Norman Park residents are refusing to back down after the Transport Chair and Lord Mayor of Brisbane City Council terminated their ferry service.
This Wednesday night the 10th of February, Norman Park residents will gather to discuss the issue and how they can get the service reinstated.
They’ve invited the LNP Lord Mayor and Transport Chair to attend, but it’s not clear if they will.
Norman Park residents found out their terminal was being permanently closed via a letter citing low patronage numbers.
Despite calls to upgrade the terminal and better promote the service to boost commuter numbers, the LNP Council decided to cancel the Norman Park cross-river ferry service altogether.
Locals are furious they weren’t consulted before the service was cancelled.
“I think Council has been negligent in meeting its commitments to the provision of public transport services and accessibility for all,” local resident Kristie Clark said.
Locals have started multiple petitions, receiving thousands of signatures, but each of them have been knocked back by the LNP Transport Chair, Councillor Ryan Murphy and Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner.
Labor Opposition Leader and Shadow Chair of the Transport Committee, Jared Cassidy spoke in Chamber about the petitions, expressing his disappointment at the response from the LNP administration.
“If a public transport service is performing badly, cutting it is not the answer,” Cr Cassidy said.
“Instead more promotion of that service is needed and perhaps an upgrade to make it more accessible and known about,”
“Cutting public transport has never boosted the number of people catching public transport, all this has done has put more cars on the already heavily congested Wynnum road.”