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.

Keeping the pressure up on the politicians makes there life harder - particularly at this time of the electoral cycle.

Your continued assistance will make a difference in this fight for taxpayers, commuters, koalas and residents.

Paul Lucas interview with Madonna King:

King:    Um the volunteer, a volunteer community organisation contacted me this morning. They’re opposing the proposed Kenmore bypass, and it says it has proof that the State Government and Main Roads have plans to continue the proposed bypass road through to become the Moggill pocket sub-arterial Moggill Warrego highway connection road. Now they say if you check the 2009 edition of the UBD you will see it is already marked on the map, the Moggill pocket sub-arterial Moggill Warrego highway connection road. The alternate Ipswich highway carrying 75,000 trucks and cars through Curtly, Anstead, Barbary, Pinjarra Hills, Kenmore and (inaudible) pocket to be dumped on an already capacity Centenary Highway. Is that true or false?

Lucas:    Well I’d have to look at the details of that Madonna. I’m not the Main Roads Minister anymore. But I’ll say this; Bruce Flegg is one of the greatest supporters of the Kenmore Bypass. The Kenmore Moggill….

King:    They make that point but they’re saying from the transport and Main Roads, have you already made that decision.

Lucas:    No but what you do do Madonna, is you actually do planning for the future. So it has been marked on the UBD, the Kenmore Bypass, and it’s actually about (inaudible). So very clearly anyone who lives in that community understands that. We’ve got a program for updating the Centenary Highway, and part of that we would hope to do in conjunction with the council…

King:    But why would you put it on a UBD if you weren’t, if it wasn’t going ahead?

Lucas:    No, no, well anything, well because you put future corridors on UBD’s whether they’re subject to financing or not. For example, we will mark, in due course, the railway line that will go past Springfield to Redbank Plains to (inaudible). We haven’t got any money to build that at the moment but we’ll do that in the future. We’re still in the consultation phase of the Kenmore bypass. Serious issues such as koala’s and the like have been raised. They have to be worked through.