A proposed road transport corridor in Toowoomba has been scrapped after community feedback, with the QTA weighing in on the change
The Queensland government has announced that the proposed North South Corridor through Toowoomba has been scrapped following consultation with the community between July and October this year.
Queensland’s Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) says that it will now work with the Toowoomba Regional Council to identify alternate transport solutions that maximise the use of existing road infrastructure to address Toowoomba’s future transport needs.
“We are a government that listens to our community and we are extremely grateful to everyone that has provided us with feedback, detailed submissions or even just shared their story with us,” Queensland transport minister Mark Bailey says.
“On critical, large projects such as this proposednorth south transport corridor, it’s important that the community has a say.
“That’s why we do community consultation, so that we can change and pivot to reflect the needs of the community.“
Queensland’s TMR received more than 4,000 responses throughout the three-month community consultation phase.
The Queensland government says thatthe community feedback received shows there is support for solutions to address expected future growth in Toowoomba.
However, the feedback made it clear that future growth needs to be balanced against concerns raised by some community members in relation to different aspects of the proposed project.
“Toowoomba is growing and that is a great thing for the community because it means jobs and prosperity,” Bailey says.
“I want to thank everyone who took the time to prepare submissions, meet with the project team and provide general feedback about the proposed transport corridor.”
The Queensland Trucking Association (QTA) also sided with the Toowoomba community. QTA CEO Gary Mahon says that the proposed north-south corridor wasn’t one that the industry particularly sought.
“We would’ve prioritised a number of other corridors around the state well before that particular proposal,” Mahon told ATN.
“In fact, we lent some reasonable support to a few of the citizen groups there that we didn’t think itwas necessary given the significant priorities over and above that around the state.”
The only section of the project that’s set to proceed is the small Charlton Bypass in the industrial area, which proved to be uncontroversial after some refinements to reflect land use changes and community feedback in the area. Preliminary planning for a future transport corridor west of Toowoomba has also commenced.
The Queensland government says that it remains committed to ensuring that personal, public and commercial transport in Toowoomba is managed effectively in the long-term by ensuring that residents and businesses are supported by the right infrastructure.
Forecasts show Toowoomba is expected to grow by 76,000 to 200,000 people by 2046, with significant new community development projects, including new housing, approved for development.