By Margaret Maccoll
Paid parking may soon become a reality with Noosa councillors poised to endorse the Noosa Transport Strategy 2017-2027 at tonight’s Ordinary Council Meeting after voting to support it at the general committee meeting on Monday.
Cr Frank Pardon echoed the councillors’ sentiments when he said the transport strategy was “the most important thing facing council going forward” and called for its implementation to begin.
“We know the (traffic) issue we have at Christmas and Easter will soon face us every day,” he said.
Cr Ingrid Jackson said Noosa welcomed visitors, but to reduce traffic congestion they had to “stop making driving in and parking the solution”.
The strategy contains recommendations made by independent consultants Parsons Brinckerhoff to fix Noosa’s traffic woes.
It suggests within the next two years that council introduce car parking management controls such as paid parking, trial a “Noosa style” shuttle bus and investigate park and ride services.
In addition, it says council should implement walk and ride to school programs and investigate the feasibility of priority transport lanes for buses, bikes and scooters.
Parsons Brinckerhoff were contracted in late 2015 to conduct the study. A draft transport strategy that opened for consultation in March received 244 submissions and more than 1200 comments through the Your Say Noosa website.
The study identified challenges to the strategy which include the growing numbers of visitors, peak time congestion, people’s dependence on cars and the deterrent to cycling and walking of a warm climate and hilly terrain.
It also found council funding was limited and a third of Noosa’s population were living in the hinterland with little or no public transport.
