Maroochydore CBD Traffic Planning

Great news to hear that work is finally under way to open up Dalton Drive. The construction by private developers had struck some bureaucratic hurdles and these have been resolved. I have asked Council to undertake proper road surveys on Sugar Road and Maroochy Boulevard before and after this link opens up and to finally undertake a proper and updated road study for all of Maroochydore.

Maroochydore business community needs certainty but the number one priority for future land use plans should be a proper traffic study for Maroochydore CBD. Despite Council’s claimed urgency for its all-or-nothing plan for the CBD development (with no outline of staged delivery), there has been no traffic study undertaken by Council for their plan.  I’ve asked for it and instead received a briefing where I was told by a Council officer the proposed roads “should improve the traffic flow” despite the density proposed. This is not good enough.

Addressing current congestion and future growth in the CBD, requires proper and transparent planning based on traffic modelling.  Sugar Road should be a lesson from history.  Previous councils advocated that Maroochy Boulevard would significantly relieve congestion on Sugar Road. However,  they then allowed a bleeding of commercial development into residential areas along Sugar Road with no upgrades to this council road.  Today Sugar Road is highly congested despite Maroochy Boulevard’s opening.

My point is this -  a project the size of the proposed CBD redevelopment of the golf course where Council is the owner and developer – needs to be transparent in all areas of decision making and based upon rigorous road studies to ensure the promised outcomes are measurable and then delivered. Ratepayers, residents and business deserve no less.