Parliamentary petition launched by Coast city leaders to extend second M1 further north
An extension of the Coomera Connector is immediately needed to avoid traffic chaos, according to a petition backed by the Deputy Mayor and a local MP. Here’s what they want to see happen.
Gold Coast
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An extension of the northern finishing point of the Coomera Connector is immediately needed to avoid traffic chaos, according to a parliamentary petition.
Deputy Mayor Donna Gates is the lead petitioner and supported by Coomera LNP MP Michael Crandon in gathering community support for the second M1 going further north.
The northern tip of the Coomera Connector’s first stage is Shipper Drive which feeds into Foxwell Road, where the Gold Coast is undergoing its biggest infrastructure boom.
Ms Gates and Mr Crandon inspected busy Foxwell Road on Tuesday where new hospitals and the suburb’s planned first high rise will add to future traffic.
Ms Gates provided latest council traffic counts which shows Foxwell Road is used by 50,000 vehicles each day. This compares to 42,000 just two years ago.
“We just need to resolve where the Coomera Connector lands,” Ms Gates said.
The petition specifically calls for the construction of two critical sections:
* Shipper Drive to Foxwell Road/Amity Road
* Amity Road to the eastern end of Yawalpah Road, Pimpama.
Both stages are considered crucial to reducing congestion on Foxwell Road, which will intensify once the first stage of the Coomera Connector opens to traffic.
Mr Crandon blamed the previous Labor Government for forcing residents to face severe traffic congestion and inadequate transport infrastructure.
“With continued population growth, new developments, and the long-awaited Coomera Hospital set to open, it is imperative that the next two stages of the Coomera Connector are prioritised,” Mr Crandon said.
He urged residents to “get on board and sign the petition” to help fix the road neglect.
Ms Gates said the petition highlighted the necessity of planning for the full completion of the Coomera Connector up to the Logan Motorway.
“This project is essential to easing congestion, improving travel times, and enhancing road safety for our community,” she said.
“The northern Gold Coast has shouldered the burden of rapid population growth, and our residents deserve the infrastructure to match.”
A Bulletin report last month detailed how the Coast’s worst intersections were in the north of the city where councillors want urgent fixes because they fear there will be fatalities.
Ms Gates late last year at a council meeting warned the northern finishing point at Shipper Drive was “ludicrous” because the intersection at Foxwell Drive was the city’s second busiest.
City councillors backed Ms Gates in getting Mayor Tom Tate to send an urgent letter to new Premier David Crisafulli and Transport Minister Brent Mickelberg.
The call for changes to the $3bn motorway project, which will take pressure off the M1, was the first big infrastructure funding request by the City of the new government.
Ms Gates had urged the government to take the Connector through to Yawalpah Road to avoid more gridlock.
“It’s a real concern what happens with the Coomera Connector in the first stage. I hope everyone is proven wrong, and we make a significant change to what happens at Foxwell Road,” she told councillors.
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Originally published as Parliamentary petition launched by Coast city leaders to extend second M1 further north
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