Legislative Council - Fifty-First Parliament, Second Session (51-2)
2007-11-15 Daily Xml

Contents

KING STREET BRIDGE

The Hon. S.G. WADE (14:30): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Emergency Services a question about the King Street Bridge.

Leave granted.

The Hon. S.G. WADE: On 8 August this year, The Advertiser reported that the King Street Bridge over the Patawalonga at Glenelg North was suffering from the rusting of internal rods, commonly referred to as concrete cancer. The Mayor of the City of Holdfast Bay is reported as promising to ban heavy vehicles on the bridge by the end of the year. He said:

We want to reduce its 24-tonne load limit to five tonnes. We are urgently looking at stopping heavy transport from using it, including buses and fire brigade engines.

The government's emergency response plan for the 600 homes accessed over the King Street Bridge states:

The King Street Bridge provides access to the western part of the suburb and connects Adelphi Terrace south with Military Road, creating a major north/south road transport link.

My question to the minister is: as the end of the year approaches, does the Glenelg North community face a fire engine ban on the King Street Bridge; if so, what will be the increased response time from the Metropolitan Fire Service to the area?

The Hon. CARMEL ZOLLO (Minister for Emergency Services, Minister for Correctional Services, Minister for Road Safety, Minister Assisting the Minister for Multicultural Affairs) (14:31): I thank the honourable member for his question in relation to the King Street Bridge. As in all these cases, the emergency services—in this case, the Metropolitan Fire Service in particular—would have a contingency plan. I do not have that with me today in the chamber, but I have full confidence that an alternative route would be worked out in this case. I will bring back some advice for the honourable member.