This week you would have seen an article in the Bayside and Northern Suburbs Star about the Geebung Rail crossing. Anyone who has actually had to drive through it, either on a regular basis or as a once off, would know it's confusing, difficult and most of all dangerous. It's also a key bottleneck from the residential Geebung side of the railway line to the south, and the industrial Zillmere/Virginia side of the line to the North. It also cuts a key suburban artery, Robinson Rd, into two because of the placement of the Geebung Rail station which further isolates the industrial area from The western section of Zillmere and Aspley. The frequency of trains during peak hours and the short timings on turns off Newman Rd going right to Railway Parade and the close proximity of another set of lights at Robinson Rd East means mistakes are easy to make, and can lead to big delays and accidents. The often promoted solution is a road bridge linking Robinson Road together, taking the pressure off the intersection. But it's not a cheap solution, and with the road funded partially with State and local funding, it was always going to be a classic story of political failure, overpromised and under-delivered.
That's where we are today, the LNP candidate is backing the project, a reasonable position to take on the issue, taking a few swipes at the ALP on the way (also expected). What baffles me is the ALP candidate's response, the attack on claims the state government held it up is there, but no specific backing or rejection of the project. When people mention the ALP problem, this is one of the things they refer to. The politics is certainly there, but where is the action? What will Leanne Linard do if elected to address this issue? Is she so worried about making a promise that she can't keep that she will make no promises at all? This is not an effective way to represent your area.
So I'm going to do what most would think unusual for a Green and back a road project and the position of the LNP. If elected, I promise to advocate strongly for action and funding for a solution to the intersection problem at Geebung; and if I am not, I will lobby the local member, state government and council to form a strategy to fix the problem. I can't promise immediate results, but It will be on my 'to do' list until it's complete. It's what a state member is supposed to do.