GRIDLOCK CROSSROAD

EXCLUSIVE: Councillor campaign to make transport the key budget issue

COUNCILLORS are mounting a campaign for open debate and a hefty boost in the city budget to combat the Coast’s biggest blight – traffic gridlock. There is a call for an immediate $36 million injection to tackle bottlenecks. Mayor Tom Tate said his “absolute focus” was on roads and finding traffic-busting solutions.

COUNCILLORS are calling for city budget meetings to be held in open session so they can speed up a funding plan to fix the Gold Coast’s shocking traffic gridlock.

A push is on from a number of councillors to get an immediate $36 million injection to target the worst road bottlenecks.

A council vote to give a massive increase to transport funding is tipped to be close, with the city seen as being in a strong financial position with substantial cash reserves.

Councillors say the plan to boost the transport budget can be delivered without increasing rates.

Residents in the city’s north have complained it is taking 23 minutes to crawl 150m at peak hour on gridlocked arterial roads linking to the M1.

Special budget meetings begin next month and the city’s ratepayer group, aware the sessions are often closed to the public and media within minutes, is demanding open debate.

Cr Glenn Tozer said the council’s Transport Strategy 2031 had identified an annual funding shortfall of $36.2 million.

The strategy set targets such as increasing public transport from 3 per cent to 12 per cent of all daily trips and getting car travel down from almost 88 per cent to 74 per cent.

Bureaucrats in forward planning for the next three years have already identified priority roads for fixing.

“I think we need to start allocating the money now,” Cr Tozer said.

“In 2013 we identified (through the strategy) that shortfall in the capital works budget. We haven’t started allocating that $36 million. We can and we should draw on the cash reserves and make transport a strategy priority for the city. There’s no increase in rates.”

The council is viewed as being in a strong financial position with interestbearing loans dropping from $764 million to $641 million and cash assets rising from $590 million to $936 million.

Budget papers show more than $116 million of a $1.5 billion total budget has been allocated to transport. That amount for capital works is set to increase to $123 million in 2019-20.

Cr William OwenJones suggests ramping up “new and upgrade capital works projects” – and $130 million is thought to be a more realistic budget.

Cr Tozer wants to push harder, saying it should be $160-170 million.

He said transport debate should not be behind closed doors.

“It’s in the public interest for this to be discussed openly. It’s the key issue for our city.”

Southport councillor Dawn Crichlow called for most of the special budget debate to be held in “open” session and that basic services like roads remain the main issue.

“It’s the people’s money. Local government is owned by the people. There’s no reason for confidential,” she said.

“Let’s not do the fancy things. It worries me the amount of money we are spending on an offshore cruise ship terminal (proposal).”

Mayor Tom Tate said his “absolute focus” was on roads and finding traffic-busting solutions.

“Next month, council will receive a comprehensive report into traffic projects, spread across the city. These projects will receive funding if they deliver what we all want – less congestion,’’ Cr Tate said.

“Our current arts and culture program is fully funded and has received unanimous support on the floor of the chamber so I’m disappointed if any councillor does not support the broadening of our economy, through art and culture.

“Our investigations into an oceanside cruise terminal are virtually complete so the only costs at present are officers’ time.

“Our budget approach over the last seven years has delivered the lowest rate increases in the city’s history. Why change that?”

Gold Coast Residents and Ratepayers Association president Tom Bleier said members wanted fewer closed-door meetings.

“I think it should all be in open,” he said. “Transparency is what we are looking for. Too many things are discussed behind closed doors.”

WE CAN AND WE SHOULD DRAW ON THE CASH RESERVES AND MAKE TRANSPORT A STRATEGY PRIORITY. CR GLENN TOZER