Gold Coast Light Rail Stage 4 - Evaluate all alternative routes and modes

Eligibility - Queensland residents
Principal Petitioner:
Rob Richards
14 Cotton Street
BURLEIGH HEADS QLD 4220
Total Signatures - 5,479
Sponsoring Member: Mr Michael Hart MP
Posting Date: 7/5/2021
Closing Date: 12/7/2021
Tabled Date: 1/9/2021
Responded By: Hon Mark Bailey MP on 1/10/2021
TO: The Honourable the Speaker and Members of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland

Queensland residents draws to the attention of the House the Government’s plans to construct Stage 4 of the Gold Coast Light Rail (Burleigh Heads to GC Airport) using a costly and unsuitable route along the Gold Coast Highway (Highway) through Palm Beach. 

Your petitioners support the provision of a good public transport system for the rapidly growing City of Gold Coast. However, we do not support and strongly object to the very constrained Highway as the preferred route when alternative wider, lower impact, lower cost routes (and modes) that better serve the needs of residents have not been evaluated.

The proposed design narrows the Highway (the City’s number two arterial road), to two lanes in places, consumes all highway parking spaces and requires many land resumptions. Major bridges are required at the iconic Tallebudgera and Currumbin Creeks with associated impacts to amenity, cultural heritage, and ecological values. Widening the road cutting at Burleigh Head National Park will create a large, unattractive scarp.

Your petitioners, therefore, request the House to do all within its power to ensure a comprehensive evaluation of all route and mode options for Light Rail Stage 4 occurs, while pausing all planning, business case and land acquisition actions until the review is completed. This includes evaluation of alternative routes, such as West Burleigh Road, and modern, cheaper modes, such as trackless trams for the whole light rail network. The evaluation should be transparent, with substantial community involvement/participation, consistent with the Government’s own ‘Community engagement toolkit for planning’.