Graham Perrett (Moreton, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Walter Taylor Bridge spans the Brisbane River between Chelmer in Moreton and Indooroopilly in Ryan. It's a heritage listed suspension bridge built way back in 1930. It's actually unique to the Southern Hemisphere as it's a habitable bridge. I won't go into some of the stories about those residents, but they are interesting. It's a beautiful piece of history, but the use of this single-lane bridge is far beyond its capacity, as established in 1930.

The peak hour gridlock for residents in Chelmer, Graceville, Corinda and Sherwood and the surrounding suburbs has been unacceptable for many years. That's at peak hour especially, but it can strike on a Saturday. Anyone who tries to cross that bridge knows how much of a choke point it is. Cars are banked up for kilometres, more and more every day. They go back right down Honour Avenue and Oxley Road, the two feeder roads leading to the bridge from the peninsula.

So I'm pleased that the Brisbane City Council, the Liberal-controlled Brisbane City Council, have announced that they will commence a feasibility study on a second bridge. This would be the first car bridge built in inner Brisbane since 2010. The design of this new council bridge will be critical. No-one wants to see it detract from the aesthetics of the historic Walter Taylor district or the heritage listed bridge. There should be a thorough process of community consultation to ensure that the new bridge is what the local community wants and is fit for purpose. There will not be a second bridge crossing any time soon; they're just kicking off a feasibility study. In the meantime, local residents will continue to sit in their cars in lines of traffic waiting to enter the bridge, pumping out particulate matter into the Graceville and Chelmer residents' lungs.

The Brisbane City Council have neglected the Tennyson Ward for years, ever since Campbell Newman was the lord mayor. They've starved Tennyson of funds that would improve traffic flow and the daily commute for local residents. The Brisbane City Council have already identified in their local government infrastructure plan two intersections that need to be upgraded. Both of these intersection upgrades would help with the traffic feeding into the Walter Taylor Bridge. Upgrades to the Coonan Road and Wharf Street intersections that feed traffic onto the bridge and the Oxley Road and Long Street intersection, which controls traffic along Oxley Road leading to the Walter Taylor Bridge, would both improve traffic flow leading to the bridge. These upgrades should happen now.

Work should start on planning and community consultation for the proposed Walter Taylor Bridge duplication project. But, in the meantime, traffic can be improved by immediately upgrading these intersections, already earmarked by the Brisbane City Council as important infrastructure works. BCC should stop ignoring residents in the Tennyson Ward. Locals in Chelmer, Graceville, Corinda, Sherwood and the surrounding suburbs should not have to put up with traffic gridlock during peak hours and also on Saturdays while planning and consultation are being undertaken to improve the bridge. The traffic gridlock could be alleviated now. Work should start immediately to fix these intersections.