2020-07-07 S&O Agenda - Item 1 - Attachment 1 - Go Noosa Initiatives Evaluation

Section 2

Report

This report evaluates the initiatives undertaken as part of the Noosa Council endorsed peak
period traffic management trials known as the Go Noosa- Christmas 2019/20, and in turn,
provides commentary on the operational effectiveness, data obtained, feedback, value for
money and areas for improvement of each initiative.

A number of tools were used to evaluate the Go Noosa Trials including:

     •    Christmas & Easter Go Noosa Survey
     •    Traffic, Pedestrian and Parking Occupancy Survey – 3 Jan 2020
     •    Traffic sensors
     •    Go Noosa App data
     •    Traffic engineer observations
     •    Lions Park paid parking receipts
     •    Stakeholder anecdotal & observational feedback

It is acknowledged that behavioural change projects are difficult to evaluate given the lack of
control groups, challenge in obtaining data and variability in factors affecting behaviour, as
such, the evaluation is based on a review of available information compared to desired
outcomes and information obtained in previous years.


1.       Initiative - Free Buses

Noosa Council funds the Free Holiday Bus program as an incentive for residents and visitors
to not use the private car when travelling in Noosa during the peak holidays. In particular, the
Free Buses is a means of encouraging residents and visitors to the Noosa Heads area which
is typically constrained by private vehicle congestion. The Free Holiday Bus program has been
in operation since 2000 and is now considered synonymous with a visit to Noosa during the
peak holidays.

The following five Noosa-specific TransLink bus services were paid for by Noosa Council from
the Transport Levy and provided free to passengers from the 14th December 2019 to 27th
January 2020:
•    Route 626 – Tewantin to Sunrise Beach via Noosa Heads
•    Route 627 – Tewantin to Sunshine Beach via Noosa Heads
•    Route 628 – Noosa Parklands to Noosa Junction, via Noosa Civic
•    Route 629 – Tewantin to Noosa Junction via Noosa Civic
•    Route 632 – Noosa to Cooran via Cooroy and Pomona
The costs Noosa Council pays for the services are determined by TransLink on a ‘loss of
revenue’ basis for five local TransLink routes (626,627,628,629,632).
Additional services have been introduced to supplement the existing TransLink services where
it was determined that keys areas within Noosa were not well served by the above services or
were part of trialling the Transport Strategy desired objective of a Noosa Style Bus including:
•    064 Peregian Beach to Noosa Heads bus
•    065 Noosa Heads to Noosaville ‘Go Noosa Loop Bus’
To operate the above additional services, Council obtains approval from the Director General
of the Department of Transport and Main Roads to operate a competing services to the
existing TransLink routes as this contravenes the Transport Operations (Passenger Transport)
Act 1994.
065 Go Noosa Loop bus

Section 3

Christmas 2019/20 holidays saw the trial of the new temporary 065 Go Noosa Loop bus
servicing Noosa Parade, Noosa Drive and Weyba road. The nominated loop was derived from
Transport Strategy consultation requests for a Noosa Style Bus loop service and collaboration
with TransLink with the aim of linking with Park & Ride opportunities from The Junction, Noosa
AFL grounds and other locations along the route. The Loop bus was branded with Go Noosa
livery and used a smaller, modern style bus in keeping with the Noosa “look and feel”. The
loop bus forms a key trial of the Noosa Style Bus as described in the Transport Strategy. The
loop bus service operated every 15minutes from 7am -7pm and every 30 minutes from 7pm –
10pm (the only free evening service in Noosa).


Excluded Services
This report excludes information and evaluation on the other non-free TransLink services that
operate into and out of the shire including:
   •   Route 620 Noosa Heads to Maroochydore
   •   Route 623 Noosa Junction to Maroochydore
   •   Route 630 Noosa Junction to Nambour via Eumundi
   •   Route 631 Noosa Junction to Nambour via Eumundi and Cooroy


Operational effectiveness:
As detailed in Table 1 below the highest patronage bus routes 626 and 627 are scheduled at
a 15 minute frequency between Sunshine or Sunrise Beach and Tewantin. The newly
introduced 065 Go Noosa Loop service had the third highest patronage and also operated on
a 15 minute frequency. The other routes, 064, 628,629 and 632 operate on a less frequent
schedule and correspondingly returned a lower total patronage. The reduction in patronage
on the temporary 064 Peregian – Noosa Heads service when compared to the previous year
may be due to a shift in passengers choosing to Park & Ride and use the 065 Go Noosa Loop
service.
As part of the 065 Go Noosa Loop service, temporary bus stops were installed opposite The
J and outside the Noosa AFL grounds.
Data obtained:
Over the six week 2019/20 Christmas period there were a total of 245,096 passenger trips.
This equates to a 20% increase in bus patronage compared to the previous year with the
increase in patronage largely coming from introduction of the additional loop bus. Refer to
Table 1 for total trips per bus route.

Section 4

Table 2: Bus routes ranked by total patronage

 Bus Route                    Total         % of Total    Total          % of Total   Total    %
                              patronage                   patronage      patronage    change
                              Christmas                   Christmas                   from
                              holidays                    holidays                    previous
                                                                                      year
                              2019/20                     2018/19

 626 – Tewantin to Sunrise 76,228           31.1%         76,450         31.2%        -0.3%
 Beach via Noosa Heads
 (24 return services)

 627   –    Tewantin     to 72,403          29.5%         70,172         28.6%        +3%
 Sunshine Beach via Noosa
 Heads (23 return services)

 065 – Go Noosa Loop 42,263                 17.2%         -              n/a          New service.
 Service

 629 – Tewantin to Noosa 20,580             8.4%          21,266         8.7%         -3%
 Junction via Noosa Civic
 (11 return services)

 628 – Noosa Parklands to 16,575            6.8%          16,709         6.8%         -1%
 Noosa Junction, via Noosa
 Civic (12 return services)

 064 – Peregian Beach to 13,114             5.4%          15,087         6.2%         -13%
 Noosa Heads temporary
 bus (11 return services)

 632 - Noosa to Cooran via 3,933            1.6%          4,153          1.7%         -5%
 Cooroy and Pomona (3
 return services)

 TOTAL                        245,096                     203,837                     +20%




          Image 1: Passengers at Hastings Street boarding the 065 Go Noosa Loop Bus

Section 5

Feedback:
The Christmas Go Noosa feedback survey was available on Council’s website and Facebook
page. The survey was available throughout the duration of the trials and closed two weeks
after the services ended. Hard copy versions of the survey were distributed by the bus driver
passenger assistant at Hastings Street. A total of 354 surveys were received (an increase
from 2018/19 – 318 surveys).
Sunbus drivers underwent Tourism Noosa’s “Welcome to Noosa” training and wore tropical
shirts. Feedback from both passengers and Sunbus was that wearing the shirts created a fun
holiday atmosphere.
Key highlights include:
   •   94% of survey respondents were either very satisfied/satisfied with their bus trip.
   •   Approximately 69% of respondents would have made their trip by car if the buses had
       not been free.
   •   The main reason people caught a free bus was to avoid traffic and congestion and
       because it is difficult to find a car park.
   •   Interestingly, 36% of survey respond indicated that the main barrier for them to catch
       a bus outside of the Go Noosa period is cost.
   •   68% of survey respondents were Noosa Shire residents.
   •   Some negative feedback was received regarding the use of rate payer funds on
       claimed tourist only benefits.

Sample of open responses:
   -   Loved the service. Bus drivers were great. They should be thanked for their patience,
       smiles and wearing cool Tshirts. Happy to pay this as part of my rates.

   -   The buses were fantastic, I'm going to miss the loop bus, I loved using it to get to the
       beach or work. So much less stressful than looking for a park at the beach. There
       were some awesome drivers that greeted everyone with a smile (a lady driver in the
       mornings on the Loop run was the best!). Thank you!!

   -   Absolutely brilliant service – thank you very much. The Noosa loop buses were an
       excellent addition and the bus drivers had obviously all done a ‘niceness’ course as
       they were all courteous, friendly, helpful and smiling. This was not always the case in
       previous years so it was a very pleasant change. Excellent environmental, tourist and
       feel good service. Well done Noosa council.

   -   This is a fantastic service and makes it possible for locals to continue to enjoy the
       beach and Hastings St during the busy tourist season

   -   I absolutely loved it. We sometimes parked at Quamby place and then again at Nancy
       Cato park. I have three kids and it made beach time so much easier. I cannot thank
       you enough for providing this service. It really made a huge difference.

   -   Sliplane didn’t work as people moved cones and parked anyway

   -   Waste of money for the rate payers, doesn't help traffic congestion to hasting street.

   -   Why should Noosa residents pay for a visitor orientated service? Shouldn't this be
       charged to those businesses (in the form of a levy) that benefit from visiting tourists
       and not the residents to whom they are an added inconvenience?

Section 6

   -     As a rate payer I object to paying for free bus transport for tourists. It is NOT a free bus
         for rate payers. The buses I saw never had more than 1 or 2 people on it. Seems to
         be a waste of money.

   -     Think we should only have Noosa loop buses and not free buses to other places as it
         is the Noosa loop where the main congestion is. As a ratepayer I don’t believe rate
         payer money should support tourism to this extent. Noosa Council needs to look after
         locals first and if encouraging tourism there should be designated parks for boat
         trailers. They are clogging up the streets and are an eyesore in the Noosa Sound and
         Noosaville area.


Value for money:
Table 3: Free Bus Costs

  Council Funded Free        Payment form            Cost              Total        Average cost
     Bus Routes                                                     passengers      per passenger
                                                                                         trip

 TransLink existing         Subsidised by      $110,922            189,719         $0.58
 services                   TransLink.
 626,627,628,629,632.       Council pays
                            loss of revenue

 Temporary 064              Full cost price    $75,991             13,114          $5.79
 Peregian Beach –           paid to Sunbus.
 Noosa Heads bus
 service.

 Temporary 065 Go           Full cost price    $116,629            42,263          $2.76
 Noosa Loop bus             paid to Sunbus.
 service.

 Total                                         $303,542            245,096         $1.24



As TransLink already subsidises the existing bus routes Council is only required to fund loss
of revenue. This results in a very cost effective services when compared to the other temporary
(and additional to the network) fully costed services.
Staff have endeavoured to devise a “work-around” to avoid needing to provide 064 Peregian-
Noosa Heads bus and to utilise the existing 620 Maroochydore-Noosa Heads TransLink bus
service however until a new ticketing operating system is in place there is currently no viable
alternative if Council wishes to continue with the Peregian – Noosa Heads Free Bus service.
The high frequency 065 Go Noosa Loop is the only free service after 7pm and continues until
10pm which allows diners and workers to make use of free evening service (the service
operated 7 days a week). Providing an evening service results in drivers being paid at a higher
rate and the patronage is generally lower.
As an overall cost per trip comparison, 245,096 passengers at a cost of $303,542 gives an
average cost of $1.24 per passenger trip. This compares to an average cost of 89 cents per
passenger trip in 2018/20 noting that the 065 Go Noosa Loop did not operate that year and
factors as a higher cost per trip as Council pays full cost price.
Areas for improvement:
Bus services in Queensland are controlled by State Government entity TransLink and not
Noosa Council. The size of buses, timetable, and routes are all determined by TransLink.

Section 7

Noosa Council has an excellent working relationship with TransLink and their local operator
Sunbus, and will continue to work on areas for improvement including but not limited to:
     •    Investigating method to fund free holiday buses that travel into Noosa from outside of
          the Shire including Route 620 Noosa Heads to Maroochydore, Route 630 Nambour to
          Noosa via Eumundi, and Route 631 Noosa to Nambour via Cooroy and Eumundi.
     •    Review greatest value for money timetable for the Loop Bus night service.
     •    Improvements to real-time arrival times for all buses.
     •    Timetable legibility
     •    Evening services
     •    Size and style of buses.


2.       Initiative: Park & Ride

The three dedicated Park & Ride locations included:
   • Noosa AFL grounds
   • The J – Noosa Junction
   • Noosa Junction – various car parks including the opening of the “bowls club” car park

These locations were promoted through Park & Ride directional signage and were all
serviced by free buses with a frequency of 15 minutes or less.

Noosa Junction Park & Ride was serviced by all of the free bus services. The Noosa AFL
grounds and The J Park & Ride was only serviced by the 065 Go Noosa Loop service.

Additional internal signage was used to direct people to various car parks within the Noosa
Junction. The timed parking closest to the Transit Centre was adjusted from 2 hours to a mix
of 6 hours and 30 minutes parking to allow people to Park & Ride.




Image 2: Example internal directional signage around Noosa Junction

Section 8

Hastings Street Drop-off zone

A two minute drop-off zone was installed in the car parks near the Hastings Street bus
interchange. The purpose of the drop off zone was to allow people to drop off bulky items and
passengers close to the beach. Drop off zone indicated by green pin in image below.




                              Image 3: Hastings Street Drop Off

Operational effectiveness:

Feedback obtained showed that many people (62%) chose to park or walk to their nearest
bus stop, known anecdotally as “Hide and Ride” rather than make use of dedicated Park &
Ride locations. The other locations included parking in Pomona, Tewantin, Noosa Parade
and behind Aldi shopping centre.
The use of “Hide and Ride” provides insight into future considerations for introducing
additional parking supply.

The two-minute drop off zone was well utilised but the start time of 9am may need to be
adjusted to 8am.

Data obtained:

30% of survey respondents indicated that they used the dedicated Park & Ride locations. Of
those that used the dedicated Park & Ride locations;
           • 25% used the Noosa AFL grounds,
           • 23% used the Noosa Junction Transit Centre,
           • 10% Noosa Junction (other),
           • 6% The J, and
           • 35% used other locations.

The survey on 3 Jan 2020 highlighted that car parking use at Noosa Junction was nearing
85% capacity which is an increase on previous years as depicted in the graph below.

Section 9

Graph 1: Noosa Junction all parking areas

The J car park was newly promoted as a Park & Ride site and saw a 10% increase in use
however it was still well below capacity despite being promoted as a dedicated Park & Ride
location.




Graph 2: Noosa Junction – The J Car Park


Parking demand on The Junction will continue to be monitored to assess suitability as the
primary Park and Ride site. Future consideration will be given to parking capacity and
alternative Park & Ride locations such as Giraween Sports Complex, Bicentennial Hall, Noosa
Civic business centre etc.

Section 10

Other sustainable modes of transport such as public transport and walking and cycling will
continue to be encouraged as will Hide and Ride.”

As with previous years, Noosa Heads car parking capacity is still greater than 85% occupancy
which typically indicates intervention is required.




Graph 3: Noosa Heads Parking

Feedback:

Feedback from bus drivers was that the temporary bus stop opposite The J was very popular.
Anecdotal and observational feedback was that the Noosa AFL ground car park was
underutilised. This may be due to people making use of “Hide & Ride” and other sites being
more convenient.

Value for money:

The use of Park & Ride sites is a necessary component for encouraging drivers to not enter
the Hastings Street area and instead use public transport. As described above a number of
sites are utilised to provide adequate opportunity to Park & Ride in addition to the car parking
around Noosa Heads.

As described below in Item 6 - Lions Park, an additional Park & Ride site at the Noosa AFL
ground was required to counter the expected demand for parking due to the loss of Lions Park
for car parking. The Noosa AFL grounds has parking capacity for approximately 500 vehicles.
To enable use as a Park & Ride site a contract was entered with the Noosa AFL club from 14
December 2019 to 27 January 2020 for a fee of $3,000.

DNRME subsequently provided approval and in turn the full use and value for money of the
Noosa AFL grounds was not realised as evidence by only 16 cars being counted on the 3rd
January 2020. The use of this site will be reviewed ahead of the future report to Council.


Areas for improvement:

   •   Review contract for use of the Noosa AFL ground car park

Section 11

     •    Obtain approval from DNRME regrading on going use of Noosa Heads Lions Park
     •    Foster and encourage “Hide and Ride”
     •    Foster and encourage walking to the nearest bus stop
     •    Identify alternative Park & Ride locations as Noosa Junction nears capacity


3.       Initiative – Bus Priority Queue Jump

The bus queue jump was located at Noosa Parade, on the inbound lane to Hastings Street
from the bus stop opposite Witta Circle to the Garth Prowd Bridge. Due to the limited road
width on Noosa Parade, 13 car parks were temporarily assigned to the bus queue jump. The
purpose of the bus queue jump is to give priority to buses and reduce the time buses are
caught in traffic congestion. Temporary signage was used to demarcate the lane.




Image 4: Noosa Parade Bus Queue Jump Trial


Operational effectiveness:

The use of a temporary bus queue jump, in conjunction with traffic control, was to be trialled
during the high peak of 26 December 2019 to the 5 January 2020. The bus queue jump would
be operational from 9am to 3pm. This time allocation would allow service vehicles and
residents to still access properties outside of peak hours. However, despite signage and line
markings, vehicles were parked in the bus lane from 4:30am- 5:00am onwards.
A directive was made by Mayor Tony Wellington not to fine or tow vehicles and as such the
bus queue jump was not operational.

Data obtained:
None.

Section 12

Feedback:

Observational and survey data highlighted that there was not significant queueing along
Noosa Parade as had been experienced in previous years. It was deemed that the bus queue
jump would not have been necessary had it been operational.

Value for money:

The lack of need and costs to establish currently indicate that value for money and operational
issues preclude this as an effective initiative.


4.    Information Systems: Digital Information Boards and Go Noosa App

Roadside digital information boards were situated at five key entry points to Noosa over the
Christmas holidays. Refer below. The boards and mobile App displayed real time data on
congestion and car parking availability in the Noosa Head’s precinct with the primary objective
of encouraging visitors to Park & Ride and use alternative means of accessing the precinct.
The effectiveness of this initiative is broadly evaluated by the numbers of people catching the
bus, walking and cycling.
Digital boards with purpose built façades around the trailers were chosen over standard
boards in order to fit with the Noosa Design Principles and to create a welcoming and positive
experience as opposed to a roadside traffic sign.




Image 5: Roadside digital information board locations




Image 6: Roadside digital information board - Car parking capacity

Section 13

Operational effectiveness:

Using live data from Google Maps and correlation with previous year car park counts,
algorithms were developed to automatically change the display with congestion level updates
of green (low congestion & parking available), orange (congestion & some parking) and red
(heavy congestion & limited parking) followed by encouragement to Park & Ride. The boards
sought to reinforce positive messaging rather than negative reinforcement of congestion
issues.

The Go Noosa App was downloaded by 6,563 phone users and the website version of the
App was downloaded by 1,273 users. The App was promoted via advertisements on the side
of TransLink buses servicing the entire Sunshine coast, TV, radio, print and social media.

Upgrades to the App required processing via Google Play store and this resulted in some
delays to App improvements.

Data obtained:
A traffic, pedestrian and car parking occupancy survey was conducted on 3 January 2018, 3
January 2019 and again on 3 January 2020 in the Noosa Heads and Noosa Junction precincts.

Data collected over 13.5 hours at the Hastings Street roundabout showed an increase in
pedestrian activity however there was also an increase in vehicles entering and a decrease in
other modes. Refer Table 4 below.

Table 4: Mode Comparison– 3 Jan 2018, 2019 & 2020




Directly comparable data on the number of bus patronage on the 3rd January 2020 is not able
to be obtained due to data restrictions from TransLink, however, interpolating the overall
figures suggest that there may have been a 20% increase in public transport use which may
have contributed to the decline in some modes e.g more people choosing to catch a bus
instead of bike ride which may be influenced by difficulty riding a bicycle on Noosa Parade or
Noosa Drive at busy time of year.

Feedback:

Approximately 36% of survey respondents indicated that the roadside digital information
boards helped to inform their travel choices (27% - not applicable, 23% - no, 15% - unaware
of the boards)

Section 14

In regards to the Go Noosa App, 36% of survey respondents said that they found the App
useful, 21% did not and 43% were not aware of the App. This last figure indicates that greater
promotion of the App is required.

Value for money:

Transition to the Go Noosa App platform would be more cost effective than the roadside digital
boards however as indicated by the survey respondents the boards provide a reasonable
method to message new visitors.

Areas for improvement:

     •    The exact location of the boards is determined by available power supply. Some
          dynamic content (intervention messaging) would be better suited to positions closer to
          last intervention opportunities and at car parking entrances.

     •    Upgrades to the App to be performed well in advance of “go live date” as processing
          via Google Play store can result in delays to App enhancements.

     •    Determine most effective images to display on digital roadside boards due to limited
          amount of information able to be read by passing motorists.

     •    Continue to improve the Go Noosa online platform and build community repeat usage.

     •    Promote the Go Noosa online platform ahead of visitors arriving in Noosa.

5.       Initiative - Traffic Control & Wayfinding

A traffic management plan was prepared to control and formalise traffic movements in
sequences of priority to improve pedestrian safety, prioritise bus movements, facilitate bus
access in and out of the Noosa Heads Bus Interchange as well as improve traffic flow and
reduce queue length in the Noosa Heads precinct.

Wayfinding signage in and around the Hastings Street precinct was used to highlight various
beach access opportunities and to encourage pedestrians to use the walkway adjacent to
Emerald Noosa when alighting at the bus stop.

Operational effectiveness:

The traffic control was successful in prioritising bus movements and pedestrian safety as well
as the flow of traffic in the Noosa Heads precinct. Marshals were engaged to assist the traffic
controllers with pedestrian movements on Noosa Parade and Noosa Drive.

Due to safety regulations traffic controllers are required to wear high visibility clothing. In order
to create a festive atmosphere, traffic controllers wore tropical themed hats and flower leis.
Traffic controllers also underwent Tourism Noosa’s “Welcome to Noosa” training.

Wayfinding signage was installed at key locations in order to assist people to access Main
Beach from entry points throughout Hastings Street. Over the Christmas trials, temporary
corflute signage was used. Signage was often damaged or removed. Aluminium signage was
used over the Easter trials which improved the overall appearance and significantly reduced
vandalism.

Data obtained:

Section 15

Sample data collection of car parking in the Noosa Heads and Noosa Junction area as shown
below provides insight into the volumes of traffic entering the areas and the subsequent
demand on the traffic-control objectives.

The data suggests there may be have been a reduced demand for car parking in 2020 which
may indicate higher usage of public transport or is a result of external factors at the time.




Graph 4: All parking areas

An independent traffic engineer was onsite on the 3rd January sample day to monitor the
effectiveness of the traffic management plan. The Table below highlights the reduction in
vehicle queue length on Noosa Drive with the use of traffic control.

Table 5: Effectiveness of Traffic Control


                     3 Jan 2018          3 Jan 2019           3 Jan 2020
                     No        Traffic   Traffic Control in   Traffic Control in
                     control             operation            operation
 Queue length –      820m                500m                 510m
 Noosa Drive


The queue lengths recorded suggest that traffic control has an ability to reduce travel time and
congestion by approximately 40%.


Feedback:

The same traffic controllers have been engaged since 2018 and are becoming very adept at
responding to conditions in the Noosa Heads precinct.

Bus drivers appreciated the traffic control assistance in getting in and out of the Hastings street
precinct at what is a very busy and stressful time of year for bus drivers.

Section 16

Feedback from a business owner on Hastings Street who was driving in and out of the precinct
up to many times a day suggested that congestion was better than previous years with traffic
controllers keeping traffic flowing.


Value for money:

The Traffic Management Plan used the least amount of traffic controllers to achieve the
desired outcomes and comply with safety regulations. The Traffic Management Plan has been
developed to be scaled up or down depending on weather and traffic conditions with Council
only paying for traffic controllers when required.


Areas for improvement:

     •    Work within safety standards to improve the uniform of traffic controllers to ensure the
          ‘Noosa look and feel’.
     •    Continue to consult with Hastings Street Association on the number and location of
          wayfinding signage
     •    Use information from traffic controllers when considering any infrastructure changes in
          the area that relate to pedestrian, bus and vehicle movements.


6.       Initiative: Noosa Heads Lions Park – Car Park

The Noosa Heads Lions Park was utilised as a paid carpark at a flat fee of $20 over the
Christmas period. The park was managed by the Tewantin-Noosa Lions Club. Initially, the
Department of Natural Resources Mines and Energy (DNRME) was not supportive of the
recreational park being used for paid parking but this decision was later reversed with approval
to operate paid parking for the Christmas and Easter period.

Operational effectiveness:

The Tewantin-Noosa Lions Club have managed paid parking at the Noosa Heads Lions Park
for over 20 years and are very familiar at operating the park.

The park is open from 9am-6pm. There has been a reduction in the number of vehicles the
park can accommodate from 250 to approximately 150 vehicles due to damage to tree roots
and the need to provide adequate space for park users.

In order to reduce damage to the park, the car parking is closed in the event of wet weather.
Over Christmas, the car park was operational for 24 out of 27 days due to wet weather.

The traffic controllers worked in conjunction with the Lions Club to reduce congestion caused
by circulating vehicles once the car park was full. Traffic control also assisted the interaction
between vehicles and the extra pedestrians from the Lions Park.

Data obtained:

A total of 3,990 cars utilised the car park generating $79,800 of which 50% went to the
Tewantin Noosa Lions Club for their charitable works and the remaining funds went towards
the Go Noosa trials and $3,600 to the park refurbishment.
The average daily number of cars was 166 a day.

Section 17

Feedback:

The $20 fee was accepted and anecdotal feedback from Lions Club volunteers is that it was
mostly visitors who used the paid parking.

Noosa Council is currently a trustee of the Noosa Heads Lions Park, however given car
parking is inconsistent with the park designation Council is required to obtain permission from
the DNRME prior to each holidays it wishes to operate paid parking in the park.

Value for money:

The Tewantin- Noosa Lions Club manage the paid parking on Council’s behalf and receive
50% of the revenue. The volunteers provide a service which would otherwise require a paid
contractor. There are 5 - 6 volunteers on site at any one time with approximately 20 volunteers
on the roster.

Areas for improvement:
   • Review the car parking configuration to increase vehicle capacity and protect tree
       roots.
   • Obtain on-going approval from DNRME for use of the park.
   • Investigate use of the bitumen car park in front of the Noosa Heads Lions Park to be
       incorporated into the paid parking. This would provide a wet weather solution and
       reduce the impact of vehicles on the park.

7.       Marketing

The Christmas Go Noosa was marketed through a number of channels
including print, online, social media, infrastructure, television and radio.
The Go Noosa brand was used across all marketing material to create
brand recognition.

Operational effectiveness:

The objective of the Go Noosa marketing plan was to:

     •    Encourage the community to participate in the Go Noosa traffic
          and transport trials
     •    Improve understanding of public transport in Noosa
     •    Raise awareness of alternative transport options to driving,
          such as Park & Ride & Free Buses
     •    Offer a relaxed and stress free alternative to driving a car
          into the Hastings street precinct                            Image 9: Go Noosa logo and icons

The continued high patronage in free holiday buses as well as the significant uptake in the
new 065 Go Noosa Loop bus suggests that the Go Noosa marketing plan was effective in
achieving the desired objectives.

This Christmas there was a more emphasis on reaching the drive market from the greater
Sunshine Coast. This was through advertising on buses that travel around the sunshine coast
(a travelling billboard)

Section 18

             Image 7: Bus advertising – on side of bus during December and January.

This Christmas also trialled the use of paid TV advertisements for the first time.

However, survey data indicates that TV advert only accounted for 4% of how respondents
found out about Go Noosa.

Data obtained:

The Go Noosa survey highlighted the top means by which people found out about Go Noosa.

   1.   Street banners on power poles (38%)
   2.   Caught a free bus last year (35%)
   3.   Sign at the bus stop (32%)
   4.   Facebook (28%)
   5.   Newspaper (23%)

Go Noosa featured a total of 11 Noosa Council Facebook posts during the campaign with an
organic reach of 56,500 (people who saw post without the post being paid to be boosted).

Generally the comments on each post were positive, with the occasional suggestion of how to
improve the service or what a customer would like to see. The Free Loop bus posts produced
a positive sentiment from social media users.

Section 19

Image 8: Sample Noosa Council Facebook Post


Almost 60% of respondents stated that based on their experience on the free buses they would
be more likely to catch a bus (outside of the free holiday period) in the future.

Feedback:

Feedback regarding the Go Noosa marketing was that “it was everywhere” indicating that the
marketing material was prolific.

Value for money:

Marketing accounted for approximately 9% of the total Go Noosa budget. The trials were also
promoted and marketed at no cost to Council through the following:
    • Key stakeholder marketing channels, including but not limited to, Tourism Noosa,
       Noosa Junction Association, Hastings St Association, Peregian Beach Community
       Association etc.
    • Noosa Community Radio – Community Service announcements
    • Noosa News

Section 20

Council received additional advertising in both TV and radio.

Television

Council paid $5,000 for 118 spots however we received 487 spots to the value of $20,425

 STATION                         SPOTS                            SPOT VALUE
 7 Sunshine Coast                112                              $12,402
 7 TWO                           116                              $2067
 7 Mate                          259                              $5,956
 Total                           487                              $20,425 (Note actual amount
                                                                  paid was $5,000)

Radio – MIXFM Investment $3273 for 78 spots but provided with 114 spots.

Areas for improvement:

   •   Investigate opportunities to increase marketing to visitors outside the Shire
   •   Aim to increase the number of survey respondents from outside the Shire.
   •   Continue to work with accommodation providers to inform their guests of transport
       alternatives. (A Go Noosa flyer was distributed to accommodation providers in
       Noosaville and Noosa Heads with Council officers having one-on-one’s with reception
       staff to highlight public transport options as well as available facilities for boat trailer
       parking).