Why Gap Creek/Dillon Roads should not be upgraded
A number of Gap residents have recently asked why the Gap Community Association (GCA) is opposed to an upgrade of Gap Creek/Dillon Roads.
Just in case others may have the same question, I have set out a few of the major concerns of the GCA.
-
A sealed and upgraded Gap Creek/Dillon Road will dramatically increase the number of vehicles using this link road through The Gap to/from Brisbane’s south-west. suburbs.
This will place even more traffic pressure, noise and pollution on Waterworks, Payne, Illowra and Settlement Roads as motorists travelling to/from these suburbs to/from the north and the CBD seek to avoid the gridlock of Moggill Road and the heavily congested road network previously known as Route 20 by using this new north/south connector to the west of Mt. Cootha.
Land values and the quality of life due to pollution and traffic noise in our ‘leafy’ suburb of The Gap will be devastated.
-
The section of Gap Creek Road that is currently unsealed is that section of the road that passes through the Brisbane Forest Park.
Why is it still unsealed?
Because it passes through our Forest Park and the BCC should leave it as an unsealed road just as it is today with appropriate grading improvements for alleged safety concerns.
There is enough destruction of our fauna and flora already without upgrading a secondary unsealed road into a major north/south connector (BCC’s description) right through the Brisbane Forest Park.
Environmental groups have identified koalas and two other endangered wildlife species as likely habitants of the Gap Creek area - an upgraded road through the Park will place unsustainable pressure on this fragile environment right on the border of our Park and the western suburbs of Brisbane.
-
Premier Peter Beattie has categorically stated that there will be a Western Brisbane Bypass and this was reflected in the State Government’s SE Queensland Regional Plan by an indicative ‘dotted red arrow’ marked on the map to the east of the Enoggera Reservoir.
There is only one route that a Western Bypass can take to the east of the Enoggera Reservoir and that is along Gap Creek/Dillon Roads through The Gap.
An upgraded Gap Creek/Dillon Road will be a tempting, existing route for the State Government bureaucrats to decide on as the Western Brisbane Bypass as it will act as a Brisbane Bypass by default - such a major highway/motorway through The Gap would be the end of our suburb as we know it today.
Incidently, it was pleasing to read today that our Federal Member for Ryan, Michael Johnson has also called on the Lord Mayor to hold off on the sealing of Gap Creek Road.
May 7th, 2007 at 1:00 am
The upgrade should not take place, this is one area of sanity in Brisbane and should not be destroyed. There has to be a better option than ruining The Gap and its wonderful nature.
July 11th, 2007 at 4:40 pm
The question should read’Why Gap Creek/Dillon Roads should not be upgraded with traffic calming bumps and islands in place’ This seems to be the best solution to the problem.
July 25th, 2007 at 6:07 pm
Approximately 7 months ago I spoke with Margaret DeWit in regards to the possibility that the currently planned upgrade by the BCC (sealing+realigning)whould have on my property on Gap Creek Rd.She showed interest in my concerns and contacted a gentleman in council overseeing the project.In a telephone conversation I brought up my concerns, namely if an realignment (straigtening) of the road occurred at my front boundary it would have negative effects. My property is 40 m2 above 4 hectare (its size is 40040 m2).This means if a mear 6metre*7metre area is removed it falls under 4 hectare.The consequences of this reduction is A.any building work is no longer self assesible-meaning approx. $1000 extra in council fees alone when building work is applied for B.there is associated addition expenses on my side -certification, architect fees,design restrictions. C.Clearing of vegetation from building is reduced from 9 metres to 6 metres-increasing the risk of bushfire damage and possibly inflating building costs by thousands of dollars.(Building code of Australia and the associated AS3959-1999 places unusual and expensive measures when vegetation is close by).I was reassured by this BCC employee overseeing the project that my property would be unaffected. Yesterday, I viewed the map in Margret Dewit’s office of the realignment and to my horror its appears that several hundred square metres will be annexed! I’m totally opposed to this project and any future super highway coming along this corridoor, from environmental and above reasons. I only hope our representatives such as Councillor Dewit oppose this project as do the majority of residents!
February 17th, 2008 at 5:30 am
I travel this road everyday. If I take the long way, assuming there are no accidents, it takes me over an hour to get to work. 20 minutes or over an hour - any one would take the 20 minute option, so I don’t see traffic increasing dramatically if the road was sealed. Taking Gap Creek gives me an extra hour, at least, each day.
Edward, surely BCC could come to an arrangement to have these extra fees you speak about waved for yourself and other home owners in the area, for the sake of public safety.
I have friends that live in the Kenmore and Brookfield areas. The views from up in Brookfield are just awesome and to have some super high way through there would be just wrong, but Gap Creek Road does need to be sealed! In all honesty, I can not see how Gap Creek Road could even be considered for such a proposal, further west maybe, but Gap Creek Road, no way, surely this is just an excuse to hold off the road being sealed.
In the year I have been working in the area, I have almost had several head-on accidents due to so much dust being flung up by vehicles heading in both directions at night that you don’t realise where you are, just to realise someone is coming from the opposite direction. Other times I have had to put the left side of my car onto the grass while doing 40km/h because 4WD’s (mainly) are driving up the middle of the road. On one occasion I actually blew a tyre! And when the road is in such repair that a normal car can only do 20km/h you get 4WD’s over taking cars dangerously, almost causing head-on accidents, it’s only a matter of time before they do!
My wife is about to give birth to our first child and I would actually like to see my child grow up instead of losing my life in an accident along Gap Creek Road.
For the sake of saving lives, can a solution be found that takes care of the wild life, keeps the locals happy and allows for Gap Creek to be sealed, it just has to be done.