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Lord Mayor very proud of his decision to cut important infrastructure projects. He calls it “sensible adjustments and reductions in spending”. Of course, just like happened last year, the things being cut are all things that statistically are most likely to lead to the best social and economic outcomes, while more expensive and less-useful projects stay on. So active transport projects can say goodbye, but congestion-creating road-widening projects stay.
Unfortunately the criticism from Labor has been rather unspecific. Just about the general idea of cutting projects, rather than calling out any specific projects that are being cut.
Cr Massey takes up Labor’s slack, calling on the Lord Mayor to specifically apologise to residents of West End, Milton, Toowong, and St Lucia for reneging on his promise to deliver the two green bridges in their area.
Instead of answering that, he complains about how the former Councillor for Gabba Ward (Jonathan Sriranganathan) had some issues with the design of the landing point. He also says “there were no promises”, but only that they will be delivered if Council can afford it.
Cr Johnston also picks up Labor’s slack. She says “there are other ways” and that the Lord Mayor’s false dichotomy of “you either support my cuts or you support increased rates.”
She proposes a number of other things that could be cut. “All paid advertising.” Overseas travel. Paid consulting to external private company boards. Cutting footpaths, tree trimming, and community grants is not a good idea, Cr Johnston says.
Labor, the Greens, and Cr Johnston vote in favour of her motion. The LNP votes against.
They could probably save themselves a fair chunk of money if they stopped plastering their faces on everything they can. You won’t see a sign or flyer advertising a service the council provides without the faces of Schrinner and usually the local LNP councillor as well.
Lord Mayor goes on a long tirade saying “we must never support terrorism”. He says that “this is not about anything other than the question of whether you support terrorism or not”, speaking about Israel’s invasion of Palestinian territory and its revenge murders of innocent Palestinian people. He says, without putting it in so many words, “we support apartheid and war crimes, as long as they are committed by a country that has friendly relations with the United States.”
There is also a petition for King Arthur Terrace to get separated bikeways. The official petition response is basically “yeah maybe we’ll get around to it at some point.”
Cr Johnston is much less supportive. She emphasises that most of the petitioners are not from the local area, but come from all over the city. She has a whinge about on-street parking being potentially removed by a bikeway.
She says there have been “two minor injuries”, but no major crashes in the area. This is in contrast to cyclists in other parts of her ward who have died or become paraplegic, including on the Brisbane Corso. She also says it has no connections on Pamphlett Bridge or Graceville Avenue.
She says she supports separated bikeways, and complains that the Council having noted her as being opposed to this is “not quite right”, but in my opinion, her words are pretty clear: she supports bikeways, as long as it’s not in her backyard.
She would support a decrease of the speed limit in the area from 60 km/h to 50 km/h, however.
Cr Cassidy says that Cr Murphy has stated that there is no list of bikeway projects being worked on. “These projects are all contingent on election commitments”, apparently.
The projects petitioners have listed are good ones, but there does not exist any mechanism for listing upcoming projects for bikeways. He claims it gives supporters “false hope”.
The Lord Mayor talks about what contracts are being awarded. For example, road-widening at Beams Rd.
He can’t help but highlight the cutting of active transport at the expense of creating more congestion on roads.
Cr Mackay choosing to focus his farewell speech on hatred. Talking at length about how the right considers it “fair” if you get more the harder you work, while the left considers fairness “everyone gets the same”. Dog-whistling his support of Israeli apartheid.
Since the first time I met him, wearing a US Republican pin just a week or two after the January 6th insurrection, it has been totally clear to me that this is a hate-filled, bigoted man. He has repeatedly lied about and misrepresented the views of road safety advocates, and has repeatedly been accused of bullying behaviour towards his coworkers.
He will not be missed.
Hey that was the guy who bulldozed a community garden, good riddance
Yeah that’s the one! And took glee in doing it, too.
Apparently the BBC (not ABC?) owns the rights to Bluey. This is causing issues with addressing a petition to wrap City Cats in Bluey coating, calling them City Dogs. But negotiations are underway.
BBC has distribution and merchandising rights, not sure why we let that happen lol
wtf that is bizarre.
Cr Collier moves that a tabled motion calling on Council to fly the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags on the Story Bridge be brought off the table.
The LNP says “no, we’d rather not support that, without actually voting against it.”
Love that you do these threads! Thanks :)
