2016-02-02 Infrastructure & Services Committee Agenda

INFRASTRUCTURE & SERVICES COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                               2 FEBRUARY 2016


3.   Noosa Traffic Study

The Study is primarily limited to road transport and is intended to inform Council of the current
status of the existing Noosa Shire road network and predict traffic growth to 2021, 2031 and 2036.
This will provide Council with the ability to assess likely traffic impacts and allow planning and
budgeting for any future road infrastructure upgrades that will be necessary to service the road
transport needs of the community into the future.

Importantly, one of the fundamental objectives of the Study has been to ensure that Noosa’s traffic
philosophy of the past continues into the future. To this end, there has been a strong emphasis to
ensure that traffic conditions found in cities (such as congestion, signalised intersections, four-lane
roads, and grade-separated fly-overs) will not be a consequence of development and future growth
in Noosa Shire.

Additionally, the Noosa Traffic Study will be used as a basis for the preparation of Local
Government Infrastructure Plan (LGIP) that the State Government requires Council to produce to
identify any needs related to new or upgraded infrastructure. The Study will also be used to guide
and inform preparation of the new Noosa Planning Scheme and assessment of future Development
Applications.

4.   Key findings

The key findings of the Study are set out below:

A. Road Network

        After complete analysis of current traffic volumes and growth rates based on the existing
          planning scheme, no major new roads are required except the already identified
          Beckmans Road duplication (covered under an existing De-maining Agreement).

        The network will continue to operate under free flow conditions with no full signalised
          intersections required based on the existing planning scheme, excepting peak period flow
          metering.

B. Intersection Upgrades

        Required intersection upgrades are included within the report based on growth rates with
          the existing planning scheme.

        The timing and trigger point for intersection upgrades are based on traffic volumes and
          serviceability criteria including degree of saturation of intersections.

        The cost of intersection upgrades can be subsequently estimated for inclusion in the
          revised LGIP Infrastructure Plans.

A full copy of the Study is included at Attachment 1.

Finance & Risk

The study is a Council funded project and is within budget.




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