It became clear when about 100 people gathered at Peregian surf club last week to talk about local traffic what the main issues were, and while there were a number of ideas put forward to solve the problems there was little in the way of funding or concrete plans to progress them.
Peregian Family and Friends hosted the meeting with president Graham Reid MC and guest speakers including Noosa and Sunshine Coast councillors Brian Stockwell and Maria Suarez, Noosa MP Sandy Bolton, Coolum police sergeant Joel Bryant and a member of the Transport and Main Roads (TMR) road safety team.
Speakers and guests identified the main issues as congestion on David Low Way and Sunshine Motorway, mainly at peak hour and school drop off and pick up times, a dearth of public transport connecting Noosa to Maroochydore, no progress on Noosa’s long lobbied for high frequency public bus transport and a lack of funding going into the delivery of Noosa’s transport strategy and bicycle prioritisation plan.
Road safety concerns were raised around E-bike and E-scooter use, mainly among young people, parking problems in central areas such as Peregian Village and narrow streets, and rat-running in Plover Street endangering the lives of pedestrians.
Cr Stockwell said traffic problems were a symptom of population growth with roads designed in a different era.
He said council was progressing a traffic study based on 2023 data with projections to 2046, identifying key areas to show where the need was to make changes to the network now and in the future, and council was undertaking a parking management plan looking at hotspots including Peregian Village with paid parking and time restrictions being considered.
However council’s Aiden Flannery said while the traffic study was looking at modelling at intersections there was nothing in council’s capital works for planning design or delivery at Peregian Village’s often congested IGA intersection.
Cr Stockwell said council’s long term vision, though not in concrete, having acquired land at the Noosa Business Centre (Noosa Civic) for a transport depot, was to bring people to the edge of the shire and have public transport via high frequency public transport take them from there.
He said council’s transport strategy included moving people more efficiently through the creation of active streets that prioritise bicycles over cars, reducing speed, increasing safety and creating more bike paths such as one planned in collaboration with Sunshine Coast Council to connect Emu Mountain Road to Jabiru Street.
Mr Flannery said council did have state and federal government funding for an active street program which would be starting at Lorikeet Drive and working north to Peregian Square. He said the active street project, which had been very effective in other places, prioritised the use of roads for cyclists, used traffic management devised to slow traffic to 30km/hr footpath and created a more inviting environment for bikes.
Zero Emissions Noosa member and former Noosa councillor Vivien Griffin told the meeting while Cr Stockwell had “enunciated some great values” when you look at council’s 10-year plan “very little was being delivered”. She asked when funding, such as from alternative sources, would put protected cycle paths in the budget.
Cr Stockwell said with council’s rate base growing at a low rate due to a slow growing population council and industry were looking at alternative sources such as the potential for council to introduce a bed tax.
He said the first opportunity for residents to support or not support the proposal would probably arise when the Destination Management Plan next comes out for consultation in a few months.
Cr Stockwell said the room identified one of the fundamental problems which was “people who want a lack of congestion on the roads vs people who want more cycle connectivity. The cost of both are beyond the means for Noosa Council and people don’t want rate increases,” he said.
Ms Bolton told the meeting TMR were undertaking evaluations on the Sunshine Coast Motorway from David Low Way to Yandina-Coolum Rd with plans for an active transport pathway and separated roadway with the intention to reduce peak hour congestion and a business case for it was expected in 2026 and TMR had committed $40m to fund an interchange at West Coolum Rd.
There was no funding committed for the motorway north from Coolum to Peregian, she said.
Ms Bolton said there was an urgent push for connectivity from Noosa to Sunshine Coast University, hospital and the airport and she had been asking for a shuttle to connect Gympie with rail services in Nambour.
“We want to get cars off the M1 and use public transport,” she said.
Ms Bolton said 2023 feedback showed a general support for reduced car dependence in Noosa with a preference for small electric buses.
In relation to E-bikes Ms Bolton said there was a Parliamentary inquiry in progress and she praised the work of the Queensland Police Service (QPS) for their work in education and enforcement.
She said some schools had taken a zero tolerance approach to e-bikes such as Tewantin State School that had banned student use of e-bikes and e-scooters until there is an outcome from the government inquiry.
Speaking about road safety, with the event held during Road Safety Week, Sgt Bryant said there had been a surge in fatalities with a 70 per cent increase on the Sunshine Coast.
He said in response police had been stepping up enforcement and education, targeting the fatal four causes of accidents with drivers – speeding, seat belts, drink and drug driving and distractions, using drones for its e-bike enforcement campaign and engaging in education sessions in schools.
The TMR spokesman said the road safety team had developed a powerpoint presentation for high schools, and were working their way up the coast to Noosa, talking about the consequences of making the wrong decisions as well as having developed workshops for young drivers, senior drivers and motorcyclists which were held at Sunshine Coast University and were free to attend.
Cr Suarez raised the issue of parking in narrow streets and around schools. She said after a 2021 survey found 80 per cent of children living within 1km of Peregian Springs State School were being driven to school a Ride to School program was initiated with a positive outcome for traffic. She said Sunshine Coast Council would soon be putting their planning scheme out for community consultation and residents could have a say on parking on footpath verges to ease parking issues in narrow streets.
Sunshine Coast Association of Residents spokesperson Melva Hobson told the meeting something had to be done about traffic and the lack of public transport north of the Maroochy River. She said Mr Reid would be taking on a role in coordinating a transport working group.
