Ewen Jones (Herbert, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would just like to thank all those who came along to my street stall last week in Deeragun. Many issues were raised by those who could not stop to chat, and a couple of suggestions were made from those who passed in their cars.

No. 1 was that the intersection at Deeragun Road and Geaney Lane is still not right. There were two possibilities raised to get it right. One was to put in a set of lights and the other was to make that intersection a roundabout. I am just advising those people that I will write to the Townsville City Council to consider those options, as to continue as we are seems silly.

No. 2 is that it is and always has been an issue getting across the road to the Bohlevale State School. The lights seem to take an eternity. Building a pedestrian overpass has been raised. It is hard to believe that the cost of an overpass has now hit the $60 to $70 million mark. The need to have it fully covered and to enable lifts for wheelchair access makes the cost unbelievable. What I ask of all residents is to wait until the ring road has been completed and we can assess how the new traffic flows can work better in enabling us to get across the road. The lights will also speed up at that time as well.

Local crime was also raised with me and the ability to back up the police service in the tremendous job that they do. The federal government runs a safer streets campaign—a streetlighting campaign. I ask those people who turned up and who are following it up with a letter to the neighbourhood about the areas identified in this program to let me know so that I can get the attention of my minister. I thank those people in Deeragun who turned up. Cheers.