Update about State Budget 2010

The recent State budget contained no funding for the Kenmore Bypass (aka Stage 1 of the Warrego to Centenary Motorway Freeway).  This year, the State Government has delivered the Park’n'Ride at Kenmore with 200 car park spaces for $2 Million to encourage public transport use, and an exclusive right turn into Witton Road from Moggill Road at Chapel Hill has been delivered at a cost of around $1 Million.  This is on top the $40 Million spent on upgrading Moggill Road from Pullenvale Road to Kilkivian avenue and monies expended on integrated traffic lights signalling on Moggill Road and expanded funding for bus services. (continued »)

Community Forum: Effective Strategies to Oppose Inappropriate Developments

Philip Machanick writes:

Since the state election, as Greens candidate for Moggill, I have several times been contacted by local communities who are facing unwanted developments. Since several of these groups including this one have accumulated useful experience in opposing inappropriate developments, I asked the local Greens branch to organise a forum to bring these groups together, with speakers representing both legal expertise in opposing developments, and success stories. (continued »)

Kenmore Bypass announcement to come “in May”

From Westside News:

AN official response to the State Government’s Kenmore Bypass study is due to be released in May.

Read more online at the Westside News article. Please keep leaving comments on the blog to alert us as to any news we should publish… help keep your neighbours informed!

Preferred Planning Option released

Received this from the Kenmore Bypass Planning Study source. Keep in mind that this release was assured regardless of the eventual outcome. This release does not mean they have decided to build the bypass, just that this is how they would do it. This is the option that now will go up the chain to be budgeted and prioritised. All the same, it’s a reminder that our battle continues. (continued »)

Westside news article

Thanks to Westside News for their August 5 article, on page 5. It reports on the change in plan to keep Gem Road open due to community pressure. This shows that community pressure works, and also shows that the Kenmore Bypass is becoming even more of a cash boondoggle than ever before, which will have an even greater negative impact than previously thought. Please take action to stop the Bypass; every bit helps!

New Gem Road planning options released– send comments

This from the Kenmore Bypass Planning study:

Following significant community feedback, the Department of Transport
and Main Roads (DTMR) has developed new planning options to maintain Gem
Road as a through-road.

The new Gem Road options have been designed to complement the current
bypass planning, while also being technically and environmentally
feasible.

Have your say : (continued »)

State Government Interim development controls fail to protect urban koalas

The State Government stated that the steep decline in South East Queensland’s koala population demanded that tighter development controls be introduced without delay — to boost the protection of koalas in new urban areas until the proposed state planning policy for koala conservation is in place. (Refer: http://www.dip.qld.gov.au/regional-planning/interim-development-controls.html ) (continued »)

Write to Premier Anna Bligh about the report on decline of koala population

Thanks Simon Baltais (CEO) of Queensland Wildlife Preservation Society for this:

A report released in May 2009 by the Queensland Government (Department of Environment & Resource Management) titled ‘Decline of the Koala Coast Koala Population: Population Status in 2008’ tells us that effectively koalas will be extinct in the Koala Coast region of South East Queensland by 2010 (next year!). Please write to ask for direct action. (continued »)

Extended! Comment on Environmental Approvals Report ASAP

[The deadline to comment has been extended to 6 July. Please write! Here is the post again:] The final draft of the Environmental Approvals Report (EAR) for the Kenmore Bypass Planning Study has been released for community information. You can view the EAR on the Department of Transport and Main Roads website: http://www.mainroads.qld.gov.au/Projects/A-Z-Search/K-M/Kenmore-Bypass-Planning-Study.aspx . [Note that this web address mysteriously changed during this comment period...] In short, they don’t see any reason not to do the Bypass, though the impacts are significant, especially to those who enjoy this green space.

The community is invited to provide their comments to the project team until 6 July 2009. Please do! Write to mainroads@ministerial.qld.gov.au to be heard. An analysis follows. (continued »)

Assessment of where we are now

A number of people have raised with SOK one of two schools of thought:

1)    The Government won’t have the money it is never going to happen; or
2)    The study is continuing so it is inevitable.

So,what is right? Read on. (continued »)

Scathing Auditor-General audit of transport management

The Auditor General has released this report about the Bypass. Please take a look and use it as you take action against this debacle. If you need a reader for the PDF document, you can get it here. The Auditor General has slammed transport planning. An analysis follows. (continued »)

Comment on Environmental Approvals Report ASAP

The final draft of the Environmental Approvals Report (EAR) for the Kenmore Bypass Planning Study has been released for community information.  You can view the EAR  on the Department of Transport and Main Roads website: http://www.mainroads.qld.gov.au/web/publicCR.nsf/DOCINDEX/Kenmore+Bypass+Planning+Study . In short, they don’t see any reason not to do the Bypass, though the impacts are significant, especially to those who enjoy this green space.

The community is invited to provide their comments to the project team until 30 June 2009. Please do! Write to mainroads@ministerial.qld.gov.au to be heard. An analysis follows. (continued »)

Give comments on SEQ Regional Plan

The Queensland Government has asked for public comment on the Draft SEQ Regional Plan 2009-2031. See http://www.gecko.org.au/index.php?email_seqplan to take action by Friday.

The Plan determines the future of SEQ:

• What is developed and what is not.
• Which habitat is saved and which is destroyed (continued »)

Courier-Mail article on Bypass and Flegg

Today the Courier Mail has highlighted Bruce Flegg does not have a congestion plan for our area, just an unfunded “commitment”. See page 17 for the whole article, and once we get an online link for it, we will link to it. Here are some highlights:

• Flegg yesterday confirmed he would get the road built, but admitted there was no money to build it.
• LNP Leader Lawrence Springborg was forced to furiously back away from the promise.
• “feasibility study put the cost at between $400 Million and $770 Million”

Bruce Flegg doesn’t have a plan to tackle congestion in our area – just more empty rhetoric.  Bruce can’t even get his own party leader to support it. (continued »)

Bypass mentioned on talk radio

Thank you to Madonna King for highlighting this important issue on 612 radio Monday morning.

Whilst the Deputy Premier did not give the answer we were all looking for – that he would stop the alternate Ipswich motorway here and that there are quicker, better and cheaper solutions to relieve local congestion – he does make a number of points:  this was Bruce Flegg’s idea; and  there are koalas in the corridor. (continued »)

Blog post mentioning Kenmore Bypass

Nice to see other blogs taking on this issue:

Bruce Flegg has worked quite hard to be visible but his vision of transport and congestion solutions is exceptionally limited, focussing largely on a Kenmore bypass.  As an educated medical man in an area where education and health are close to people’s hearts, he has nothing novel to say about either. No longer part of the leadership, we cannot expect back-bencher Bruce to have much luck in persuading them to focus on our area and issues.

You can read the rest here.

News article mentioning Bypass

We thank the Westside News for publishing an article discussing the Kenmore Bypass. No matter what our political affiliations, we all need this issue to be visible to the community, and Westside News has been a great boon. Read the whole article here.

Candidates debate 18 March, Uniting Church Hall

Reposting a notice from http://moggill.nnub.net/ . Word is that MP Bruce Flegg has accepted the invitation.

State Election Candidates’ Debate – The only candidates’ debate in Moggill this election

Transition Town: Kenmore District? – Upcoming Meeting: Wed March 18th 7:30 pm? Uniting Church Hall, 982 Moggill Road Kenmore

Candidates Unplugged! Forum topics: Food security — Land use – Transport — Local economy — Energy descent

Need signs posted

We need help please! We have several corflute signs with the printed message:  Stop the Ipswich motorway here.

We would like to place these signs on the corridor route through Anstead, Moggill, Pullenvale to Kenmore and Fig Tree Pocket.  We particularly would like some signs on Sugars Road, Mt Crosby Road, Witty Road, O’Brien Road, Rafting Ground Road, Grandview Road, Moggill Road and Pullenvale Road where Main Roads is clearly going to build the alternate Ipswich Highway.

We have proof Main Roads have already started buying up land for the on and off ramps.

If you know anyone on these roads who might be willing to put a sign in their front yard, please let me know as soon as possible.  I am happy to phone them but need contact details.  If you will put up a sign or know someone who might, please email me asap on:  erectasign@gmail.com.

Many thanks,  Marie

Volunteer on election day!

We urgently need more workers for election day and ask everyone to help if they can. Election Day is 21 March from 8AM to 6PM, and even a couple hours would help greatly.

Please write to the email address contact@saveoursuburbs.com and let us know: 1) Your preferred candidate (if any); 2) Your suburb; 3) The times on Election Day when you can volunteer. We will contact you to confirm the booth at which you can work.

Brisbane Times mention of the Bypass

Thanks to the Brisbane Times for mentioning the Kenmore Bypass in its article about the state Greens campaign launch:

The Greens will replace the $1 billion Kenmore Bypass proposal with a light rail concept connecting to the main Ipswich line as part of a network for greater Brisbane.

Read the whole Brisbane Times article here. (If you see any article about the Bypass, whether or not it relates to any party or candidate, please post a comment here on the blog and I will make a post about it.)

Sustainable Living forum 8 March 2PM at KSSS

On Sunday 8 March will be a forum on sustainable living at 2pm, Kenmore South State School. Speakers include frequent blog comment contributor Philip Machanick (Greens). More detail at http://greenupmoggill.org/events/.

A contributor’s analysis

John Craig wrote this analysis of the Kenmore Bypass:

I was fascinated to learn from your recent circular of the debate in state Parliament on 10 February 2009 about whether the route of the (so called) Kenmore Bypass had been preserved. (continued »)

Time to fight!

Yesterday, the State Member for Moggill was again advocating for the Kenmore Bypass in Parliament and the need and right to use pre-existing transport corridors for the freeway.  No doubt, he means the whole corridor from Karalee through to the Centenary Highway, like his mate, the Deputy Premier.  If they both want to build the Western Bypass through the middle of the western suburbs (now via Centenary Highway), let them both campaign together on it.  Thanks again to Ronan Lee for his support for local residents, for taxpayers and finding solutions.

• As taxpayers, we have a right to ensure our money is spent wisely
• As commuters, we have a right to ensure transport solutions make real improvements, not waste our money.
• As local residents, we have a right to expect our local member should hold the Government accountable
• As local residents, we have the right to expect our local member to help residents as local property searches haven’t revealed the extent of the Kenmore Bypass, and should be taking it up with the Government
• As Queenslanders, we have the right to expect our Government to stand by their statements regarding our environment and specifically protection of our state fauna emblem, Koalas.

At over half a billion dollars, to cut four minutes off peak trips, one minute off off-peak trips for about 4,500 return trips to the city, at the cost to the health and wellbeing of almost 4000 people, when there are better alternatives, we have every RIGHT to demand quick, better and cheaper alternatives.  We have every RIGHT to demand decent representation. Do this on our Actions page. (continued »)

Submissions for areas of koala habitation closing Friday

GHD (who did the KB pre-feasibility study for Main Roads) are closing submissions on areas of koala habitation for mapping.  You must email  SEQkoalastudy@ghd.com.au with the UBD reference points before this Friday the 13th at 5PM.

I will be emailing them tonight mentioning the habitat between Kersley and Kenmore Roads, along with the BCC owned park between Gem and Kenmore Roads, and the bushland from Gem Road to Rafting Ground Park.  Also, I will be sending the photos I have taken of evidence of the koalas living in the area.  Please do what you can also!

Analysis of the Kenmore Bypass

A supporter (who asked not to be identified) sent us this exhaustive analysis of the Bypass. Take a look and leave comments here! It’s a Microsoft Word document. If you don’t have Word you can download a free viewer here.

Clean Up Australia Day on Sunday 1st March

From Julie Hagans:

Clean Up Australia Day is on Sunday 1st March this year.  Atkinson and Kingfisher Parks are now a registered clean up site.

Meeting point is Atkinson Park on Sunset road from 10 am until noon. Look for the Clean Up Australia Day signs.  This a great way to help show community pride in our beautiful parks and do something really positive for the environment which is in our backyards. (continued »)

Springborg and LNP acknowledge some truths about the Kenmore Bypass

Rick Kilgour sent a letter of Bypass opposition to several of those listed on our action page (and you can too!) Rick sends along for us to post this reply he got from Lawrence Springborg, Leader of the Opposition. It appears that Springborg and LNP acknowledge the bypass is a link to the Ipswich Motorway, and Centenary Highway is at capacity. (Note that this site does not endorse any political party; we duly report the positions.) (continued »)

Next steps for Stage 2 comment period

We wanted to wish you all a very happy festive season.

We welcome Main roads extension of the Stage 2 comment, but Main Roads still have a lot of information to release (noise studies, environmental reports, revised designs etc).  The results of the Government studies looking at transport in Western Brisbane is well overdue. (continued »)

Koala population drops 40 per cent

The Herald-Sun posted this article about the drop in koala population. Excerpts follow. Note that koalas live in the Kenmore Bypass corridor and would be badly affected. Please urge Anna Bligh to take this into account and find an alternative to the destructive Bypass.

…It is believed there are less than 20,000 koalas now in the wild in southeast Queensland…The surveys reveal that since 2001, koala numbers have dropped by 45 per cent in Pine Rivers….

…[Sustainability and Climate Change Minister Andrew McNamara said] the Government’s current koala plan was not working and the koala population was on the edge of an irreversible decline…