M1 EXIT ROAD RAGE
Motorists furious with Coalition and Labor motorway election deals
PRIME Minister Scott Morrison’s brief stopover to buy votes in the Gold Coast’s only marginal seat has backfired, with angry motorists saying his $50 million pledge to fix two exits will do nothing to solve the M1’s traffic woes.
To make matters worse, Labor said it would match the deal, despite admitting the money would fix only a quarter of the two interchanges.
Drivers who said it took them 10 minutes to travel less than 100m in the city’s fast-growing north pleaded for more money to be spent on the state’s busiest road.
PRIME Minister Scott Morrison’s one-hour stopover to buy votes in the Gold Coast’s only marginal seat has backfired, with fed-up motorists saying his $50 million pledge to fix two exits will do nothing to solve the M1’s traffic woes.
Drivers and business leaders in the city’s fast-growing northern corridor reacted angrily to Mr Morrison’s announcement yesterday to upgrade exits 41 and 49 at Yatala and Pimpama.
To make matters worse, Labor said it would match the deal, despite admitting the money would fix only a quarter of the two interchanges.
“It is horrible, especially with the school traffic in the early morning and the afternoon – the fluoro army,” Pimpama electrician Daniel Hughes said.
“I am not sure how far $50 million is going to go.”
Cheryl Broadhurst, who has lived on the Gold Coast for 23 years, says it takes her 10 minutes to drive less than 100m from her workplace at Pimpama to the M1.
“It takes a long time to get across the road, even just to get out of the shops and on to the M1. I want to see more money spent.”
Gold Coast North Chamber of Commerce president Gary Mays said motorists were sick of waiting for governments to solve the city’s congestion issues.
“We all know what the problems are with the M1 and if the PM was smart he’d be putting the money into the second M1, but that’s going to cost a bloody fortune too,” he said. “People are so fed up they want private enterprise to just build it and make it a toll road because they are just sick of it.
Mayor Tom Tate welcomed the announcement, but was underwhelmed.
“They are saying he’s got the money but I say money is good, talk is good but we need an overall deal and get this all resolved,” he said.
“I welcome the announcement but I would welcome it more if, and when, the sod is turned and things actually become a reality.”
Mr Morrison announced the funding during his quick stopover in the marginal seat of Forde. Retaining the seat is essential to the Coalition Government winning the May federal election.
Aside from the $50 million on the M1 exits, the Prime Minister committed $80 million to the Ipswich Motorway and $30 million for the Mt Lindesay Hwy.
The fact Mr Morrison even stepped foot on the Coast trumped election rival Bill Shorten who refused to come to the Coast during his nineday ‘Contiki’ bus tour of Queensland.
Work is already under way on the $2 billion widening of the M1 in the city’s south from Mudgeeraba to Tugun as well as north of the Gold Coast at Eight Mile Plains.
Both projects were jointly funded by the state and federal governents and only came after years of inaction.
The ageing infrastructure is struggling to cope as the city’s population grows at an annual rate of around 14,670 people, according to Treasury figures.
At exit 49 some motorists have reported taking up to 23 minutes to travel 150m along Pimpama’s Yawalpah Rd.
The Palaszczuk Government’s transport experts say $50 million will fix only a quarter of the work on each exit.
The Commonwealth has not reached out to the State yet for the traditional 50-50 split on funding for exits. No timeframe has been set for work.
Flanked by local MPs, Mr Morrison said: “This is another important local congestion-busting series of projects.
“These do two things – they get people where they need to go quickly and more safely. Whether it is getting home to have dinner as a family, being home to help the kids with their homework or a tradie who is spending time on the job where they can build as opposed to spending time in their ute in the traffic.”
State Transport Minister Mark Bailey said: “Gold Coast residents may well ask Scott Morrison ‘where the bloody hell were ya?’ after he gave most of state’s entire allocation from a federal congestion fund to projects in the greater Brisbane area.
“Where was the money for the Gold Coast? The Prime Minister has once again diverted Gold Coast federal roads funding to buy LNP votes in marginal Brisbane electorates.”
The Palaszczuk Government had begun planning to upgrade exits 41 and 49, and costed both about $100 million each.
Labor Forde candidate Des Hardman said: “I have lobbied Bill Shorten and Shadow Ministers about the need for these upgrades, so I am pleased they have committed the funding today.
“The bottom line is that, no matter who wins the coming federal election, this funding will be delivered.”