NOTICE OF SUBMISSION BY Alan Hocking 14

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      •   In view of the increased parking and traffic issues raised through Cr. Jurisevic last year can
          Council again revisit the concerns of residents.
      •   This is a Heritage site and it is hoped that Council will ensure that the site is restored to
          reflect the original image.
      •   There is no doubt this prominent site is well overdue for redevelopment, however
          unfortunately the priority seems to be establishing a beer garden with heritage and
          community issues being given little consideration.




25/09/2023

Good afternoon Cr Joe Jurisevic,

 Thank you for your comprehensive submission on Blakesley Street on behalf of local
residents. Council officers can appreciate that residing on the edge of a business centre can have
its challenges in terms of traffic management, balanced by the convenience of living adjacent to
a suite of available services.

I apologise for the length of time it has taken for a reply, but the extent of issues raised were
extensive and required some investigation. We have structured our reply to respond to the points
raised in the submission.

Please note that we have identified several items for repair and rectification as a result of the
submission and we can also advise on some future design planning for Tewantin to assist long
term planning.




1.        Speeding in Blakesley St




1.1       Speed Limit

Tewantin CBD is designated as a “40 Area”. The speed limit of 40km/hr is consistent with speed
limits for village and business centres applied by Noosa Council across the Shire.

All motorists entering the CBD encounter prominent “40 Area” signs at key entry points, including
Lake Street, Memorial Avenue, Poinciana Avenue, and Sidoni Street. This signage signifies that
all drivers are required to adhere to a speed limit of 40 km/hr until they see the “End 40” speed
limit sign.

Motorists accessing Blakesley Street, whether via Sidoni Street or Diyan Street via Lake Street or
Memorial Avenue, will encounter a 40 Area sign en-route. Council does not consider the speed

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limit should be further reduced or that any additional signs are warranted, which also aligns with
Council’s policy to minimise signage clutter.




1.2       Traffic Calming (Speed Humps)

The street is considered a slow speed environment with no recorded pattern or trends of speeding
reported to Council and no reported cases to Queensland Police of speeding or hooning.




The street is also not attractive as a through route. The street also has 90-degree bends at both
ends that restrict vehicle entry speed and the straight section is only 200m long restricting the
ability to build up speed.




Traffic calming devices such as speed humps need to be lit at night which not only adds additional
cost but can cause light spillage issues with adjacent residents. Traffic calming devices often
also generate unwanted traffic noise to adjacent residents caused by vehicles braking, thumping
over the hump, and then accelerating. These noises would be heard 24 hours a day whenever a
vehicle crosses the hump.




Council considers that speed humps are unwarranted, and would degrade residential amenity
due to lighting and noise.




1.3       Speeding by Electric Bikes and Scooters

These devices are governed by State Laws, that indicate:

      •       Users must be at least 12 years of age, and users aged 12-16 must be accompanied
            by an adult.
    •         A speed limit of 12km/h on footpath / shared paths, and
    •         A speed limit of 25km/h on all other bike paths and bike lanes on roads (with a speed
            limit of 50km/h or less).
Unfortunately Council has no jurisdiction over the operation of electric bikes and
scooters. Should residents believe the riders of electric bikes and scooters are using the roadway
inappropriately or are travelling too fast they need to raise their concerns with Queensland Police
Services for investigation and enforcement.




1.4       Reminder 40 km/h Signs

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As outlined above Council considers the number and placement of signs are appropriate.




1.5    10km/h Shared Zone

The 10km/h raised shared zone, with rumble entry strips is designed to temporarily drop
motorists speed to 10km/h so that the roadway can be shared with pedestrians and
cyclists. Upon exiting the shared zone into Poinciana Av, Memorial Av or Diyan St there are signs
that indicate “End Shared Zone” where the speed limit then reverts to the 40 Area speed limit as
signed upon initial entry into the 40 Area. There is no requirement to install further speed limit
signage to remind motorists they are re-entering the 40 Area.




1.6    Positioning of 40 Area sign on northwest corner of Poinciana Av / Sidoni St

The sign is positioned in the best available location and to the height requirements set by the
Queensland Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices. It is also complimented by a coloured
concrete pavement threshold upon entry into the Sidoni St 40 Area to further increase motorists’
awareness. The sign unfortunately cannot be moved or lowered due to adherence to traffic
standards, which also ensure enforceability by Queensland Police.




1.7    Obscured Speed Limit Signage from Vegetation

Thank you for raising this issue it is agreed vegetation management will assist
visibility. Instructions have been issued internally in Council for the vegetation to be trimmed
and maintained to ensure good visibility for motorists.




1.8    Coloured Road Concrete (Threshold)

Council notes your comment that a coloured concrete entry treatment is only provided at Sidoni
St. Upon closer review however it was observed that these coloured treatments are located on
Sidoni St (north of Poinciana Av), Poinciana Av (east of Sidoni St), and Doonella St (east of
Memorial Ave).

The three existing concrete thresholds were noted as having worn and faded surfaces and require
maintenance. Instructions have been issued internally in Council for maintenance works
reinstate to maintain the quality and visibility of the treatment.




It has also been noted that the previous coloured concrete in Memorial Av (north of Doonella St),
has since been removed or re-sheeted over the top with a new asphalt road surface. Similarly, it
has been noted that the 40 Area sign in Lake Street (north of Parkyn Court) has not been

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complimented with a coloured threshold to assist in reinforcing driver behaviour. These two
locations will be raised as a future capital works project and put forward for future budget
deliberations. Such enhancement would help locals and visitors to the region, and better signify
the Tewantin town centre as you indicate.




1.9    Zebra Crossing on Blakesley St

The zebra crossing on Blakesley St facilitates access to the Woolworths Shopping complex and
has relatively low pedestrian usage. It is understood that this was installed as a condition of the
Woolworths approval. This facility has street lighting and appears to be in good order with the
appropriate signs and advanced warning signs erected. Council staff have been asked to
undertake any vegetation maintenance to ensure the signage is not concealed.




1.10    Is the precinct able to be clearly understood by locals and visitors?

Tewantin Business Centre has significant entry and arrival landscaping, road treatment and
signage, especially compared to other business centres across Queensland. The precinct has
existed in its current state for approximately 20 years and very few complaints have been received
about the quality of the precinct.




Noosa Council has recently undertaken a Liveability Survey including local areas of Tewantin,
available at https://www.noosa.qld.gov.au/liveability-noosa . A key strength identified for the
locality was “sense of neighbourhood safety (from crime, traffic, pollution etc.)”




Council recently initiated a place making project for the Shire to better plan for a key community
centres.    More information about the project and its objectives are at
https://www.noosa.qld.gov.au/noosa-placemaking . Pomona has initially been selected as a
pilot program, but Tewantin has been identified as a priority for future investigation.




When a placemaking project can be initiated for Tewantin, Council will be engaging with
residents, businesses and community groups to help plan for future aspirations, and Blakesley
Street can be considered as part of the project, including opportunities for more extensive traffic
calming and parking controls, if desired by the whole community.




1.11    Speed Study Request to the Queensland Police Service (QPS)

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Council officers have contacted local QPS to enquire about any complaints they had received
regarding speeding or hooning behaviour in Blakesley Street. QPS reviewed their records and
advised that they have not received any complaints. QPS further advised that they did not believe
the street was conducive to speeding and would unlikely undertake any speed monitoring unless
there was a wider pattern of complaints that supported a genuine issue worthy of investigation.

It is suggested that residents concerned over speeding or hooning behaviour should raise their
concerns with the Police and that they also advise the Police of the time of day and day of week
that this behaviour typically occurs so that QPS can investigate.




1.12    Traffic Calming (Speed Hump) Considerations

As previously outlined at item 1.2 above, additional traffic calming is not currently supported for
Blakesley Street.




1.13    Converting Zebra Crossing to a Raised Crossing

While the zebra crossing could be reconstructed to a raised facility, this will cost significant
money and an assessment would need to be made as to whether this represents good value given
there are other higher risk priorities across the Shire. In this respect the proposal would need to
stack-up against normal traffic calming considerations.




2.0 Parking Issues




2.1 Parked vehicles limiting visibility from driveways.

Motorists parking within any street are not permitted by the road rules to block a driveway and
can legally park in-line with prolongation of the edge of the driveway. A review of aerial photos
indicates that in all instances vehicles are parked correctly.

A review of the five existing residential driveways on Blakesley Street has also revealed that they
range in width at the kerb from 5.0m to 7.0m, which should provide sufficient room for motorists
to comfortably swing in and out of their driveway unhindered.

While it is acknowledged that residents may not like a vehicle parking too close, the driveway
widths and generous road width should allow all motorists to position themselves and their
vehicle where they can see oncoming traffic and also be seen by such traffic.




2.2 Parking of Boats and Caravans

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Under Queensland Road rules, any registered vehicles including trailers, boats, caravans, etc that
are under 7.5m in length and under 4.5 tonne that are not parked in a regulated timed parking
zone can remain parked indefinitely.

Given this street offers one of the few locations where a longer vehicle could park, and that that
these people are usually visiting local businesses, we would not want to restrict them from
parking in the street.




2.3 No Parking Yellow Lines

It is important to note that the presence of the existing yellow line on the eastern side of the
driveway to 2-10 Blakesley St serves the purpose of ensuring optimal visibility for pedestrians
crossing at the zebra crossing, in accordance with MUTCD Part 10 guidelines. Its placement is
not intended to enhance or accommodate the entry or exit of vehicles from the driveway.

It is not Council’s practice to remove parking in order to improve entry and exit conditions for
private driveways. Given parking across driveways is covered under the Queensland Road rules
and is enforceable by law, it is considered unnecessary in this instance to install yellow lines.

It is also noted that on-street parking serves both residents in the street, as well as visitors to the
precinct generally, and any restrictions on parking may disadvantage established residents in the
street.




2.4 Pavement resurfacing (reseal works)

Part of Blakesley Street is scheduled to be resealed by Council later this financial year –
specifically the lower section extending from Sidoni St to the concrete slab (near the Woolworths
Loading dock), as this section has deteriorated the most with complaints in relation to pot-holes
and trip hazards. The remainder of the street would be resealed at a future time when the
condition warrants resurfacing.




2.5 Parking Bay Line marking following reseal

Formalisation of informal car parking by installing line marking such as “L” & “T” shaped line
marked bays could be undertaken to also improve driveway separation, however this would
reduce the overall supply of parking on Blakesley Street. Presently, there are 47 informal car
parking spaces available, but if the decision is made to formalize parking, this number could
potentially decrease to 35 which would be to the detriment to the carparking availability precinct
generally including residents, visitors and businesses. Council considers that any proposals to
reduce parking in the locality would need to be part of a broad consultation program across the
precinct. Ideally this would be managed as part of the placemaking project as outlined above.

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2.6 Parking of vehicles associated with a vehicle sales business

In regard to alleged use of the street for a vehicle sales business, we have initiated investigation
by Councils Local Laws team. They have committed to advise further on the outcomes.




Thank you again for raising these issues.




Shaun Walsh
Director of Infrastructure Services (Acting)
Phone: (07) 5329 6529
Mobile: 0407 640 678
[email protected] | noosa.qld.gov.au