M1 PLEDGE RAMPS IT UP

IT is interesting that as the major parties acknowledge the Gold Coast as a key battleground in a close election, the LNP is the only side to pitch a policy promising a serious solution to M1 gridlock.

The Opposition yesterday stumped up another $100 million to fund improvements to exit and entry ramps on the M1. This is in addition to its $500 million pledge last week to build the M2.

An alternative motorway is critical to saving thousands of Gold Coast commuters the nightmare of never-ending traffic snarls as the eight-lane M1 reaches capacity.

But work on the ramps has gone well beyond being critical to avoid hold-ups. These are a major safety issue, and are all the more dangerous now that heavy trucks have been forced into the left lanes as the Government tries to avoid gridlock during the Commonwealth Games.

LNP leader Tim Nicholls might well feel chuffed at trotting out this latest promise for frustrated commuters to consume. It will resonate with uneasy drivers caught in the stalled lefthand lanes at Exits 41, 45, 49 and 57 as they peer into rearview mirrors and hope truckies are watching the road.

The Bulletin has campaigned long and hard for action on these issues. It is pleasing to see the LNP has been taking note.

But just as the Bulletin warned the LNP last week that it will be held to its M2 pledge if it wins government, with little Gold Coast patience for anything other than a quick start to construction, Mr Nicholls and his team are again on notice with the ramps pledge. It is easy to make a promise on the hustings, but give voters the detail. They’ve heard before how a party will do something in its first term, only for it not to happen. When will a firm start be made to fixing ramps and exit lanes, intersections and feeder roads? Gold Coasters are not fools. They want answers.

The blowtorch is also on the Palaszczuk Government to produce a credible solution. Its band-aid pledge to address congestion between Varsity Lakes and Tugun was an embarrassment that will fix nothing as the M1 grinds to a halt.

The fact both sides have been throwing ministers and their Opposition equivalents at the Gold Coast shows how desperate they are for seats here. With calls for M1 action, the answer has to be obvious.