REDLANDS MP Matt McEachan has called on Redland City Council to fix a broken light at the Victoria Point boat ramp as a matter of priority before someone is injured.
Mr McEachan said Victoria Point Volunteer Marine Rescue staff had been asking for the light to be fixed since at least February last year.
"Council officers have known about this for at least a year and a half,” Mr McEachan said.
“Everyone's sick of the blame shifting or the reasons something can’t be fixed.
“Let's just get it done.”
A council spokeswoman said council had repaired the broken solar lighting last December but it had failed again and officers had been working with jetty marine piling consultants to design new lights.
“Due to ongoing issues with the reliability of the existing solar lights, the decision has been made to replace them with improved technology,” she said.
“Council is in the process of installing two new solar hei Antares 2000 P70-1660 lights to both ends of the Victoria Point pontoon, which will provide adequate lighting to the boat ramp.
“This new lighting will replace the broken light at the land end of the pontoon and supplement the existing working light to the southern side.”
Mr McEachan said it was a safety issue.
“One gentleman missed the edge in the dark while getting on his boat and went in the water,” he said.
“We’re lucky it wasn't a tragedy.
“From personal experience it is very difficult to see at night. More importantly, if Victoria Point VMR are transferring injured people to Queensland Ambulance, they need good lighting."
A VMR member who declined to be named said the pontoon had two solar lights and the one nearest the shore had been out since early last year.
Although the lights were not meant for navigation, they helped people coming into the ramp, especially for those who did not know the area well.
“Coming in at night, it’s very difficult to see the pontoon. It sits pretty low in the water and on a dark night or in choppy conditions it’s pretty hazardous,” he said.
“It’s an accident waiting to happen but we’ve pretty much given up on getting it fixed.
“It’s a dangerous situation and a navigation hazard on a dark night.”
The council spokeswoman said installation of improved lighting had taken longer than expected due to structural and design issues with using floating pontoons and ensuring optimal lighting performance.
Installation should be complete in about eight weeks, depending on availability of product.
“Council has advised the lighting supplier of the high priority of this project,” she said.