Or at least there are the tentative positive signs that a good protest march and some vigorous lobbying by our local politicians may have had an effect on our Mary Street Tower of Power political masters.
A follow-up call to the Minister for Transport and Main Roads’ office from the Bribie Islander Magazine on Monday after the “Save the Pelicans bridge protest march” was greeted with a wary “Oh is it about the pelicans?”.
So you could say that Mark Bailey’s staffers were certainly reading the mood of the people up here and were fast getting on top of the issue that had so many on Bribie turning out to voice their concerns about our beloved pelicans’ roosting spots on the Bribie Bridge lamp posts.
Anyway, suffice to say the fact that we had a Ministerial statement sent to us for publication in less than 24 hours gives you some idea of how important The Honourable Minister Mark Bailey sees the issue.
It will take time to see a solution provided for our feathered friends but in the meantime, you can at least read the Minister’s statement and draw your own conclusions.
Media Release
Minister for Transport and Main Roads The Honourable Mark Bailey MP 1 May 2019 Statement from Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey Bribie Island residents have shown how much they love the island’s pelicans, and we are listening to them. Transport and Main Roads (TMR) were constantly replacing lights on the bridge that were damaged by waste from the pelicans sitting on top of them.
Workers replacing the lights also needed to partially close traffic lanes, so the frequent light changes were costly and inconvenient for locals. During a recent lighting upgrade, TMR installed new LED lights and metal bars on top to stop pelicans damaging the lights and potentially getting injured from overheated light casings.
The switch to energy efficient LED lights will provide better lighting on the bridge and reduce costs, but I want to make sure the pelicans have a safe place to rest that also allows people to continue enjoying them. Following representations from Longman MP Susan Lamb, I’ve asked TMR to look at options that might allow Bribie’s beloved pelicans to stay around the bridge.