PALM BEACH EXPRESS
Mayor’s taunt to light rail protesters: Out of the way, we're coming through
FED-UP Mayor Tom Tate has a message for Palm Beach light rail protesters – toot toot, get out of the way, the trams are coming through.
And if they still have a problem, he’ll ditch plans for stops at Palm Beach and the light rail will run through regardless, all the way to Gold Coast Airport.
“It’s like this – if they are adamant about it, OK, to save space we go through there, no stops, get that going. Either way we are getting to the airport to Coolangatta,” Cr Tate said.
FED-UP Mayor Tom Tate has a message for Palm Beach light rail protesters – toot toot, get out of the way, the trams are coming through.
And if they still have a problem, he’ll ditch plans for stops at Palm Beach and the light rail will run through regardless, all the way to Gold Coast airport.
In a stunning end to the year’s full council meetings yesterday, Councillor Tate could not resist taking a swing at Palm Beach opponents when asked about the consultation results from the City Plan on light rail.
The council had received 339 submission points relating to a light rail overlay code, a map which shows the impact of the trams heading south to the airport.
Only 2.7 per cent of the submissions were supportive while 88 per cent were opposed.
“It’s like this – if they are adamant about it, OK, to save space we go through there, no stops, get that going. Either way we are getting to the airport to Coolangatta,” Cr Tate said.
Later, during a media conference, the Bulletin asked Cr Tate if he was advocating removal of the Palm Beach tram stations. The Mayor nodded in agreement.
“A stop takes up a lot more space. Let’s take the Palm Beach stop out of there. Vote on it. If you don’t want that, keep going (south),” he said.
His stand followed his declaration on Thursday that the light rail was heading south to the Gold Coast Airport once stage 3A from Broadbeach to Burleigh was completed.
Cr Tate yesterday rejected a push from southern MPs, Cr Daphne McDonald and some candidates for the light rail route – once the 6.6km stage 3A is completed – to turn west instead to link with heavy rail at the Varsity Lakes train station.
Light rail opponents say the heavy rail should be extended to the airport, but observers say the State
Government, which has not set a timeline for construction, could take up to 20 years to get moving on that project.
Yesterday Cr Tate was adamant about light rail pushing south.
“We’re going to Burleigh. And if you ask people at Tugun and Coolangatta, they want the light rail to go to them,” Cr Tate said.
“If you live in Coolangatta, don’t you want the opportunity to get on a light rail and go all the way to Griffith University, go to Helensvale, change mode and go to Brisbane without driving a car?”