STRONG COMMUNITY VOICES OPPOSE TOLL BRIDGE

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Dutton Park Councillor Helen Abrahams today announced she will join her local community in campaigning against the Hale Street Toll bridge proposal - and will vote to oppose the bridge – after public consultation on the project has been politicised by the Lord Mayor.

The Lord Mayor’s office has been accused of trying to manipulate the consultation process, after issuing letters to the business sector at the start of the consultation process urging them to make submissions supporting the bridge during the Draft Impact Assessment Study.

“The Liberals are using the big end of town to drown out the genuine voices of a concerned community,” Cr Abrahams said.

“I can not allow my community and local residents to be steam rolled.

“The Lord Mayor has written to business interests, and those in the development and construction industries, and has been circulating a form letter for people to submit supporting the bridge.

“This was meant to be an assessment of the value and impact of the project, not a political push poll – but the Lord Mayor changed the rules.

“I wanted the consultation process to take its course without political intervention, but since the Lord Mayor started push-polling, local residents have asked for my support to get their message out.

“I’m going to use the next two weeks before submissions close on 13 October to encourage people to lodge their submissions opposing the bridge, so the genuine concerns of residents are reflected in the final study.

“I have been raising concerns about the Lord Mayor’s proposal since he went to the election in March 2004 promising a tunnel in this location.  

“Since then he has broken his promise and proposed a toll bridge instead, and I do not believe he has considered the impacts this will have on my community or addressed the important issues locals have been raising. 

“The community is speaking with a strong, loud voice and the Lord Mayor cannot ignore them any longer,” Cr Abrahams said.

“I have listened and now I am acting to vote against the proposal when it comes to Civic Cabinet.”

Cr Abrahams listed her reasons for opposing the toll bridge as :

· TransApex was pitched to voters as tackling citywide congestion but the Lord Mayor’s own feasibility study showed the Hale St proposal would mostly be used by local traffic

· Close examination of the feasibility study showed air quality studies were modelled on the lowest possible car usage and therefore are underestimated

· The feasibility study shows a traffic increase of 40% going past a school, a popular park, a hospital and the state’s premier cultural precinct

· As bus and ferry services in the Ward are leaving people behind at stops because the bus and ferries are full, the funds are better spent on public transport.

“I know I am going to hear a lot of fretting, criticism and even bullying from the Lord Mayor at this announcement,” Cr Abrahams said.

“But I am proud to be the Councillor for Dutton Park, and to stand beside strong and passionate residents who have spoken out against City Hall to protect our communities and the quality of life we love.

“This toll bridge will change our lives for the worse, and once it’s done it can never be undone.

“For this simple reason I’m voting against this toll bridge.”

David Bratchford, a spokesperson for the Stop the Hale Street Bridge Alliance, welcomed Cr Abrahams’ announcement.

“It's good to see our local councillor doing the right thing,” he said, “and all the other councillors need to follow her lead.

“This isn't just a local issue - All Brisbane residents will lose out if $180 million of our money is wasted on another inner city bridge which solves no problems, instead of being spent wisely on building a world class public transport system for the city.

“Opposition to the bridge is growing across Brisbane as more and more people realise they've been conned by the Lord Mayor, and that the only real beneficiaries of the project would be the big companies making squillions out of building and operating the toll bridge,” Mr Bratchford said.

Cr Abrahams said she supports a balanced approach to solving the city’s traffic congestion – better public transport and better roads.

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