Council to consider traffic solutions for the new year

Holiday traffic on Hastings Street is what nightmares are made of, but simply adding more parking is not the answer according to Mayor Tony Wellington who said “we need to be smarter than that”.
Councillor Wellington said traffic congestion and access to Noosa Main Beach are one of many transport issues with which Council is grappling, and they are happy to engage with others to find solutions.
“The most commonplace suggestion that Council receives regarding traffic congestion in the Hastings Street area is to put in more parking,” Cr Wellington said.
“But experience elsewhere has clearly shown that adding parking does not reduce on-road traffic congestion. In fact, it generally makes matters worse by encouraging more people to drive. We need to be smarter than that.”
In a letter to Noosa Today local resident Kay Fielden said road blocks by Council weren’t helping with traffic congestion at this time of the year.
“What on earth does Noosa Council think it is doing blocking off roads around Hastings Street at this time of the year and causing absolute traffic chaos,” she said. “Unbelievable.”
But, a solution may be on the way as Councillors plan to work with traffic experts to consider solutions to local traffic dilemmas. There will also be further opportunity for resident and stakeholder input into this process.”Although our transport strategy will be considering the complete Shire, the most pressing demand is to find a solution for the Main Beach precinct and the roads leading into that area,” Cr Wellington said.
Cr Wellington said some of the solutions include making the precinct a vehicle-free zone.
“Many people point to European examples where vehicles are prevented from entering inner city areas,” he said.
“Certainly free shuttle buses may be part of our future transport solution. But such a solution also requires considerable Council controlled land to be dedicated to fringe parking areas. That presents a whole new dilemma.
“Inevitably, many of the infrastructure solutions to which people point hail from high density cities in other countries. Here in Noosa, we simply don’t have the population density, and thus the rates revenue, to support hugely expensive infrastructure like monorails, skyrails and subways.”
Cr Wellington said in the short term, Council will continue with its free park-and-ride holiday bus service.
“But plainly, we need to find long-term solutions that work not just for holiday periods, and not only for visitors, but also for those residents who live at Little Cove, and surfers who wish to access the National Park with their surfboards,” he said.
“It has been suggested that turning the current parking lanes on Noosa Parade into public or alternative transport lanes might ease congestion along that stretch. However any benefit gained from adding extra traffic lanes is mitigated by the two pinch points at Munna Point bridge and Sofitel bridge. Both bridges are two-lanes only, and widening those bridges would be a very expensive task.”
Cr Wellington said in the meantime, there are immediate issues on Noosa Parade that need addressing including the narrow footpaths and the design of the cycling lanes. A solution to these short term problems is being worked on and will be made public in a few weeks’ time.
“There are some big questions underpinning our traffic deliberations. Is Noosa running the risk of being loved to death? How can we best manage the inevitable pressure from the thousands of people who may come to live on our doorstep, both on the Sunshine Coast and across South East Queensland? If they want to drive in to Noosa for a day’s outing, do we need to think about changing their expectations?” he said.
“The current group of Noosa Councillors have a forward focus and an appetite for big picture thinking. If we are looking at a modal shift in transport behaviour, as our current Transport Policy suggests, then we need to work with traffic experts, local stakeholders and our community to find the best way forward. Shuttle buses, dedicated electric vehicle and bike lanes, plus paid parking are just some of the many options on the table.”