House debates

Monday, 18 February 2019

Adjournment

Bonner Electorate: Roads

7:34 pm

Photo of Ross VastaRoss Vasta (Bonner, Liberal Party) Share this | | Hansard source

I am thrilled by the government's two recent road-funding announcements for my electorate of Bonner. The intersections at Newnham Road and Wecker Road in Mount Gravatt, and Chelsea Road and Rickertt Road at Ransome are an absolute nightmare for many of my constituents. That's why I'm proud to have secured a combined $18 million funding commitment from the government to fix these black spots and get people home sooner and more safely so that, instead of sitting in traffic, constituents can be at home, spending quality time with their families.

The intersection at Newnham Road and Wecker Road in Mount Gravatt has been a blight to the Southside community of Bonner for many years now, and I've spoken about it at length here in parliament before. In just four years, from 2014 to 2017, there were seven serious car crashes and nine serious casualties reported at the local intersection. Just last year, the RACQ named it the fifth worst intersection in the state of Queensland. After seeing this, I was mortified and, having spoken to many locals about this issue, I took it upon myself to do something about it. I started a community petition calling for a fix to this local accident hotspot, and, unsurprisingly, the petition quickly gained the support of the community, with almost 2,000 people signing their names in support of a solution. I made a promise to my community that I wasn't going to stop until the issue was solved, and I made sure of it.

I want to thank the Prime Minister, Scott Morrison; and the Minister for Cities, Urban Infrastructure and Population, Alan Tudge, for listening to me and my constituents and for working with me to announce the $12 million to upgrade the Newnham Road and Wecker Road intersection. This upgrade will mean a much safer commute for the hundreds of people who go through there every day and less time spent on the roads and away from loved ones. It also means peace of mind for the hundreds of parents and students from Mount Gravatt East State School who have to navigate this dangerous intersection every day.

The second road-funding announcement that we made for Bonner is the Chelsea Road and Rickertt Road intersection at Ransome. This is another notorious hazard that locals asked me to fix. Again, I want to thank my colleagues for working with me to deliver $6 million to make this accident hotspot safer.

Following the announcement, I spoke to Ransome residents Kelly and Brad Davies, who told me the upgrade will improve their lives and their neighbours' lives immensely. It will also make it safer for their young daughter to cross the road when she goes to and from school in peak-hour traffic each day.

I want to make it clear to Bayside residents that the issues at Lindum crossing have not been forgotten. I'm keeping the pressure on the state government to come to the table, and I will keep raising it in Canberra until it is fixed, so that you can all get home more safely. This is one of my biggest priorities, going into the election. I'm pleased to be fighting for Bonner to ensure this funding is going where it is needed most in my community, and I'm proud to have delivered for my constituents.