Total waste of time

THE recent state parliament in Townsville was on all counts a complete waste of time and money.

I was out of the country at the time so I have trawled through the Townsville Bulletin and watched the TV news segments but have seen no mention of the Queensland Transport Minister Mr Bailey while here having visited or shown any interest in our Driving Training Complex under construction at Calcium.

As we all know, the Palaszczuk Government is totally committed to road safety, demonstrated by the number of speed camera vehicles used throughout the state and in Townsville.

If he had driven around Townsville he would have sampled our antiquated traffic light system, which is more in keeping with the horse and cart days than modern day traffic. Having to sit at traffic lights for two minutes at a time when there is no traffic on the major road is not very professional, or having to wait until the turning phase of the lights has ended when there was no vehicle turning in front of you. Likewise having to wait for the green light at a T-intersection when vehicles could turn left with care, one could go on and on regarding our traffic light system.

Billions of dollars is being spent in Brisbane to assist traffic flow but in Townsville we seem to do everything to hinder traffic flow.

Then of course we have the Ring Road, which is a disgrace, with rubbish left both sides of the carriageway from the Bohle to the copper refineries.

One has to wonder if he had seen the state of the road would it have been cleaned up by now. The so-called motorways in Brisbane seem to be a lot cleaner, one has to wonder why?

So perhaps what the good people of Townsville have said in print is correct – what a waste of time and money and missed opportunities.

There are myriad projects he could have investigated like a light rail system from Rollingstone to the heart of the city, and surrounds. The rail line north and south is by no stretch of the imagination over-subscribed to.

The traffic travelling the Bruce Highway from the northern suburbs in the morning and back in the afternoon, I would suggest, is starting to get near to saturation point. DAVID THOUMINE,

Cranbrook.