$2m traffic lights for dangerous Anita St

Mr Emerson, on a quick trip to Redlands to support the party’s candidate Matt McEachan, said he expected the work to cost about $2million.

He said the lights were budgeted for and included in forward estimates and would be paid for from savings.

Independent candidate for Redlands Sheena Hewlett said the upgrade announcement was nothing more than vote buying.

Mrs Hewlett said the lights had not been budgeted for and were not included in Estimates.

She also said Fox and Bell had promised to upgrade the intersection as part of the developer's Shoreline project.

But the minister said design and planning work would begin this month and the upgrade would be part of the department’s next round of safety projects.

Mr Emerson was unable to say whether the driveway to the truck yard opposite would have to be moved further north along Cleveland-Redland Bay Road.

The driveway was the focus of a court case in 2012 with a previous state government.

He was also unable to comment on claims developers of the Anita Street estate paid $20,000 for lights in the 1980s.

“Matt met with me a few weeks ago to highlight the need for upgrades to Cleveland-Redland Bay Road and Mount Cotton Road,” Mr Emerson said.

“We don’t have designs yet but when we start planning we will get a safer solution.”

Residents groups have been pushing for the upgrade for more than 12 years and Mr Emerson blamed the delay on huge demand for road works across the state and limited cash.

The minister refused to comment on when the rest of Cleveland-Redland Bay Road would be upgraded to dual lanes but said the traffic impacts of any residential housing project would be assessed before road improvements.

Mr McEachan said he chose the intersection as an election project after listening to complaints about the road for more than eight years.

Not all the news was good and Mr Emerson refused to rule out abolishing the $1million a year Translink levy taxed on bay island residents.