EXPRESS The
Wednesday, August 27, 2014
Locally owned and proudly independent
best fun on two wheels at bike show By Katherine Kokkonen
THE hum of engines was only matched by the buzz of the crowd at the Mareeba Workers Club 14th Annual Bike Show. Bike enthusiasts and those looking for a good time flocked to the largest bike show in Northern Queensland, on Saturday. Liz Rice drew admiring looks with her 1942 WLA Harley. She has owned the vintage bike for three years and had owned a similar one during her twenties. Turn to page 11, for more on the Bike Show. PHOTO BY PETER ROY.
‘We don’t want it’
By Katherine Kokkonen
THE Mareeba Shire Council is taking a stance against the state government and its cost shifting manoeuvres over Open Level Crossings (OLC). Councillor Allan Holmes spoke against signing an interface agreement with Queensland Rail, which would assign MSC with the responsibility for level crossing auditing and compliance requirements. At council’s meeting, on August 20, Cr Holmes said the interface agreement was based on
the principle that at OLC where rail and roads intersect the instigator of risk is the road. Therefore, the road manager has the compliance responsibility. Taking over the responsibility for the level crossing auditing and compliance requirement would cost MSC $132,000 annually. “This won’t add to safety or efficiency and it doesn’t matter if we have one train a week or one train an hour – I’d like to clearly point out that Mareeba Shire has one train a week,” Cr Holmes said. “I don’t know what the full implications of not
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signing this agreement would be, but if it is a fine of $20,000 we would be a lot better off paying the fine.” Cr Holmes said he didn’t believe that Transport and Main Roads Minister Scott Emerson thought the interface agreement was a good idea, but more likely thought up by a “highly paid bureaucrat”. “I would also suggest, Mr Mayor, that we should be talking to the minister and not the bureaucrat because I don’t think he is the owner of a great deal of commonsense,” Cr Holmes said.
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MSC voted to send a letter to Minister Scott Emerson outlining Mareeba Shire’s circumstances and the belief that regular audits should be undertaken co-jointly with MSC and QR and that MSC would seek to enter a cost sharing arrangement for any maintenance works required as a result of the audits. Cr Pedersen voiced his support for Cr Holmes and said the interface agreement was another way for the state government to pass the buck to councils. CONTINUED P3
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