The first meeting of the Community Reference Group was held 17th July 2008.

The meeting commenced with agreeing to terms and conditions for involvement and the study.

The Kenmore Bypass Project team of consultants engaged by Main Roads introduced themselves: Planning Manager, Chief Engineer and two Public Relations Professionals.  They were very approachable and we were able to ask questions.  I felt we were probably given accurate information that was based on the information they can release to us at this time.  I do acknowledge this is a challenging project for Main Roads and I personally appreciate being treated with understanding of my position and respect for my efforts to seek alternatives to the Kenmore Bypass many years before this study was even proposed.

Main Roads engaged these consultants for the whole 3 staged Kenmore Bypass Study.  It was always a three staged process but does not mean the Kenmore Bypass is the best solution to address traffic congestion and safety concerns as better alternatives have not been studied.  Stage 1 was to get the community to give our suggestions for how to build the bypass.  I know our suggestions was basically don’t build it and give us the better alternatives.  Stage 1 closed on June 16.  Stage 2 has commenced and was designed to present 3 options to the community on how to build the Kenmore Bypass.  This should be completed by the end of 2008.  This will include all the investigations and design testing.  Then the final preferred option would be presented to the community again by March 2009.  The Main Roads consultants confirmed that they believe they can meet these timeframes.

If the community accepts the final option presented to the community, then this project team do the business case to the Government for Governments consideration.  We were advised these usually take 6-9 months to prepare and would put three scenarios for the Government to consider:

• Doing nothing at all; 
• Upgrading Moggill Road;
• The preferred Kenmore Bypass option. 

Government at this stage must consider its options.  The Government can look at other alternatives at any time prior to this and during this phase.  This is what we are doing and must call on the Government to do.  There has been no thorough examination of the alternatives that decided the Kenmore Bypass was the best option to study. 

Then Government makes a decision.  If Government makes the decision to accept the Kenmore Bypass as the option to occur, then Government looks at its priority against other projects around Queensland and where funding may be sourced.  So roughly that timeframe could be the end of 2009.  The construction time of the Kenmore Bypass could be 2 ½ years depending on the interchanges and complexity etc.

I have grave concerns about this process.  The main concern is that the Kenmore Bypass Study does not have the scope to examine other alternatives.  The Moggill Road option is not the only alternative, nor is it the best, and incorrect information is being presented in the community about what the pre-feasibility study showed in this comparison.  I attempted to raise this issue respectfully.

 Firstly, the pre-feasibility study states very clearly that Main Roads are going to upgrade Moggill Road between Marshall Lane and the Western Freeway anyway.  Main Roads figures in Volume Two Part Two of the Preliminary Feasibility study show on that basis the cost of their Moggill road upgrade is $237 Million against the cost of the Kenmore bypass of between $330 Million to $490 Million, or $440 Million to $490 Million, give Centenary highway is expanded.  To make it clear, on the information presented to date, our group believe it is unnecessary to widen Moggill Road to 6 lanes.

The traffic modelling is now available that was never available when GHD completed the pre-feasibility report.  The Project Manager advised us that it shows 50% of people who would use the Kenmore Bypass want to travel south.  This was a bombshell for us.  It proves our point that we need a north south connection via a bridge to Wacol rather than an east west connection. 

The composition of the CRG is a question I have received a lot of emails and phone calls regarding.  The facilitator Danielle MacDonald from MacDonald Philips advised there were 40 applications of a very high standard that were from individuals and others represented groups.  She advised the 15 who were successful were carefully selected to be part of the consultation process so that there would be a diverse range of views, that we represented a broad range of ages and suburbs.  I am getting close to 40 and would guess I am the youngest person so I challenge the broad range of age’s assertion.  I do think there is a range of views from mine to the exact opposite.  We went around the room and had to state who we were, where we represented and what our special interest was.  It was very interesting and I can see everyone has firm ideas already from their comments. 

Unfortunately the majority stated they wanted the opportunity to look at the alternatives and see whether there are better alternatives or whether the Kenmore Bypass is the only solution.  It was made clear to them the project funding is about how to build on that corridor and the interchanges with Centenary Highway and Moggill Road.  Save Our Suburbs Kenmore needs to continue to promote the alternatives from outside the CRG and Kenmore Bypass project.  If we fail to influence the Minister from Main Roads and the Government, they will drive this project to their end game.

There were 9 representatives who lived outside Kenmore - Moggill, Bellbowrie, Anstead, Pullenvale, and Brookfield.  There were no representatives from Fig Tree Pocket.  Given the severe impact on Fig Tree Pocket I argued strongly that they must have one representative.  No one declared using public/ active transport or any specialty in the environment.

One representative who now lives in Moggill advised that he previously lived on a large acreage at Moggill Road, Pinjarra Hills.  He advised Main Roads purchased ½ acre off the front to widen Moggill Road.  The bombshell was that subsequently Main Roads purchased the rest of his property for the Moggill Pocket Arterial Road – that is the extension from the Kenmore Bypass to the Warrego Highway.  This was important, as there are so many people on the CRG from many of the suburbs this will pass through. 

Other community groups represented were Moggill Community Association, Kenmore Chamber of Commerce, Kenmore Rotary, Kenmore High School (who the team and he stated represented all the schools).  There is a representative from Roadwatch who also declared lived in Marland Street (where the BCC owned part of the corridor is so narrow).

I explained to the group openly and honestly where I sit.  That I am representing you, I oppose the Kenmore Bypass and think there are better alternatives and am promoting these in other forums. However, I am not there to stifle the CRG and have to accept the scope of the Kenmore Bypass Study.  I am there to transfer information, be advised of progress and ask questions etc. 

I am happy to feed information back and forth but there are only going to be 3 more meetings.  Our next meeting is tentatively the 19th of September and then there will be another in late October.  The final meeting will be at the start of the third stage approximately late November/ December 2008. 

At the next meeting it is our only opportunity to discuss all the expert investigations.  I explained I was concerned we couldn’t absorb multiple presentations and ask meaningful/ probing questions of in a 2 hour meeting.  They thought it would be sufficient.  I gather if I need extra, I request a separate meeting, even external to the CRG but that is not clear.

As a strong supporter of our democratic process, I have concerns about the extent to which the CRG will be able to share ideas and how we can recommend what will be best for the whole community.

The Project Manager, Tony Gordon-Brown presented a brief presentation which outlined the process, the outcomes of stage 1, actions as a result of stage 1.  The Project Manager acknowledged that there were more feedback/ submissions than they had expected or planned for and they would have approached the consultation process differently in hindsight.  He confirmed the scope of the project is how to build on the corridor and present the preferred option for the Kenmore Bypass with its interchanges to Government by March 2009.

He said they were looking at the GHD pre-feasibility report and options but may come up with different designs.  The Project Manager stated that Main Roads might start with a 2 lane road and upgrade to 4 lanes later, can they do a simpler interchange by using FTP interchange, and they may have full interchanges at Gem Rd and Kenmore Rd.  Roadwatch’s representative stated that starting with 2 lanes and extending to 4 later is cruel for residents, the impact will be much the same.  The project team will post information for us to review including traffic modelling and minutes for us to review etc.

One representative who declared she supported the bypass at the commencement of the meeting, expressed surprise and concern following the statement from the Project team that there could be at grade interchanges on Kenmore Road and Gem Road.  That just goes to show the misinformation and lack of understanding about what the Kenmore Bypass could ultimately be.

The Roadwatch representative asked when the current road works on Moggill Road, between Pullenvale Road and Kilkivan Avenue, would be completed as they have an impact on the congestion problem.  The Project Manager advised by the end of 2008 they should complete them.  At this time he advised further traffic counting and study could occur to see what impact they have made on improving the situation.

The definite tone of the presentation that the Kenmore Bypass is being scaled back to reduce cost and in the face of the significant community opposition.  The Project Manager did acknowledge that the Kenmore Bypass does form the first 3 kilometres of the Moggill Pocket Arterial Road (19km’s) and explained the relationship with WBTNI being the study developing the transport network for the next 20 years.  Again he stated that the Kenmore Bypass Study was looking at how to build the Kenmore Bypass as a separate short-term solution to local problems.  The concerns we have about inducing traffic from further out and separately the construction of the full Moggill Pocket Arterial cannot form part of the Kenmore Bypass Study scope.

The alternatives that were raised in Stage 1 submissions to the Kenmore Bypass Study are out of the scope of this study and have been referred to WBTNI.  This includes the safety and congestion improvements on Moggill Road, the Kenmore Roundabout and the bridge in Bellbowrie.  My concern with this is they are not considered by Main Roads nor compared against the Kenmore Bypass and nor will they be compared in the same detail.

Currently studies are being undertaken by consultants to Main Roads for developing the Kenmore Bypass which include

• Noise
• Fauna and Flora
• Water Quality Soils and Geotechnical
• Hydraulics/ Hydrology
• Air Quality
• Connections to Moggill Road, Centenary Highway and local area

These are issues that are likely to be presented and discussed at the next meeting.

This is where my role is difficult.  I know we don’t want the bypass but I do want you to have a say in what could happen if we fail to be able to get our message out about the alternatives and get our political leaders to understand them.  We will be conducting a survey on line on a few matters that are likely to be discussed and I would like to present our views.  I have not changed my opinion that the Kenmore Bypass will not solve traffic congestion and there are better and cheaper alternatives.

What to do at Gem Road – only 3 real possibilities they are examining:

1. Cut it off totally (their preference)
2. Tunnel underneath it so we can and our bus can still drive through it
3. Full interchange so the Kenmore Bypass would feed in and out there

What to do at Kenmore Road – only 3 real possibilities they are/may examine:

1. Cut it, bypass underneath, and put a bridge over it (their preference)
2. Tunnel under it
3. Full interchange so the Kenmore Bypass would feed in and out there

What sort of interchange at Moggill Road

1. Moggill Road at Pinjarra Hills feeding into the Kenmore Bypass and then having to exit off to get back onto Moggill Road
2. A T intersection at Moggill Road controlled by lights.

What sort of interchange at Centenary Highway

1. Should there be the ability to go North and South
2. Should there be a three level flyover structure
3. Should there be a two level structure.

Perhaps building 2 lanes and then coming back in 10 years to build another 2 lanes.

I took detailed notes and have asked the representative from Roadwatch to check these notes.  One advantage in living in this area so long, I know others who have too.

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Save Our Suburbs Kenmore will be holding a public meeting to discuss the CRG and actions.  Please subscribe to the group email list so we can email you an invitation.