Sunshine Coast Daily: Plan to make Maroochy safer for bikes

Plans to make Maroochy roads safer for bike riders are under way, and mayor Joe Natoli has promised to keep cycle safety high on the post-amalgamation agenda. Damien Jones and John Stephen from the Suncoast Cycling Alliance have met with the mayor to discuss their plans to make Maroochy shire more cycle friendly, based on the award-winning model in Noosa. Mr Stephen said their plan included cycle signs and symbols on the road, “green zones” and raising driver awareness. These proposals are based on initiatives of Noosa council’s Nigel Walker, who heads its Travel Behaviour Change team.

Mr Natoli agreed to endorse their proposals. “As mayor, I am concerned about the health and welfare of our community, not to mention the commitment we all need to embrace regarding climate change,” he said. However, Maroochy council needs to play serious catch-up to match Caloundra and Noosa, according to Mr Stephen. “Maroochy council has fallen way behind on road safety,” he said.

“Imagine yourself on a bike, riding down the hill from Alexandra Hill to Maroochydore, passing parked cars while cars are going past you at 60kmh and you’re doing 30kmh. “You’ve got drivers trying to squeeze you in to parked cars, and parked drivers opening their doors. It’s a really dangerous situation.” He said Maroochy had tracks and paths but needed Noosa-style green zones and cycle symbols. “That’s really what it’s all about, trying to get commuting cyclists on the road, to improve the environment and health,” he said.

“We’re using safety as a method for doing that.” He said something as simple as painting bicycle symbols on the road shoulder was a cost-effective way to increase safety. “It costs $100,000 a kilometre to put a path in, whereas it costs $1800 a kilometre to put cycle symbols on the road, and yes, they do really work,” he said. “It makes a huge difference.” While mayor Natoli is right behind the push, it seems unlikely there will ever be enough money to create cycleways everywhere they are needed.

Maroochy councillor Greg Rogerson has allocated $50,000 from his divisional budget to have footpaths constructed around Flaxton, but admits they will never fully connect with Montville – the route concerning people such as accident victim Suzy Gneist (see above). “Because it’s an escarpment area, we need to look at constructing boardwalks, but the cost from Flaxton to Mapleton is about $7.3 million, it’s an unbelievable cost,” he said. “We don’t want to put people’s lives at risk, and yet there is only a certain amount in the budget.”