Mayor rules out bridge funnelling

NEWS

Lord Mayor Campbell Newman’s city administration has ruled out a transit lane on the Story Bridge, accusing the Labor opposition of hypocrisy over the issue.

It claimed Labor Opposition Leader Shayne Sutton had been left red-faced because the ALP would put a transit lane on the Story Bridge if it was in power. Cr Sutton in the 7 July edition of The Independent called on council to rule out traffic funnelling on the bridge into the Clem7 tunnel after an analyst had been quoted in the media suggesting “a transit lane on the Story Bridge might increase tunnel traffic”.
Deputy Mayor and Infrastructure Chairman Graham Quirk said the current LNP council administration had no plans to put a T3 transit or bus lane on the Story Bridge. Cr Quirk said the Lord Mayor had also ruled out funnelling traffic into the Clem7 tunnel in the past and would do it again.
“I cannot make it any clearer – this administration will not be funnelling traffic into the Clem7 tunnel – not now, not ever,” Cr Quirk said. He claimed Councillor Sutton’s statement had backfired on her after it was revealed that Labor’s ‘Transport Plan for Brisbane 2002-2016’ flagged a T3 High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lane to be installed on the Story Bridge between 2009 and 2012.
“One the other hand it’s there for all to see that if Labor were in power there’d be a transit lane on the Story Bridge funnelling traffic into the Clem7 tunnel right now. “You have to wonder why Cr Sutton’s more senior Labor colleagues continue to let her embarrass herself and the party in this way.”
Cr Quirk said that an article on this very issue in the City South News in May 2006 reported “Lord Mayor Campbell Newman said he would oppose T3 lanes on the bridge while he was mayor”.
“In contrast, the same article reported that then-Labor local councillor Catherine Birmingham (East Brisbane) supported a T3 or bus lane being installed on the Story Bridge, and that then-Labor Deputy Mayor David Hinchliffe “wouldn’t rule out T3 lanes after the tunnel was built”.
Cr Quirk said this view was shared by over half of the current 10 sitting ALP councillors, who were all a part of the Jim Soorley-led Labor administration that devised the plan to put a T3 traffic lane on the Story Bridge.