Motorists will soon see a welcome turnaround at an infuriating intersection that has caused traffic to bank back for kilometres and massive delays for the past five months.
Easter holidaymakers are set to benefit from the council backflip at the intersection of Buccleugh and Roderick streets, Moffat Beach.
But alleviating the mess dubbed “Moffat madness” can’t come soon enough for local residents, cyclists and regular road users who have become fed up with peak-hour traffic congestion heading into or past the popular surfing mecca.
For months they have questioned why changes to the intersection were made in the first place.
Sunshine Coast News reported in February that Sunshine Coast Council had reversed its decision to change traffic conditions: removing the controversial southbound right-turn only lane and reverting lane markings to two through lanes.
The council said that it had taken on board community feedback at the busy intersection that had forced all the traffic heading to the surf, or south to Caloundra, into one lane and created regular queues of vehicles extending to Dicky Beach.
The community anger over the bizarre lane change started gaining momentum in November last year.
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Residents and motorists regularly driving through the area appealed to the council on social media to use common sense and revert the lane changes back to the previous two through lanes on Buccleugh St.
While lane markings remain in place, a council spokesperson now reports works to improve traffic flow on Buccleugh Street is on schedule, to be completed before Easter this year, weather permitting.
The spokesperson said the work involved converting the right-turn only lane from Buccleugh Street to Roderick Street west into a through lane only.
This would provide two through lanes southbound on Buccleugh Street with the kerbside lane being a shared through and left-turn lane to access Roderick Street east towards the beach.
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A new dedicated right-turn lane will now be installed two streets further south on Buccleugh Street at the lesser-used Grigor Street intersection.
“Council met with approximately 28 residents from Roderick and Bryce Streets earlier this month to inform them why the changes to the intersection were occurring and how this may impact their journey home if they were travelling southbound on Buccleugh Street,” the spokesperson said.
“To continue to provide motorists with a high level of safety, council will install new line marking to provide southbound motorists with a dedicated right-turn lane on Buccleugh Street at the Grigor Street intersection.
“Line marking at this intersection will occur in conjunction with the changes at the Buccleugh and Roderick streets intersection.
“Sunshine Coast Council is committed to road safety and thanks everyone for their patience while these road safety improvements are being undertaken.”
