Bridge accident reignites debate
A TYPICALLY tranquil scene turned chaotic last night (Wednesday) when a three-vehicle crash believed to be caused by a drunk driver, blocked the Bribie Island bridge both ways for more than an hour.
Senior Constable David Hinton said a 35-year-old male from Beachmere was driving a Nissan Patrol on the bridge at about 7.20pm.
It was believed the man crossed into oncoming traffic and collided with a Ford Forrester and Mitsubishi Lancer.
Witnesses and emergency crew alleged the driver attempted to ram his way out of the situation and drove to the end of the bridge and parked near Sylvan Beach Esplanade.
When confronted by police the man provided a blood alcohol reading of .1067.
He was charged with a mid-range drink-driving offence and scheduled to appear in Caboolture Magistrates Court on August 8.
Drivers stuck in the chaos took to Facebook and Twitter to update concerned residents.
A bystander who was three cars back from the accident, told of the difficulty emergency services and tow trucks found themselves in, trying to get past the back log of cars to the accident.
Rick Williams of Accident Breakdown Towing said it took roughly an hour and 20 minutes to clear the scene.
"We were given the go ahead to come up the wrong side so we didn't have too much of a problem getting to the scene," he said.
Rick's partner Cheryl Fuller described the situation as a bit of a nightmare.
"I was stuck in the traffic on the Bribie side of the bridge and went in behind emergency services when given the all clear," she said.
"I was lucky I was on that side as the traffic the other way was banked right up to Ningi."
Ms Fuller said that delays were due to one car which was leaking fuel.
The incident reignited debate surrounding a new bridge for Bribie.
However Ms Fuller did not believe a new bridge was necessary.
"People were held up for an hour or so, that's nothing really. Why put in a new one when the one we have is working fine?" she said.
"I'd prefer the money to be spent on our medical system or somewhere it was going to be used."
Despite this majority of the discussion online on last night (Wednesday) called for a new bridge.
Jemma Baker said via Facebook that Bribie was in need of another bridge.
"My husband was on an emergency call to Brisbane and he was an hour late because of the accident. It's ludicrous that we only have one access to and from the island."
Former Caboolture Mayor Joy Leishman said she understood the frustration of those waiting for the crashes to be cleared on the bridge.
"There have been some long waits causing disruption and there is no alternative route, you just have to sit and wait and wonder how long the wait will be," she said.
Member for Pumicestone Lisa France was very vocal about the need for a new bridge prior to the last election and this morning confirmed it was still a big priority for the area.
However she said a new bridge would not be possible until the State Government was back on track financially.
"While we have 100 billion dollars worth of debt we are not going to see any major infrastructure changes," she said.
"The bridge is the number one issue for Bribie in terms of infrastructure and is on our list of things that need to be done.
"I believe it's necessary and I am fighting for a feasibility study for it."
Do you think a new bridge is needed on Bribie Island? Tell us below or join the discussion on Facebook.
