September 4, 2023
A South Burnett resident has launched a petition in a bid to get the State Government to upgrade Kingaroy-Barkers Creek Road.
The petition, by Carol Kemp from Wattle Camp, has been sponsored by Member for Nanango Deb Frecklington.
The official E-petition reads:
Queensland residents draw to the attention of the House the busy Kingaroy-Barkers Creek Road (Main Road No 4202), which provides a key connection between Kingaroy and Burnett Highway, and the three dangerous single-lane sections on this road.
These sections are in a very poor condition with rough, steep edges, making it unsafe for the many drivers using this road.
Your petitioners, therefore, request the House to call on the State Government to upgrade the three single-lane sections of Kingaroy-Barkers Creek Road to a two-lane standard.
Mrs Frecklington said she was pleased to support the petition to advocate for funding to fix the road.
“Kingaroy-Barkers Creek Road is a really busy, key connection road between Kingaroy and the Burnett Highway and it is obvious the single-lane sections need to be widened to a two-lane standard,” Mrs Frecklington said.
“The road is in a very poor condition, with rough, steep edges and it is unsafe for the increasing number of vehicles using this route.
“Chas and Carol (Kemp) have been highlighting their concerns with me about the state of the road for several years and have shared stories about near misses and damage to their car’s tyres and windscreen.
“In 2021, I asked the Minister for Transport and Main Roads when funding would be allocated to Kingaroy-Barkers Creek Road but the request fell on deaf ears.
“Unfortunately, it seems these roads are never a priority for this State Government, with a chronic neglect of State-controlled roads across our region.
“But this time we’re hoping a petition will shine a spotlight on the community’s concerns about Kingaroy-Barkers Creek Road and how unsafe it has become.”
The petition was posted on August 31 and remains open for signatures until November 24.
By Monday afternoon, 263 people had signed the petition.
- External link: Kingaroy-Barkers Creek Road Petition
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A second petition, this time targeting the quality of repairs on the Brisbane Valley Highway, was also posted on the State Government website on August 31.
Clarendon resident Gary Duffy’s petition reads:
Queensland residents draw to the attention of the House that the recent work carried out on the Brisbane Valley Highway between Blacksoil and Fernvale is not to the same or similar standard as the recent similar work completed on the D’Aguilar Highway; it falls far below that standard and is not acceptable.
The Brisbane Valley Highway is an important arterial road connecting western districts in SEQ. The road had been far below the acceptable standard of any highway in Queensland for a number of years, and the Government allocated vast sums of taxpayers’ money to repair and upgrade the surface. The result is that the road is now worse in some places than it was before the repairs and upgrades.
Within weeks, the repaired sections have developed tram tracks, pot holes, asphalt joins have delaminated and the sections are so undulating that driving the highway with a car, truck or motorbike feels very unsafe.
According to Department of Transport Routine Maintenance Guidelines, Chapter 2: 2.6 “Contractors may be asked to redo the work if the required restoration as per Activity Standards has not been achieved”.
The repairs fall far below an acceptable standard, and far below the standard of the D’Aguilar Highway.
Your petitioners, therefore, request the House to call on the Government to instruct the contractor to redo the repairs to the same or similar standard as the D’Aguilar Highway.
By Monday afternoon, 425 people had signed the petition.
This petition remains open for signatures until November 20.
- External link: Brisbane Valley Highway Petition
