We have had a huge number of calls today and tonight from people telling our volunteers that they have received a letter from Main Roads. [See this article in Brisbane Times for details.] If you received a letter, please contact our volunteers or email or fax us a copy.
Some call it a “resumption letter” and others that they are next to the corridor. The calls have come from Fig Tree Pocket, Kenmore and Pinjarra Hills. We have seen a press release from the Minister for Main Roads. Whilst, the Minister says no decision has been made, nor funding approved, he also says 163 families have been written to due to the potential effect on their properties and 91 families adjacent to the preserved corridor. We will try to find out more facts and let you all know. From our preliminary reading we fear they are suggesting they have detailed options on how to build the Kenmore Bypass on the corridor and 163 properties may require full or partial resumption under any or all of the options. We know it is hard to hear, but at least they are trying to ensure these families are aware of their consultation study and can have input. This is something we have wanted since the beginning - a fair, honest and transparent process. We are concerned as this is more property resumption than we originally anticipated. This of course doesn’t include the more than thousand local families in the valley where it runs. If you received a letter, please contact our volunteers or email or fax us a copy. We hope the decision is not made to proceed, but if it comes to resumption we have some legal volunteers to help - we stress, if it comes to that. We still strongly believe there are better alternatives and will continue to put the spotlight on these.
11 Comments to “Resumption letter from Main Roads”
Kathy
Re Bruce Flegg’s latest newsletter:
I wonder why $45 million worth of resumptions is bad for Moggill Road but doesn’t rate a mention in his newsletter when it comes to that amount and more for all the homes to be resumed / affected in our part of Kenmore.
We obviously don’t count – he says about the secret study on Moggill Road - “Even when completed the end result would be that central Kenmore and Chapel Hill would in effect be a “highway” and would have little amenity for local residents.”
Aren’t we local residents too? Why is a highway NOT okay for one part of his electorate but apparently fine for us. I don’t understand his logic. And why was it okay for The Gap residents to fight their bypass but when we do he accuses us of dishonest information simply because right from the beginning people were made aware of the Warrego link.
I can’t believe he still thinks they’ll spend hundreds of millions to ease the traffic woes for a relatively minor part of the population when so many areas of Brisbane experience much worse. As for Kenmore “central” becoming a village atmosphere if the bypass goes through - a lot of people will still use Moggill Road when they realise they’re getting nowhere fast on the bypass.
And how could the Bellbowrie Bridge be “dismissed by the government” if it was paid for by the developer 30 plus years ago. If this is true, what happened to that money? I think even if the bypass did go in, the bridge should too to ease some of the horrible load our part of Kenmore will bear when more development occurs in Pullenvale, Moggill, Bellbowrie, Brookfield etc. Do residents there realise the bypass will be an open invitation for more new housing estates in the western suburbs.
And what about the Kholo quarry - is that still in operation? I was talking to a lovely lady yesterday and we discussed what an ideal route the bypass would make for quarry trucks - oh joy!!!
The main road’s flyer re misleading information: Has anyone seen it? Does it say what misleading information the anti-bypass people are accused of??
Kathy
Lauren
re: the main roads flyer about misleading info - are you talking about the full page ad from the Westside News (page 31, Wed 28 May)?
it does not say at all what misleading information local action groups are accused of. its just a pro-bypass advertisement (imo)from main roads.
basically it says:
“Kenmore Bypass - get the facts).
“Community members in the western suburbs have been receiving flyers about the Kenmore Bypass Planning Study which contain some incorrect and misleading information”.
“These are the facts” it then lists the benefits of the bypass IN RELATION TO MOGGILL RD congestion, not the centenary highway. it is extremely pro-bypass imo.
here is some examples of what they said are the facts:
“a kenmore bypass would allow motorists to avoid travelling past two schools, 15 sets of traffic lights and a busy shopping centre on Moggill Rd”
“without any alternative access to the city from the western suburbs, existing and future traffic would have to continue using an alrady congested Moggill Rd”
“a Kenmore bypass would reduce ‘rat running’ on local resdiential streets, helping to improve their safety”.
“We will consult with the community on connection options to the Centernary Motorway as part of the next phase of the study”
“Main roads has in recent years carried out improvements to the existing Moggill Rd. Any further major upgrading would be both expensive and disruptive to traffic, the community and public utility infrastructure”
= regarding the expensive comment - the bypass is going to cost like 2.5 billion isn’t it?
i think it is appropriate to alter Moggill rd before billions is spent on a bypass. how about:
* pedestrian overpasses at schools
* dedicated suburban school buses
*fix the entry and exit points of Kenmore Village
* create school drop off zones inside school grounds (eg Nudgee junior at I’pilly)
Kathy
Lauren
Lauren - yes, I was wondering what we were supposed to be misleading about and Robert pointed me to Bruce Flegg’s website. I did a second post because as far as I can see we weren’t misleading about any of the three points he lists. Unfortunately main roads obviously agrees with Mr Flegg but for the life of me I don’t understand what we had wrong.
Angus
Come on people. I think this group did everything right. We are telling people there are real alternatives that are cheaper for our taxes, better for residents and quicker for commuters. Imagine you had backed a bad idea so publicly. What would you do? They can’t say the dog ate their homework! They use wedge politics and attack us hoping we fade away so they can save face. BUILD the local BRIDGE for Bellbowrie to Wacol!
Kat
I have to agree that both the article by Flegg in the Westside News and the coincidental advertisement by DMR is worth noting. Whilst Flegg and DMR accuse the fliers of misleading information, they never specifically point to which information is incorrect. What every taxpayer should demand is that the DMR examine all viable and less expensive options and make public their investigations. If the outcome that DMR and Flegg want is either Kenmore Bypass or WBTNI Option 17, then it doesn’t surprise me they are panicked that the local community has demanded they discuss the alternatives. The “facts” presented in their advertisement only present the positive benefits of the Bypass, which confirms my belief that they aren’t interested in fair and balanced consideration of ALL issues as it doesn’t serve their desired outcome. It is worth pointing out that SOSK has never advocated the alternative of widening Moggill Road. For Flegg to propose this as the only alternative is simply a scare tactic to say to the rest of the Kenmore community “If you don’t support the Bypass then this is what you could get.”
In my opinion, DMR’s PR firm is scrambling to save face since you can’t in one hand argue that the Bypass should be built because it’s been reserved for 30 years and then not give consideration to the bridge at Bellbowrie when it was a condition of development at inception.
Ash Tripathi
Just thought I’d share a letter my son wrote to Anna Bligh and Main Roads regarding the Bypass:
To whom it may concern,
My name is Aiden Tripathi. I am three years old. My Mummy is helping me write this letter.
My Mummy said that you were going to bring a bulldozer and break our house all up into little bits (Mummy’s note – we have received a resumption notice in regards to the proposed Kenmore Bypass.)
I don’t want you to break our house. I will get very cross with you.
And I don’t want a road through our park. I like the swings. I can swing very high on them.
Thank you.
Aiden Tripathi
Kenmore
Penny Behan
Thanks Ash and family! My 3 1/2 year old picks up on everything too. He gets sad when he sees Mummy or Grandma upset when we contemplate what could happen. He was playing with his trains in his room one day. While I was folding his washing I heard him saying “No Kenmore Bypass, save our ammunity space” I knew he meant to say community. I asked, where did you here that? He said when I was on TV in the park. This was Sarah’s YouTube video 2. For me, our kids are what this is all about: their future in this suburb, this city, this world. We must keep doing what we are doing for them.
Victoria
Does anyone have a contact who can arrange Bumper Stickers? I thought this may be a good idea if we put them on our cars etc. just to keep up our presence. Also do we need to do some more fund-raising??????
anon
im not sure what else i should be doing to help stop the Kenmore Bypass?
ive written my letters, gone to the protest rally & meeting, signed the e-petition, talked to my neighbours and friends and got them to do same.
what else should we be doing?
Stephanie
I think bumper stickers are a great idea, just rececntly I saw a bumper sticker in Kenmore saying ‘Don’t Murray the Mary’ It is a rather effective way of getting your point across.
Victoria
Ronan Lee’s latest email shows more support for a no Kenmore Bypass once again. This is what he has to say. Ronanz Stop the Kenmore Bypass – sign the ePetition
The Kenmore by-pass is a costly road proposal that will have a devastating affect on southern Kenmore and Fig Tree Pocket.
The proposal does not solve any transport problems because it will simply funnel onto the already log-jammed Western Freeway.
Ronan Lee believes the government should not build the Kenmore by-pass road and instead provide greater funds for public transport in Brisbane’s west.
This includes seriously investigating new public transport infrastructure like a rail link and “park and ride” from the Ipswich railway line to the Bellbowrie area to remove the need for people to commute by car.
That’s why Ronan has organised a Parliamentary ePetition which residents can sign to demonstrate their opposition to this road project.
You can sign the Parliamentary ePetition to let the Government know about your opposition to the Kenmore Bypass by visiting: http://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/view/EPetitions_QLD/CurrentEPetition.aspx?PetNum=1081&lIndex=-