CONSTRUCTION is under way on Mount Cotton Rd as part of a project to improve emergency response times at the local fire station.
The works, located directly outside the Mount Cotton Road Fire Station, will see the installation of new traffic lights – but they won’t be like any other on the Redlands’ roads.
State Member for Springwood Mick de Brenni said the lights would be operated exclusively by fire crews and activated only during emergency responses.
“Now, just let everybody know there will be a set of traffic lights going in here, but they won’t just be an ordinary set of traffic lights,” Mr de Brenni said.
“These will be a set of traffic lights that will be operated by the fire department crew for use in emergency responses.”
He stressed the lights would only be activated when crews needed to respond urgently.
“Whilst there will be lights here, it’ll only be for the purposes of getting our fire crews out of here when they’re fighting a fire, a bushfire, or a factory fire, or attending to a serious incident,” he said.
Mr de Brenni said the works formed part of the broader Mount Cotton Road Fire Station project, which was progressing well.
The announcement has attracted a mix of praise and criticism from local residents; some of whom believe permanent signals should be considered for the high-risk intersection.
One resident said traffic lights with a manual override for fire crews would be a “common-sense improvement”, pointing out that the intersection sits within a signed high-accident zone.
Another local described the new setup as a “step in the right direction”, but suggested it could easily be expanded into a full signalised intersection in future if needed.
Others questioned the Government’s priorities, with some residents expressing frustration that a long-
requested traffic light installation at nearby Double Jump Rd had not progressed, despite frequent crashes at the site.
However, not all feedback was critical.
Several locals thanked Mr de Brenni for providing the update and welcomed the safety improvements for emergency services.
The lights are expected to be operational soon, with motorists advised to drive carefully through the area while construction continues.
