The community has had a win in its fight for road and safety upgrades on Eumundi Noosa Road, with the announcement of plans to install a turning lane into Tallgum Avenue.
At a community meeting held recently, locals raised concerns about speeding, overdue road maintenance and a lack of investment in infrastructure upgrades on the busy arterial road which they say are impacting safety.
Ninderry MP Dan Purdie, who attended the meeting, said residents are rightly demanding action before someone is seriously injured or worse, in an accident on the notorious road.
“The news to upgrade the line marking at the intersection of Eumundi Noosa Road to provide a right turn for westbound traffic into Tallgum Avenue is welcome, and hopefully just the start of more improvements to come,” Mr Purdie said.
“In recent years we’ve seen a number of fatalities and accidents on this busy arterial road, which is buckling under the significant increase in the volume of traffic.
“For years I’ve been asking TMR to upgrade the road, which is accessed by thousands of vehicles daily, supporting the local populations of Eumundi, Verrierdale and Doonan, and providing one of the two main routes into Noosa.
“In 2019, I managed to secure $200k for a planning study that identified a number of safety upgrades, but no funding was allocated to implement them.
“Now, four years later, volume of traffic has increased, and combined with the surrounding residential growth and development in this area, the road is simply no longer fit for purpose.”
Mr Purdie said following the meeting, he has written to the Minister calling for a speed reduction through the main Doonan trading precinct, stretching from the existing 60km zone near the United service station, through to Duke Road.
“TMR’s recent refusal to do another speed limit review was clearly a decision based on paper and doesn’t reflect the reality facing motorists, so it’s up to the Minister to listen, and continue to act on the community’s concerns.”
He said he has also requested additional police surveillance to monitor speed and driver behaviour, as well as advocating for more funds for maintenance and upgrades in the upcoming State Budget.
