Not Properly Made Submission (Advertising Closed - No.1) Julie McLanachan MCU12/0216

Subject: tt bcs 1192 MCU12/0216 Notice of submission - Julie McLanachan
From: J McLanachan
Date: 2013-05-08T20:57:36+00:00
To: Internet Mailbox Sunshine Coast Regional Council

Attn Mr M Brennan

Assessment Manager

 

Dear Sir,

 

I have read in the Noosa News this week ( and have noticed over the past 2 weeks) that CSR is trucking fill from its quarry along Lake MacDonald Drive. Media reports speak of 60,000 proposed vehicle movements along this road over a 2 year period equating to hundreds of vehicles per week . 

 

I also have read that Department of Main Roads has not set any requirements on this truckage and that Council has not met to impose conditions.

 

I formally lodge my objection to:

·         the proposed number of vehicle movements from the quarry  along this road, 

·         the proposed movement times, 

·         the dangerous quarry exit points in an 80 km zone, in a dip between 2 crests  where long distance visibility for other roads users is zero, until they travel to the top of a crest.

 

I use Lake MacDonald Drive (LMD) on a near daily basis. On week days I can make 8 to 10 return trips per day, usually with young children in the car, depending on commitments.   Let me outline my encounters with the quarry trucks over the past 2 weeks.

 

·         Approaching from the school end of LMD in the 60 km zone one afternoon, about to enter the 80 km zone ( no altered speed signage in place ) a stationary tandem truck decided to pull out right at the start of the 80 km zone, when it could clearly see my car at the top of the crest AND IT WAS STATIONARY. I had to act defensively, swerve to miss it and completely stop. Imagine if I had been accelerating to 80 km? ( as many drivers do on approaching that first crest before they reach the 80 km zone);

·         One school morning I pulled out from Lake Ridge Court, ( again no altered speed signage in place) and passed over the first 2 crests to come to a complete stop as the 3rd of a convoy of tandem trucks pulled out (this time from the new midpoint quarry exit being created), the other 2  tandem trucks stopped on the road. All 3 tandem trucks completely filled the dip between the crests, plus me. Had there been any other cars travelling at 80km  from the lake end at this time there would have certainly been slamming of brakes and a possible hideous rear end pile up:

·         The placement of reduced 60 km signage appears to be haphazard - sometimes it is there, other times the 80km signage applies with the trucks entering and exiting LMD;

·         If a reduced 60km sign appears at the top of the crest (school end of LMD) at various times  there has not been  zone resuming signage placed further along the 80 km stretch and so one travels up past the Botanic Gardens until the 80km zone reapplies. This leads to tailgating by aggressive drivers who expect to return to the  80 km straight away;

·         The loads on the trucks do not appear to be covered, and debris flies out, either from the load and/or the muddied tyres ;

·         On school mornings, it only takes one car at the end of LMD making a right hand turn to the school to block all left turning vehicles. When this happens, vehicles can bank up past Tadpoles child care. With 3 tandem quarry trucks inline, it can bank back significantly more than that. 

 

I understand that CSR was at one time a large employer in the area until the brickworks were mothballed, and I understand that it has a right to carry on business but I believe that the following needs to be considered:

 

·         Public notification of the development application so all affected residents have an opportunity to consider the impact on road safety and lifestyle;

·         A sensible limit on the number of truck movements;

·         Consistent reduced speed signage AND this needs to be enforced as many vehicles already travel in excess of the 80 km zone along LMD;

·         Safer truck entry point onto LMD and limit on numbers pulling out ie definitely no turns from the high point on the top of the crest and definitely not 3 tandem trucks in a row;

·         Safety measures with loads to avoid flying debris;

·         With the school congestion morning and afternoon, trucks should not be using the road between the hours of 8 to 9 am and 2.30 pm to 3.30 pm; ( I challenge any councillor to travel the 1 km from the school oval to the Cooroy Clock Tower in afternoon school traffic and see the congestion, the frustrated drivers trying to enter the congestion from many points along that stretch, and then add tandem quarry trucks into the equation – it is a disaster waiting to happen);

·         Maintenance and repair – Council has expended large sums of money time and commitments on upgrading LMD over the years to the great condition it is now in. It is a major thoroughfare to the Noosa Botanic Gardens which attract many tourists and locals. If damage occurs to sections of the road as a consequence of the truck quarrying then binding enforceable obligations should exist on CSR  to completely overhaul and redo damaged sections – patching potholes will just not do. (Even the vast number of muddied tracks all over one side of the road at present is not particularly appealing for tourists).

 

My major objection to this proposal is road safety on a stretch of road which has dips and crests, no visbility of oncoming vehicles at times,  where school buses stop for collection and drop off, and where vehicles coming from the lake end reqularly exceed the 80km speed zone  currently in place.

 

My details are:

Julie McLanachan

51  Lake Ridge Court

Lake MacDonald Q4563

 

(Please note that our emails are not checked on a regular daily basis.)