RUSSELL Island is to get more funding for street lighting and footpaths after an impassioned plea to Redland council from a 14-year-old school boy.
Victoria Point State High School year 10 student Lachlan McLintock-Hill choked back tears telling council how his best friend, Ethan Stephenson, died after he was hit by a car on Russell Island’s busy Centre Road in June.
He attributed his friend’s death to the lack of footpaths and street lighting and begged council to step up funding to fast-track both on the island.
He told how he collected signatures on a petition calling for better street lighting and footpaths during school holidays and also how he missed playing X-Box with Ethan.
“If there were footpaths on the main roads on the islands I know, as do many of my friends, we would use them to ensure another family does not have to wake up without their son, brother or best friend,” he said.
“I want to make sure Ethan didn’t lose his life in vain … I ask you to fast-track the implementation, change the way we live, ensure we are safe, so no-one else will suffer irreplaceable pain.”
His mum, Kate Hill, along with island resident Melissa Warne, handed a petition with more than 1000 signatures to island councillor Mark Edwards.
All councillors voted for Cr Edwards’ proposal to pay back a loan from the SMBI Capital Reserve over a four-year period, rather than three years and continue a $XX Southern Moreton Bay Island levy.
Cr Edwards said the move would free up money to spend on the islands now and asked officers to investigate cheap options for immediately building footpaths on the island’s Centre Road, which is where Ethan died.
“It’s not unusual to see children, adults people pushing prams and mobility scooters travelling on the road … many sections of the road have no street lighting and are in complete darkness at night,” he said.
“People living at the southern end of the island without a car have no choice but to walk on this road.”
More than 6km of the main road, which runs north to south, has no footpath.
Last week, long-time resident and bus driver Steve Johnson started plans for a comprehensive island bus service.
Cr Edwards also asked council to get the state government involved and set up a committee to address the islands’ infrastructure needs of islands in the southern part of the bay.
Division 1 councillor Wendy Boglary said she wanted the council to take a long-term approach and not rush into projects without properly costing them.
She said various infrastructure plans put in place on the islands had not solved the lack of infrastructure due to the lack of long-term planning over the past 30 years.
She said ratepayers were forced to pay an $88 Translink levy to the state government, money which should have been spent on island works.
"We really need the state government to come on board after 30 years," she said.
