Attachment F - Carparking Evaluation -Noosa Carparking Study - McGagney report

                                                                                                        Noosa Council
                                                                                   Noosa Car Parking Study 2017 - 2032
                                                                                                          Final Report


2.3      Noosa Transport Strategy 2017 – 2027
The Noosa Transport Strategy is aligned with the Noosa Design Principles, providing more detail around the
intentions for parking within Noosa into the future.

The Noosa Transport Strategy sets forward the following principles for transport within the Noosa Shire Council
area:

       Encourage transport options that meet the needs of both locals and visitors.
       Prioritise our focus on moving people and goods rather than on moving cars.
       Provide infrastructure and services that are designed to give priority to pedestrians, cyclists, scooters
        and public transport over private cars.
       Improve the safety and amenity of pedestrians and cyclists in our transport infrastructure.
       Address peak time traffic congestion by reducing traffic rather than increasing road capacity.
       Accommodate changes in transportation technology.
       Align our organisational transport options and usage with Council’s Zero Emissions Strategy and the
        above principles.
       Design for, encourage and facilitate transport options that reduce the emissions produced by our
        community.


Noosa Transport Strategy 2017 – 2027 also outlined key transport challenges for the Noosa region; the most
relevant to parking are shown below:
   Number of visitors - Sunshine Coast and Moreton Bay Regional Councils combined are forecast to grow
    by close to 437,000 residents over the next 25 years, to a combined 2041 population of 1,150,000 (Draft SEQ
    Regional Plan, 2016). This is likely to significantly increase the number of day visitors to Noosa.
   Car dependence - For most people, driving a car is a way of life and their preferred mode of transport. Cars
    seem more convenient and affordable than public transport although the true costs of running a car
    (purchase price, registration, maintenance, fuel etc.) are not always considered when making a journey by
    car.
    A combined 44% of jobs in Noosa Shire are within the retail, hospitality, accommodation, and healthcare
    sectors. The nature of this work (shift work, late hours) means that active transport (walking and cycling)
    may not be appropriate and public transport is unlikely to be available.
   Congestion at peak times - Buses currently get stuck in congestion during peak periods and offer no
    efficiency over the private car other than not having to find a car park.
    Regardless of how many people adopt alternative transport modes, it may not result in noticeably less cars
    on the road because spare capacity and empty car parking spaces are soon filled by others.
    Creating more capacity on the road network and more car parking spaces in key destinations can attract
    more people than the destinations can reasonably accommodate.
   Funding - Unlike other parts of South East Queensland, Noosa Shire is not reliant on or predicting a high
    level of growth over the next 20 years. Given the limitation on future development, the expectation for new
    infrastructure is also limited. State investment in Noosa’s roads and transport infrastructure, as a low growth
    area, will be dwarfed by investment further to the South.




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