tighter controls on works near the bridge requiring approval by the Department of Main Roads, and a variable message sign on the Gateway Motorway at Deagon to warn motorists of delays and suggest taking the longer, western route to Redcliffe via the Bruce Highway. Reduced speed limit In 2003 the speed limit was reduced from to . The reduced speed limit also included a approach to the southern end of the bridge along mostly four-lane Deagon Deviation dual carriageway. This approach was previously 80 km/h along with the bridge, and became 60 km/h with it. The stated reason behind the reduced speed limit was to reduce crash incidents, therefore reducing delays and blockages. The reduced speed limit was initially trialled for nine months from September 2003 until June 2004, then extended for a further six months. The Redcliffe City Council did not support a 60 km/h speed limit trial, and requested the Minister for Transport and Main Roads to reduce the trial period to three months. The Minister replied, committed to the nine-month trial. In November 2004, the state government declared the trial a success, using data that showed only three crashes in the nine-month trial period. The data did not include vehicle breakdowns on the bridge that would have involved delays from blocked lanes. Prior to the permanent speed limit being announced, a four-vehicle crash occurred with a motorist trapped in her car, closing the bridge in the evening peak for three hours, and again caused banked-up traffic for several kilometres and forced motorists to take the longer western route via the Bruce Highway. Political considerations Labor's Ray Hollis won the seat of Redcliffe in the 1989 election of the Goss government and, except for a slim 0.5% lead in 1995, the seat of Redcliffe built-up with a safe Labor majority of 13.7% in 2001. Continuing disquiet about the bridge capacity, and calls for it to be duplicated or replaced, were persistently rejected by the government – a media statement titled "Call for second bridge rejected" was issued by the Transport and Main Roads Minister on 11 July 2003. However, three months later the then Queensland Premier, The Hon Peter Beattie, issued a statement announcing a study into when a new Redcliffe bridge might be built. A reason for this change of stance included campaigning by the Redcliffe City Council and a study they commissioned into the duplication of