As Mansfield residents are aware, I have been advocating about traffic woes around the Mansfield schools since I became Councillor for Chandler Ward in 2019.  (See previous articles here)

Despite my advocacy, I’ve had great difficulty with our State Government, which has been shifting the blame onto Council for issues in the road network caused by their rapid increase in school enrolments.

You might recall six months ago at the Brisbane City Council election, I committed $2.5M to develop a Safer School Precincts Program (SSPP) for Mansfield State School, to begin to address some of the issues the state government has created.  (My announcement on social media)

This money was funded and loaded in Council’s budget and was not contingent on joint or matched funding from anyone.  (More about SSPP)

However, I did write to the State Transport Minister, Bart Mellish three months ago and asked if they would match the $2.5 million commitment, so we could deliver even more for the community with this project. 

 Just a few weeks ago, on the eve of the government going into caretaker mode, he said yes.  

This is four years overdue, but better late than never.

The State Government had to be dragged, kicking and screaming to the issue of traffic around Mansfield schools. 

Let’s not forget, Mansfield Primary exceeded its maximum enrolment capacity by nearly 40% and Mansfield State High exceeded its maximum enrolment capacity by more than 25% (as at September 9 2020).

Since I called them out, the State Government has adjusted the maximum enrolment capacity at each school. They have increased this cap by 600 students at Mansfield State School and 1100 students at Mansfield State High School.

Mansfield State School (MSS) and Mansfield State High School (MSHS) are the second-largest schools in the state by enrolment. However, they have very limited public and active transport connections, and despite controlling the bus network, the State Government has done nothing to improve these connections in over a decade.

This is an 11th hour announcement on the eve of an election, so local residents, families and teachers have a right to feel sceptical about the prospects of it being delivered. 

There is no single ‘infrastructure solution’ that can address the school’s challenges, but through a combination of measures, we can make significant improvements with this funding.

We now have $5 million to better manage traffic around the schools, with $2.5 million from the Council and $2.5 million from the State Government.  However, it’s important to recognise the limitations of this funding. We won’t be able to deliver new bikeways, nor will we be able to provide new bus services with this amount.

With more funding, we could achieve so much more.

I am calling on all residents to ask your community leaders to stand up and support our schools to get better funding for these all-important transport connections in the lead-up to October. 

Council has now commenced planning and design for the Safer School Precinct Program (SSPP) for Mansfield, and I look forward to updating you on further progress in the coming months. 

The history:

23/9/2024: Cr Ryan Murphy writes to Mansfield State School and Mansfield State High School advising the State has matched Council’s contribution and offering a briefing.

20/9/2024: Cr Ryan Murphy writes to Mansfield residents advising the State has matched Council’s contribution.

5/9/2024: State Member for Mansfield writes to residents, asking Council to match the State’s newly committed $2.5 million

5/9/2024: Letter from State Transport Minister, Bart Mellish MP advising the State Government will contribute an additional $2million to bring their commitment inline with Council’s commitment of $2.5million

20/06/2024: Cr Ryan Murphy wrote to State Transport Minister, Bart Mellish MP advising of Council’s commitment of $2.5million and asking for State Government to match it

19/06/2024: Letter from State Transport Minister, Bart Mellish MP asking Council to match State’s $500,000 commitment

16/03/2024: Cr Ryan Murphy committed $2.5million as part of the Safer School Precinct Program (SSPP) (Announcement on Facebook)

28/08/2022: State Member for Mansfield begins an e-petition to find a solution to Mansfield traffic congestion

25/05/2022: Cr Ryan Murphy response to State Member for Mansfield’s letter advising that the upgrade would be of a high cost, in excess of the already committed funding, plus Council matching this funding

18/02/2022: Letter from State Member for Mansfield to Cr Ryan Murphy urging Brisbane City Council to partner with the State Government on a joint study

01/02/2022: Letter from Grace Grace MP, State Education Minister advising they will not cap enrolments at either school

12/11/2021: Cr Ryan Murphy writes to Grace Grace MP, State Education Minister requesting enrolment cap for Mansfield SS and SHS and the traffic congestion

9/08/2021: Cr Ryan Murphy unveils the results of the MATS (See article here)

19/10/2020: State Government committed $500,000 to Ham Rd safety study

11/09/2020: Cr Ryan Murphy launched the Mansfield Area Traffic Survey (MATS) (See article here)