2018-04-26 Special Meeting Agenda

SPECIAL MEETING AGENDA   26 APRIL 2018




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SPECIAL MEETING AGENDA                                                                   26 APRIL 2018

                                        Submission 3 (continued)

     I submit that school children travelling to and from the Noosa District High School Pomona Campus
     would derive a greater benefit from having an improved access to town from their school via better
     pathway connections between the Showground and Factory Street built first.
     To illustrate this point, I enclose an aerial view of Marquee Street and Clay Street at Pomona where the
     existing pathway for school children has been provided on school property. The sealed path is shaded
     and includes a concrete footbridge over the seasonal creek that flows from Cunningham Park. To make
     this path more accessible to school children simply requires a concrete path near the driveway to the
     Pomona Rural Futures Centre (Noosa Landcare offices) to the school boundary fence, a distance of
     about three metres, and a gate fitted with a latch incorporated into the fence that gives access to the
     path on the other side of the fence. That’s all. A path at the back of houses backing onto Cunningham
     Park could be utilised to access the school by a short extension onto school land,
     However, if Noosa Council proposes to join the extension of Marquee Street and Clay Street with a
     pedestrian bridge over the Cunningham Park run-off, that is entirely appropriate to cater to the active
     transport needs of adults within a walkable town (as opposed to school children).
     I remind Council that a pedestrian path has been installed recently between Page Court and Meridan
     Court, Pomona — at the other end of Cunningham Park. This could serve as an alternative way for
     people to cross swampy ground at Cunningham Park, pending installation of any bridge at Clay Street,
     thereby freeing up funds for a better pedestrian and bicycle connection between the Pomona town
     centre and the Showground.
    A concrete pedestrian path links Meridan Court and the Marquee Street extension at the back of houses,
     [ urge Council to consider these link proposals to the existing path network on school grounds as cost-
    effective alternatives, while directing money saved to the land acquisition and planning for a
    pedestrian/bicycle path extension from Cooroora Creek Park to the Pomona Showground. I understand
    that the Queensland Government makes available 100 per cent funding for detailed design of bicycle
    path projects under the Cycle Network Local Government Grants Program, which supports the
    Queensland Cycle Strategy of 2011-21 and its vision of ‘more cycling, more often on safe, direct and
    connected routes’. Noosa Council would be eligible for 50-50 funding under the program.
    Noosa Council's own Sustainable Transport Strategy gives high priority to favouring active transport
    solutions over car-based solutions.

    Yours sincerely

    12 April 2018

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