Stop and reconsider the highway bypass of Gympie

THE Gympie Times of 25/03/17 repeated comments about Pengelly's Bridge Rd being too narrow.

Doesn't matter, apparently. There's no funding or plans in train.

Of course, Pengelly's Bridge is only one of many main road issues a growing Gympie faces but seemingly the main, and only, concern is getting past us.

It's sad and pathetic that between a new bridge over the Mary and the new highway we'll see about $1.1 billion of once in a generation spending and there's no sensible plan to connect the two, or the Wide Bay Hwy.

Once again it seems that Gympie's just stuck at the bottom of Wide Bay/Burnett, from where our main roads are "managed” while the highway is seemingly being constructed under a higher authority.

Those building the highway are briefed to bypass Gympie; seems those in Wide Bay/Burnett get away with doing the least possible for us, and nobody, not our council, this media, nor our party hack MPs, are standing up for our needs.

I seriously suggest that a moratorium be called on building the highway past Gympie and that our councillors, Main Roads officers from both directions, and our "photogenic” MPs spend time planning something decent.

Ideally, Gympie should morph with the growth coming from the south and be under planning from there.

Ideally, there should be public conversation and opinions taken into account, it now becoming apparent both here and elsewhere that those charged with road planning shouldn't be left to play alone.

With its hills, floods and corners Gympie is unique and needs local knowledge and input; input beyond the vested interests of the little business and LNP "clubs” too.

\Personally, I wonder if most coming traffic ills, of which I see many, couldn't be avoided by planning and starting a ring road, the highway being part of it.

Entirely new bridges rather than raising heights at present locations?

Upstream it could maybe offer another weir and water storage too?

Just ideas, lots of people have their own.

But I guess we'll just get more photos of Perrett's "famous” blue cap and O'Brien holding pictures of plans I'd guess he's never properly studied.

Job's done! Eh, fellas?

And the highway will pass and we'll get a bridge leading into traffic stagnation, with obviously very little thought for, about, or even amongst most of, Gympie. Sigh!

DAVE FREEMAN,

CEDAR POCKET.

MORE LETTERS BELOW

IF THE RSL CLUB LEAVES THE RSL BUILDING, IT WILL NOT LONGER BE THE RSL CLUB

THERE appears to be some confusion in the community following the events of last weekend at the RSL Club's annual general meeting.

READ MORE: No direction on Gympie RSL's new direction

The RSL and the RSL Club are two separate entities. Both are incorporated entities.

The RSL, as an ex-service organisation, is charged with the welfare and support of its members, i.e. past and, to a certain extent, serving members of our armed forces, peace keepers, war widows, war time nurses, et al.

The RSL is a national organisation, with state branches and various sub branches.

We in Gympie are very fortunate to have such a proactive RSL sub branch of the Queensland Branch.

The RSL owns the building which it leases to the RSL Club, a social organisation open to all.

The RSL Club has decided to quit its current premises.

When it moves, it will no longer be the RSL Club, as that name goes with the RSL building.

The tenants of the RSL building pay rent to the RSL so that the RSL can continue its welfare programs.

All the RSL needs to do is to advertise for new managers of its premises to continue the RSL Club there.

The current management team of the RSL Club should be of little or no concern to the RSL, provided they pay the rent until they leave sometime in the future.

There is no need for RSL Club members to leave the current club.

David Collins,

Araluen.