Sunshine Coast Council is moving to alleviate residents’ concerns about “hazardous” parked vehicles in an island neighbourhood.
Authorities have painted yellow lines, started an education campaign and will soon issue fines along Grand Parade at Parrearra, after community members complained about idle caravans, trailers, boats and vehicles impeding traffic.
Locals last year submitted a petition to council calling for action.
Resident Sonia Delaney told Sunshine Coast News that parked vehicles there were “a danger to drivers, particularly late in the afternoon due to sun glare”.
“They force motorists to break the law and cross the central line when heading south. Two-way traffic only serves to exacerbate the problem,” she said.
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Council undertook a review before painting yellow ‘no stopping’ lines along a 135m stretch of the road in mid-January.
Ms Delaney said the initiative had little impact, with four vehicles parked along one short stretch of road, but a council spokesperson said there were “noted changes in parking behaviours”.
Council this month started a three-week education campaign that includes cautioning the owners of vehicles parked over the yellow lines, with fines to be issued thereafter. Ms Delaney said several of the vehicles have now been moved.
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Parking inspectors handed out 6161 infringement notices – more than 320 a month – for vehicles parked over yellow lines across the Sunshine Coast from July 2023 to early 2025.
It’s a $120 penalty so parking inspectors could have collected about $740,000, at $39,000 a month.
The statistics were released to SCN after Councillor Christian Dickson said parking and crowded streets had become more of a problem on the Sunshine Coast since the pandemic.
“Council remains committed to ensuring road safety and will continue to monitor and address any concerns,” the spokesperson said.
