting on Tuesday.

Other councillors said they had also been unaware of research undertaken by the Office of the Mayor.

Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie speaks in State Parliament on Wednesday. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen/Courier Mail.

However, other councillors spoke in favour of the light rail extension.

Southern-based councillor Gail O’Neill said it was disappointing the new government did not appear to be in favour of the trams, which had been backed since 2010.

“The consultation piece the state government has put out is sadly lacking, I don’t even think it’s consultation,” she said. “Especially for other members of the Gold Coast community.

“I do hear from people in Division 14 on light rail, they are now coming out in droves (in support), now they think it is at risk of not happening.

“I do feel for the airport. They’ve modelled their master plan on getting light rail into the front of the airport. It certainly needs that form of transport.”

More than three quarters of Gold Coast residents who responded to council’s survey said they would use light rail when it is built south to the airport.

At least 77 per cent of respondents backed using the trams once stage 4 of the route from Burleigh to Coolangatta was completed.

In the seven key southern suburbs, the result was “somewhat divided”, with 48 per cent supporting trams going to the airport, and 44 per cent opposing it.

The projected route of stage four of the light rail.

Councillors are recommending the government be made aware of the data, and Mr Tate write to Premier David Crisafulli.

Deputy Mayor Donna Gates said she was not sure if the government would be “pleased or otherwise” with council’s survey but she hoped providing a copy would add to their consultation.

She said she understood the concerns of southern residents but there had been agreement with all levels of government since 2009 that light rail would be delivered in stages.

“There is no doubt people like it,” she said. “Nearly one million people per month are travelling on our light rail. The people are voting with their feet.”

Councillor Peter Young said it was disappointing light rail had become “a bit of political football”.

“We are confronting a situation where the city is possibly going to have light rail to Burleigh, and from there changing to another mode of transportation to get further south, not just to the airport and possibly Tweed,” he said.

“I just think that would be most lamentable, the worst decision for the entire city, not just the south.”

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Originally published as Light rail tram-pede: Government receives thousands of submissions in first two weeks of community consultation