CONCERNS have been raised about the limited transport options to support a Redland Whitewater Centre (RWC).
The centre, a key Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games venue proposed for the canoe slalom, has been touted as a significant development for sports, tourism, and disaster resilience training.
However, the lack of accessible transport could pose challenges for those relying on public transit to reach the RWC, potentially limiting access.
Former Capalaba MP Don Brown expressed his disappointment about the lack of clear infrastructure plans for the RWC.
“Obviously the Metro is what the six (Redland) councillors had said to the community was needed as part of the Whitewater rafting announcement,” he said. “It’s very vague and very unclear.”
Mr Brown highlighted that State Member for Redlands Rebecca Young had also mentioned a “better Eastern Busway”, which was “not in the wording of the report”.
“The public was sold on… ‘you get the white water, you get infrastructure’,” he said.
“There is the Brisbane Metro business case … (it needs to be) fast-tracked and give certainty about whether that project stacks up.”
The RWC is currently a private vehicle-dependent venue with no active or public transport connectivity.
The State Government’s 100-day Review Report said: “Overall connectivity is poor and will require augmentation at Games-time.”
Although plans for Park ‘n’ Ride facilities from nearby Birkdale train station and transit hub services from Carindale have been proposed, there has been no official state infrastructure plan detailing how these facilities will be funded or developed.
Community leader Cindy Corrie said the Birkdale Community Precinct strengthened investment competitiveness for additional transport infrastructure.
“While upgrading and improving connectivity of our road network is important, investment in transport such as the extension of the Eastern Metro to Capalaba is critical to meeting the needs of our community into the future and ensure the city is accessible for all residents and visitors,” she wrote.
“For decades, Redland City has advocated for the duplication of the Cleveland train line to improve its critical trunk infrastructure and improve connectivity with SEQ – however this has not materialised.
A Redland City Council spokesperson said project planning was ongoing.
“Council has consistently advocated to other levels of government for transport infrastructure improvements that are vital for the delivery of this project – in particular, the extension of the Eastern Transitway to Capalaba and the much-needed duplication of the rail line to Cleveland.
“It is expected that being an event venue city will bring forward these works with commitments from the Queensland and Commonwealth Governments.”
Redlands MP Rebecca Young said the Government has always maintained that infrastructure planning is an essential part of delivering an Olympic venue.
“It includes a bus priority solution for Old Cleveland Road, and we are determined to complete the work left unfinished by the former Labor government,” she said.
“With a robust business case for the Metro bus already in progress, this legacy project is set to materialise with the same certainty as an Olympic venue in our city.”
