OPINION: Southern Redlands must get a slice of funding pie in Olympics upgrades

A study looking at the feasibility of a Brisbane Metro linking with Capalaba is a good start, but the commitments must not stop there if the state is serious about improving the city's long-standing connectivity issues.

Public transport began falling away in this city several years ago and has been a sore point for residents ever since, particularly in southern Redlands where it is a struggle to travel just a few suburbs.

It is farcical that the Cleveland to Manly railway line remains a single track at the same time as the state government talks about the need to urgently address housing supply.

Both parties have had the opportunity to fix this glaring issue while in power - including the LNP during Newman's stint - and yet residents continue to be fed expensive studies instead of action.

Bulletin editor Craig Thomson wrote in October that an express busway must extend to Redland Bay, and as someone who grew up in Mount Cotton, I could not agree more.

The city's southern suburbs have experienced immense growth over the past few years, while the addition of some 3000 residential lots at Shoreline is predicted to add another 10,000 residents to the area.

Mount Cotton and Redland Bay desperately need a direct and efficient bus service so journeys into Brisbane do not require multiple transfers and lengthy wait times.

Redland City Council summed it up best, writing in a report published this year that it is now faster to hop in a car and drive to Brisbane than take public transport.

To exacerbate this issue, connectivity between the city's south and north remains frustratingly clunky.

Mount Cotton residents travelling from estates near the suburb's shopping hub on Valley Way, for instance, are required to take two busses and a train if they are commuting to Thorneside.

The total trip time is more than an an hour, but a car ride outside of peak takes about 30 minutes. I'll let you decide which is more appealing.

And what about semi-rural parts of Sheldon, or even Sirromet Wines at Mount Cotton - one of our major event destinations - where the nearest bus stops are several kilometres away?

That is simply not good enough for a modern-day city, particularly one with an older population where ease of travel is an absolute necessity. Not everyone has the luxury of living near the train line.

The Olympics shape as a golden chance to address the growing frustration among locals, and the state government must not let the opportunity go to waste.

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