THE Mount Lindesay Highway is a hot topic yet again.
Given that we are on the eve of a state election, the notorious motorway – listed by the RACQ as the third worst in Queensland – will probably stay that way over the coming months.
The community turnout at the Logan Country Safe City group’s Highway to Hell meeting on the weekend was surely a message to candidates and sitting members about where the voters of this region stand on the matter.
Questions were raised and opinions presented as those who must traverse the highway for work, study and play put their cards firmly and clearly on the table.
Jimboomba Times commends the Logan Country Safe City group for calling the meeting. That such a gathering on this matter is needed is appalling, however, as it demonstrates that this government and those preceding it have simply not listened nor taken on board the number of fatalities this road engenders.
That the region is set for extraordinary growth is clear; that the Mount Lindesay Highway is already not coping with the current population is blatantly obvious; and the fact that if something is not done in the very near future to upgrade it, the issues will only worsen when the population tsunami headed this way arrives.
Yet governments continue to duck, dodge, weave and avoid coming up with a plan to achieve what needs to be done in terms of widening the highway and making it safer.
Yes, it will cost a lot of money to fund the kind of upgrade the Mount Lindesay Highway needs. It also will take time and motorists will be inconvenienced while works are done. However, judging by the weekend meeting, voters want action on this road. Even having an actionable plan in place would be a start.
This latter point would be well worth noting by those who are aiming for votes at the ballot box.
