Page 5098 - Week 14 - Tuesday, 28 November 2017
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down the motion much at all. The three parties here spoke in favour of the motion. All of the members here today sat here 2½ months ago and agreed that it was vitally important that we move forward to make these much-needed changes to amenities at the base of Mt Taylor.
I have here some of the words in the amendment from Ms Fitzharris. These are not my words. These are the words of the government. These are the words of the woman who controls the levers of the directorate that is responsible for this area. She said:
(3) calls on the Government to investigate the following improvements to the Mount Taylor carpark:
(a) creation of dedicated, visible, and safe entry and exit points to the Mount Taylor carpark on Sulwood Drive with dedicated and clearly defined safe crossings for pedestrians and cyclists;
(b) improvements to the safety and amenity of the parking area by installing lighting and a bin;
(c) changes to improve the intersection of Mannheim Street and Sulwood Drive with regard to the safety and needs of motorists, cyclists and pedestrians wishing to access the Mount Taylor carpark;
(d) extension of the footpath on Mannheim Street from MacKay Crescent to Sulwood Drive;
She went on to say:
We will also be considering a range of other short-term measures such as those that have been mentioned, including signage.
Two months down the track, is there any new signage? No, there is not. What have we seen in two months? We have seen the marking of the drains. What we have seen is a serious accident at this makeshift car park which could easily have resulted in tragedy. It certainly did result in serious injury. We all know how dangerous it is. We all agreed about it. I am not sure why we are even here still talking about it.
I hear excuses from the other side. They are all saying, “Come on, Parto! You blokes in opposition do not understand how long it takes to turn the wheels of this machine. We cannot just snap our fingers and make something happen tomorrow.” Unless, of course, it is a rainbow roundabout at Braddon, because that, Madam Speaker, is pretty important stuff. We can get all of the planning done; we can mobilise the staff; we can sign off on the spending; we can get the traffic controls in place. We can make something happen if it is a hobbyhorse for the Chief Minister.
As we know, it is a hobbyhorse for Mr Steel. I saw Mr Steel celebrating the rainbow roundabout and what an amazing thing it was that the government could make this happen so quickly. But when people’s safety is being compromised, when lives are at stake, we hear, “Look, we will get to it when we get to it; next year sometime; maybe early 2020. I do not know; it could be done in the election year. I am not sure.”
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