Oceanway missing link a path worth taking

I HAD to raise my eyebrow at the feature (GCB, 24/10) about Luke Henderson and his forecast for the future of Mermaid Beach and Nobbys, in particular his objection and dismissal of the Oceanway.

It has been 32 years since the project began with the ambition for a continuous 36km beachfront pathway from Coolangatta to Main Beach. More than 70 per cent has been achieved but it remains broken by gaps left to appease several privileged sections.

Let’s not forget the Oceanway was hugely supported by mayors Gary Baildon and Ron Clark, business leaders, sporting groups and surf lifesaving clubs – until Tom Tate came to office and took it off the table in 2012.

It is important to acknowledge there are no legal or technical impediments to completing the Oceanway. And while all sections to date have been led by the council, there has been bipartisan support from state government. Labor and Liberal governments have contributed 50 per cent of funding for construction of every stage, despite a lack of representation by the local members of parliament.

I am running as a state election candidate to raise awareness of the lifestyle and tourism benefits and urgent public safety need to complete the missing link between Mermaid and Miami. The roadway here along Hedges and Albatross avenues is perilous for cyclists, pedestrians and especially people with any sort of mobility disability.

Almost everyone I talk with is excited and can’t wait for the Oceanway to be built. It is understandable some owners of the 138 beachfront properties are reticent or opposed to the path, but most concerns can be addressed with good landscape design.

I agree with Mr Henderson’s suggestion to “rip out and re-do the footpaths along Albatross and Hedges Avenue, set a speed limit for cyclists and put the power underground”. That will be needed, not instead of, but as well as the beachfront Oceanway.

It is incorrect to report the A-line seawall is inside people’s property along this stretch of the coast. Palm Beach, south of 23rd Avenue, plus a short section in front of One The Esplanade Surfers Paradise, are places where private property titles extending seaward of the A-line inhibit construction of the Oceanway. The pathway parallel to Hedges and Albatross avenues will be entirely on public land.

A concrete path, flanked by landscaping and lighting, is very inexpensive public infrastructure and the return on investment in lifestyle and tourism benefits will be recouped in a very short time. After a week of early polling, not a single person I have spoken with has told me they don’t want the Oceanway. The case for building the Mermaid to Miami section is compelling.