GO NOOSA INTERIM REPORT · Report

GENERAL COMMITTEE MEETING                                                         20 JANUARY 2025


•   Patronage and cost.
•   Alternative services now available by community and charity services.
•   Investigating existing State Government programs, such as the Community Transport Program
    and The Taxi Subsidy Scheme (TSS), to determine how these can support the transition.
•   Benchmarking other on-demand services implemented by Translink in other regional localities
    in Queensland
•   Direct engagement with existing users.
•   Consideration of alternatives including termination of the schemes and/ or replacement with new
    initiatives
For the 2023-2024 financial year, the combined total Council expenditure (ex GST) for Flexi-link and
Council Cabs was $58,491.44.


Parking Changes at the Corner of Noosa Drive and Hastings Street
A trial over the Christmas period of the following traffic management changes were undertaken in
Noosa Drive and Hastings Street to improve pedestrian and traffic flows:
•   Implementation of footpath widening by relocating the existing loading zone and removal of
    parking spaces in Noosa Drive outside Ben & Jerry's to enhance pedestrian capacity and
    accessibility, aligning with current pedestrian flow demands. Additionally, the removal of parallel
    parking near the Hastings Street roundabout once again help alleviates forward queuing, thereby
    improving traffic flow and reducing congestion.
•   Reallocated the existing parking area in Hasting Street outside Rococo's to dedicated motorcycle
    parking to enhance traffic flow by reducing congestion caused by vehicles attempting to parallel
    park at this location. This adjustment minimises disruptions to the Hastings Street and Noosa
    Drive roundabout by mitigating immediate forward queuing, enabling smoother traffic movements
    through the roundabout.
These changes were favourably received by the Hastings Street Association and as a result is
proposed to continue as a trial for three months in order to monitor and receive feedback during this
time. In the event that ongoing feedback is positive, these changes may be rolled out permanently.
Council staff recommend Councillors inspect the locality during the trial period, and a mutually
convenient time will be arranged by Infrastructure Services staff.

New Sustainable Transport Initiatives
It is anticipated that forecast changes will provide a significant release of financial and resource
capacity to advance other new sustainable and contemporary transport initiatives that focus on
emerging priorities. Opportunities are currently being assessed by staff and will be subject to future
reporting and Council decision.
One emerging area is electric mobility. As its meeting of 17 October 2024, Council resolved a Notice
of Motion concerning e-bikes and e-scooters, including e-bike rider education as part of the Go
Noosa program and referred future funding requirements to budget deliberations. E-bikes and e-
scooters have the potential to be a significant new mobility means to reduce congestion in Noosa
and is supported by the Noosa Transport Strategy. At the moment resources are not available to
advance response strategies around this emerging transport form.
If funding capacity is made available, Council resources could be made available to explore initiatives
which may include:
•   Establishing safe infrastructure for e-mobility, such as designated lanes and parking areas.
•   Running safety and education campaigns.
•   Partnering with the State Government to advocate for the revival or expansion of rebate
    schemes.