THE NEED FOR SPEED ON M1
SOME things in life move predictably fast. A truck on the M1, for example, travelling close to the 110km/h speed limit as it races to make a delivery.
Equally predictably, other things in life remove remarkably slowly. The institutions of government are a wonderful case in point.
As our city rapidly grows and expands, the State Government seems unable to keep up.
Much of the focus of that expansion is on the northern Gold Coast, where developments mushroom and families move in at an extraordinary pace.
While all layers of Government – whether federal, state or council – benefit from the extra jobs, taxes and rates these people bring from the very day of their arrival, returning the bounty in the form of badly-needed infrastructure is an agonisingly slow process.
The strain on the roads is most noticeble. Day after day residents of the northern Gold Coast queue to join the busy M1 motorway. When they do, the congestion means they are often travelling at a slower speed than is safe for merging.
And then there’s the trucks, barrelling along at up to 110km/h. From August, they are being forced into the left lanes, where they are sure to meet traffic moving slowly as it merges.
The problem, and the potentially devastating outcomes, appear, like so many other things, predictable.
Despite this, the State Government last week allocated no funding for upgrades to the M1 north of Helensvale in its Budget. This is a matter of grave concern. Both State and Federal governments expect our plaudits for finally agreeing to fund the upgrade of the southern end of the M1.
But the agreement has only come after many years of needless delay.
Local representatives who campaigned hard on the issue excepted, it is hard to see why residents should be thanking politicians for spending money they have provided through taxation on work that is long overdue.
Things need to move much faster to improve the safety of the northern end of the M1. Plans needs to be put in place now – even if only short-term solutions like extra traffic signals.
Speedy action is needed – or the results could well be tragic.