100% Locally Owned, Independent and Free

100% Locally Owned, Independent and Free

Council hands mowing duties for busy road back to state

Do you have a news tip? Click here to send to our news team.

Long-running beachside retailer listed for sale

A well-known beachside homewares and fashion store has been listed for sale after two decades of trade. Otilly and Lewis at Peregian Beach, known for More

Forever Harry’s: lane named after young boy

The private road to a new water reservoir has been named after a four-year-old big truck and construction enthusiast. Harry Butler was two years old More

Ashley Robinson: the right and wrongs of life

It is time to try a social experiment regarding relationships. Since writing in this publication I have lifted the profile of George, my four-legged More

Photo of the day: driftwood dreams

Ruth Fiechtner snapped this photo off Caloundra. "A blend of early morning colours and imagination of a fishing boat and a kayak formed from driftwood More

B2B: The importance of superannuation in divorce settlements

In the midst of separation, it is easy to focus on visible assets such as the house, the car or other investments. But superannuation is More

Police investigate ute fire in bushland

Detectives are appealing for public assistance following a vehicle fire in bushland near a highway. Initial investigations indicate that about 4.10pm on June 29, a More

One of the Sunshine Coast’s busiest thoroughfares could resemble a country road following a change in maintenance responsibilities.

Sunshine Coast Council had looked after the median strips on Nicklin Way by arrangement with the Department of Transport and Main Roads, but returned the responsibility to TMR last year.

The Nicklin Way median strips have not been mowed in more than two months and longer grass has been evident.

A TMR spokesperson confirmed the change in responsibility for the Nicklin Way’s median strips.

“Vegetation maintenance is an essential part of our routine maintenance program, to ensure the state-controlled road network remains safe,” the spokesperson said.

“Sunshine Coast Council mowed Nicklin Way under an agreement with the Department of Transport and Main Roads until the end of the 2022-23 financial year, when it chose to cease the arrangement.

“TMR’s maintenance contractor now mows Nicklin Way approximately 12 times per year, weather permitting.”

The spokesperson said the mows were scheduled based on the weather, the height of the grass and the season.

“The last mow took place in mid-April 2024 and the next mow is scheduled for late July 2024, weather and scheduling permitting,” the spokesperson said.

“Our maintenance contractor endeavours to keep the grass height on Nicklin Way below 30cm.”

TMR has taken over responsibility for mowing along Nicklin Way.

According to the council, it pulled out of the arrangement a little earlier than indicated by TMR.

“Council maintained the Nicklin Way median strip up until January 2023,” a spokesperson said.

“This was through a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Department of Transport and Main Roads.”

The council spokesperson outlined the work that was carried out by the council on the median strips.

“When the Nicklin Way median strip was maintained by council, our works included litter removals, mowing, edging, weed control, mulching and tending to gardens,” they said.

“Depending on the season, the maintenance schedules would be adjusted – for example, during warmer months maintenance would increase to manage vegetation growth.”

The spokesperson did not say why the council had handed maintenance of Nicklin Way median strips back to TMR but did say it was the only road removed from the MOU.

A 2021 traffic count showed more than 50,000 cars a day using Nicklin Way.

Councillor Joe Natoli, whose division includes the Nicklin Way, said its appearance and that of the adjoining Sunshine Motorway was disappointing.

He “could not believe the amount of litter on the side of the motorway, as well as the median, (and) the grass was also long”, and said graffiti at the Maroochy Boulevard interchange had not been dealt with for months.

“It is an absolute disgrace to see our main roads around the Coast managed by TMR being so badly managed and (it’s) not a great image for our tourists, and not a standard locals deserve,” he said.

Do you have an opinion to share? Submit a Letter to the Editor at Sunshine Coast News via news@sunshinecoastnews.com.auYou must include your name and suburb.

Subscribe to SCN’s free daily news email

This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
[scn_go_back_button] Return Home
Share