Margie Maccoll
An $8 million upgrade of Noosa Parade was described at Noosa Council“s Special Meeting last week as a “legacy project“ that would make cycling or walking the preferred mode of transport to Hastings Street and cars an “after thought“.
The upgrade of Noosa Parade is budgeted by council at a cost of more than $8m. The tender for the project contract was awarded to Bellwether Contractors with the project to be partly funded by grants.
Noosa Parade, a flat pathway leading to Hastings Street that includes a bus way was built in the 1970s by a developer, the meeting heard.
Council staff told the meeting the project would create a 2.5m off-road shared cycle and pedestrian path, widen the existing on-road cycle path to 1.6m and, by planting natives on the median strip and footpaths, turn it in to a tree-lined boulevard that would change the look and feel of it and encourage motorists to slow down.
The changes would be achieved by narrowing the median strip and turning lanes, and widening the Garth Prowd bridge, staff said.
“We’re not doing this to reduce congestion or create more car parks, it’s about behaviour change. We’re hopeful the demand will be such we’ll be creating more cycle lanes like this,“ Cr Brian Stockwell said.
Cr Frank Wilkie said cycle lanes protected from the road had been adopted in Northern Europe over decades of changing behaviour.
“The community will get used to cycle lanes separated from the traffic,“ he said.
Construction of the nine-month project is expected to begin in January 2022 with completion in October 2022.
