Article: Council bypasses concerns

[ozbob]

From the Couriermail Quest click here!

Council bypasses concerns

Council bypasses concerns

    by: Brooke Hargraves, The Noosa Journal
    From: Quest Newspapers

Roadworks on the Garnet St section of the Inner Cooroy Bypass may be nearing completion but residents have been told they will have to wait at least another seven months before their concerns about the bypass, which runs down the residential street, are addressed.

Council has been under fire from residents who claim they were never consulted on plans to shift industrial estate trucks off Maple St and on to residential Garnet St.

More than 130 locals signed a petition opposing the plan earlier this year.

At a community meeting hosted by Council in Cooroy last month  residents were told that up to 610 heavy vehicles were expected to travel along the neighbourhood street by 2020.

Community members raised concerns about road  safety, noise and amenity in the area and have called on Council to  provide additional road crossings, footpaths and pedestrian refuges to assist elderly residents and school children crossing the road.

The working group has also asked Council to resurface the road and carry out measures to reduce noise and amenity impacts, however Council has refused to commit any funding for the additional safety measures until next financial year.

A council spokesperson this week confirmed that while ''most of  Council's works should be complete within two weeks'' the various road safety and noise minimisation measures ''are proposed for the next financial year subject to council approving those items in the 2011/12 budget.''

Cooroy resident Pamela Graham-Macqueen said locals were frustrated by Council's ad hoc approach to the project, with council refusing to listen to residents' concerns and starting work on the project almost a month ahead of time.

''If the residents had been consulted, as they said, Council would have known about these mitigation concerns and the solutions. There would have been no need for the meetings or the fix up,'' Mrs Graham-Macqueen said.

''We're asking for what should already have been in place with this project.

''We shouldn't have to ask for crumbs, we're asking for things that protect our community and something that will go a small way to restoring some of the value of our properties.''

The residents group will lobby Council to consider alternate routes for heavy vehicles after Main Roads released its draft plans for the duplication of the Bruce Highway between Cooroy and Sankeys Rd.

The plans feature a new dual lane roundabout which will be constructed at the intersection of Nandroya Rd, Cooroy Connection Rd and Myall St designed to high traffic volumes.

The plans will be on display at Cooroy Library from Nov 23-30

[Stillwater]

The Bruce Highway works, now underway:

http://www.tmr.qld.gov.au/~/media/2c2ae5d3-169b-44d4-904b-5d4c7e22ead8/cooroy%20to%20curra%20project%20update%200811.pdf

These works are located about 4-5km west of the Traveston station.

The proposed new works, yet to start, are extensive:

http://www.tmr.qld.gov.au/~/media/cf4b0bad-ffab-49d6-afa1-a310e44120ed/c2c%20section%20a%20project%20update%201111.pdf

Like Beerwah, where that town is the major service centre for the southern SC hinterland, Cooroy is growing and is the northern SC hinterland service centre.

[Set in train]

The Bruce Highway works, now underway:

http://www.tmr.qld.gov.au/~/media/2c2ae5d3-169b-44d4-904b-5d4c7e22ead8/cooroy%20to%20curra%20project%20update%200811.pdf

These works are located about 4-5km west of the Traveston station.

The proposed new works, yet to start, are extensive:

http://www.tmr.qld.gov.au/~/media/cf4b0bad-ffab-49d6-afa1-a310e44120ed/c2c%20section%20a%20project%20update%201111.pdf

Like Beerwah, where that town is the major service centre for the southern SC hinterland, Cooroy is growing and is the northern SC hinterland service centre.

More fuel for the Gympie - Nambour shuttle service.