Community & Business
25 July, 2024
Transport operators vent over local road network
TRANSPORT operators have vented their frustration at the region’s road network and told how its failures are having a negative impact on their bottom line.
At a meeting in Mareeba attended by LNP Shadow Minister for Transport Steve Minnikin and all three candidates for the upcoming election – Cook’s David Kempton, Hill’s Cameron McCollum and Barron River’s Bree James – transport operators were blunt about what they thought needed to happen to make the network operate efficiently and cost effectively.
Mr Minnikin told the gathering he wanted to know first-hand from road users what the LNP could do if they were elected in October to make a real difference to the network.
Calling them “economic arteries”, Mr Minnikin said there were specific roads and bridges that needed to be upgraded to ensure they were fit for purpose for critical transport movements.
Mr Minnikin and Mr Kempton also gave a firm commitment that a transport advisory group would be formed comprising of council representatives, transport operators, industry groups, growers, businesses and relevant government agencies to ensure that the Department of Transport and Main Roads was getting its priorities right.
“Too many decisions get made in the south-east….and there’s not enough input from the people who are impacted by those decisions and use those transport routes,” he said.
“Just driving around the entire road network in the last decade just hasn’t come on – there’s no long-term plan for the network that serves the transport industry or people travelling.
“It’s not only the road links, but it’s the whole network that needs work – we have produce going south, weather conditions no one else faces, the Mareeba bypass needs to be talked about, there’s a number of bridges leading north, and there’s road classifications that need to be amended just to make the whole job easier for people in the transport industry.
“There is a lot of attention on the Barron River Bridge at the moment because of the urgency of the situation. A LNP Government is committed to fixing both the bridge and the range road but these are not the only issues impacting on the transport movements to and from the region.
“The meeting in Mareeba identified the sealing and maintenance of the Ootan Road to the south, the sealing of the 3km of Burke Development Road to the east, McLeod, Bushy, Rifle and Spear creeks together with maintenance of the PDR to the north, a reliable and affordable access to Cairns and beyond to the east, and the Mareeba bypass closer to home.”
Mr Kempton said that any final option for the range road would have to be considered in the context of an overall regional strategy.
“To simply pick one option over another without developing a complete strategy and plan is premature,” he said.
“There are, of course, many other matters of importance such as break down (unhitching) pads, load limits and road classifications. If we are truly going to develop the economic potential of the region, we need to improve the road network.”
Hill candidate Cameron McCollum told the meeting the road network was “not safe, not resilient and not fit for purpose”.
“My major concern in Hill is with the Palmerston (Highway) as our major B-double route that connects the Tablelands and out west down to the coast, to the Bruce and beyond,” he said.
“And that is also in a state of disrepair that would make your blood boil and make your heart bleed when you hear about the tragedies on those roads.”
Those who attended the gathering also had a lengthy discussion about the need to change the “culture” within the bureaucracy – something Mr Minnikin wholeheartedly agreed with, saying government ministers also must be held to account for the actions of their departments.
“Ultimately, the buck stops with the Minister…if there is direct reporting to the Minister, we can change the culture of inefficiency and waste,” he said.
Others at the meeting also raised the need to increase funding for maintenance of state-controlled roads.
