LOCAL LNP and ALP representatives have failed to gain any commitments from their parties on the duplication of the Mt Lindesay Highway through to Jimboomba despite seeing it as a top priority for the Logan and Beaudesert electorates.

With the five week campaign proper kicking off over the weekend, the Times this week asked ALP candidates Linus Power (Logan) and Brett McCreadie (Beaudesert), LNP candidates Michael Pucci (Logan) and Jon Krause (Beaudesert) and sitting Member for Beaudesert Aidan McLindon (Katter’s Australian Party), what their parties would deliver if elected.

“Strong advocacy” was the common response with only Mr McLindon providing time frames for his goals. He committed to advocate for the highway from Rosia Road to Jimboomba to be duplicated within four years, and a four lane highway constructed to Beaudesert by 2018.

“So far we’ve seen two stages done over the last three years and I would hope that the next three years would see the four-lane highway and a possible Jimboomba overpass,” he said.

Mr Pucci said if elected, the LNP would deliver all projects already funded in the Queensland Transport and Roads Investment Program (QTRIP) 2010/11 to 2013/14 “in a timely and efficient manner”, however could not pledge whether the LNP could deliver duplication of the Mt Lindesay Highway between Rosia Road and Chambers Flat Road, or all the way to Jimboomba.

IT was a case of one extreme to the other for Jimboomba firefighter Dean Waldron last week when he travelled to Mitchell to help with flood clean-up efforts.

Mr Waldron - an auxiliary firefighter with the Queensland Fire and Rescue Service Jimboomba station - travelled with three other firefighters from Boonah on Sunday, February 4, to assist.

Speaking from Mitchell last week, Mr Waldron said the crew’s main goal was to give the local firefighters a break so they could look after their own homes, friends and families.

“While we’ve been up here we’ve taken over their role, we’ve been found it’s been lots of hosing out houses and businesses that have been affected with the floods,” he said.

“It’s just the after shock in cleaning out houses. There’s a lot of stuff just on the side of the road and there’s mud everywhere.”

Mr Waldron said there was a lot of heartache as locals, some of whom were uninsured, worked to get back on their feet.

Half of the houses in Mitchell, east of Charleville, were affected by the major flood peak in the Maranoa River.

Mr Waldron said he was touched with how everybody was pitching in to give a helping a hand to their neighbours.

“It’s amazing how quick this community has pulled together,” he said.

“There’s people helping people they barely even know just because they need help.

“It’s nice to see people just helping someone else just because they need it. It’s kind of restoring a little bit of my faith in humanity really.”

Mr Waldron and the crew returned home on Saturday. Meanwhile, two teams of Logan SES travelled last week to the State’s flood-ravaged west.

Logan Mayor Pam Parker said the volunteers were sent to assist in the flood affected areas of Charleville and Roma.

By Aleisha Pidgeon

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BUS safety will be boosted in Jimboomba with Transport Minister Annastacia Palaszczuk announcing $100,000 for road safety improvements in the area.

Her announcement followed a string of stories in the Times outlining bus safety concerns  including the death of eight-year-old boy Joshua Stone in Jimboomba in December, 2010.

Earlier this month, Ms Palaszczuk said a bus safety review undertaken on Jimboomba bus routes had not taken too long despite on-site inspections for the review undertaken in May last year.

The review looked at road safety issues, including visibility and safety of pick-up and set-down areas, route signage, and turn-around areas on six nominated bus routes.

“School road safety is a critical issue, and the safety of Queensland’s students is a key priority for the State Government,” Ms Palaszczuk said.

“That’s why we have set aside $100,000 so the highest priority improvements identified by the review can be made without delay.”

Independent organisation, The Australian Road Research Board Group, conducted the review of the local school routes in consultation with the school bus operator and Park Ridge Transit.

The review team travelled on the school bus along the nominated bus routes, noting and prioritising issues.

However Cedar Vale mother Kate Dean, who has been campaigning for greater school bus safety for two years, said while she was excited about the money, she was concerned it would not go far enough.

“I’m excited to have something happen after two years of campaigning for it but I’m concerned that parents and residents have not been consulted because we’re in the best position to know,” she said.

“Parents and concerned residents are best able to be aware of the most serious areas of concern.”

She also demanded the review be released to the public.

“What are the details, we need the details and we need to be told,” she said.

“Is the money going to be used in an effective way?”

Before she had heard the announcement Ms Dean called together more than 30 concerned residents on Sunday to get school bus safety back on the agenda before the start of the 2012 school year.

“It was about being proactive in getting something done,” she said.

Minister Palaszczuk said the $100,000 had been made available to fast track the improvements.

A spokeswoman from Ms Palaszczuk’s office said the report would not be released to the public and had been given to Logan City Council Council for their consideration.

She said the works in the report were also under council’s consideration.

Logan City Council Mayor Pam Parker said the funding was a good start which would allow council to start scheduling the delivery of the highest priority works.

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DIVISION 11 is the only place in Logan that will not have bus stops upgraded as part of a Translink program.

The Translink Bus Stop Upgrade Program, funded by Translink and Logan City Council, includes improvements to 44 bus stops and a further 11 new bus shelters throughout Logan.

However, Logan’s largest division, Division 11, which includes Greenbank in the north through to Cedar Vale in the south, has not been included in the program and will receive no new bus shelters or improvements.

Division 11 candidate and president of the Jimboomba Community Care Association John Fronis said Division 11 residents were being treated like “second class citizens” as many bus shelters were in desperate need of an upgrade.

He said it was up to councillors to identify bus stops in their division for the upgrade program.

“Why is every other division getting bus shelter improvements?,” he said.

“It is another example of a complete lack of representation.

“It is disgusting, it is not much to ask.”

The upgrades will involve new boarding facilities being built at each of the 44 selected bus stops.

A Logan City Council spokeswoman said bus stops in Division 11 were not compatible with the type of work offered in the upgrade program and therefore no bus stop were identified for improvements.

“Upgrading boarding facilities generally involves constructing a concrete slab adjacent to the bus stop post which forms a continuous connection between the kerb and footpath,” she said.

“As there is predominately no kerb and channel present in this area (division 11) the type of upgrade, as set out above, is not possible.

“Council understands the majority of bus stops in Division 11 will be upgraded as part of the planned upgrade of the Mt Lindesay Highway.

“Any other bus stops located throughout the rest of Division 11 will need to be considered as part of future bus stop upgrade programs due to the nature of the work requirements in this area.”

The work for the bus stop upgrades will cost $154,000 of which Logan City Council will contribute $38,500.

Divisions One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Eight, Nine and 12 will each have four bus stops upgraded.

Division Seven will receive upgrades to five bus stops and Division 10 will receive upgrades to three bus stops.

Each division, apart from Division 11, will also receive one new bus shelter. The 11 new bus stops will cost a further $220,000 of which council will contribute $110,613.

A Logan City Council spokewoman said council expected many of the upgrades to be complete by the end of the financial year.

Attempts made by the Jimboomba Times to contact Division 11 Councillor Hajnal Black were unsuccessful.