Queensland residents of Southport draws to the attention of the House the dangerous and potentially unnecessary weekday traffic gridlock preceding the traffic lights on Southport-Nerang Road and Edmund Rice Drive. One entry and exit point from the above roads services traffic to two schools, childcare centre, church community, pistol club, two multi-unit developments (104 and 135 residences respectively), residents living off Evercrest Drive plus the state university. Congestion restricts emergency vehicle access if required and causes frustrated parents (who spend more than 30 minutes to drop off children to the school gate a few metres away) to negotiate vehicles in unsafe ways through walking crowds. The holdups spill out to the main road preventing flow to surrounding businesses and cross streets. In particular the local Beaurepaires shop has their own access road fully obstructed twice daily by parents parking there.

Your petitioners, therefore, request the House to insist on the relevant road authorities to investigate and implement additional access and exit routes to improve traffic flow and safety. Petitioners have proposed that this may be possible where the Griffith University car park meets Smith Street. Additionally a ‘round-a-bout' by the primary school pickup point would help, as would turning an empty block of land in front of Beaurepaires into a car park for school parents to walk their children to the gate.