A coastal community and local Member of Parliament are celebrating a significant win after rallying against a proposed bus route that they believed “ignores safety” with its “dumb and dangerous” design.
Translink and Sunshine Coast Council had agreed to re-route a bus route into the new Maroochydore CBD via Dalby Street without any public consultation.
But the community fought back, submitting a petition against the route change to council of over 500 signatures in under a week.
Translink and Council got the message and has backed down. For now.
Residents of Dalby Street are worried about loss of on-street parking and the narrowness of the road with the large buses.
In the petition, residents asked Translink to revert back to using Bungama Street and take the buses into the new Maroochydore CBD straight across Maud Street.
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State MP Fiona Simpson said the changes would have had an even bigger impact on local safety, with the new route adding two extra turns for the buses at t-intersections, raising concern of increased risk of collisions, particularly close to the Wrigley St, Bungama St and Maroubra St four-way intersection.
“Anyone navigating the four-way intersection in a car at Wrigley Street would know it’s already difficult and at times dangerous,” Ms Simpson said.
“These bus route changes will make it more dangerous as the new t-intersection turn for buses is only metres away from this difficult intersection.
“That’s not a lot of reaction time for drivers who are focused on the four-way traffic who then have to immediately watch for slow-moving and turning buses just ahead.
“Buses move slower. Changing the route so buses have to turn in and out of Bungama Street (from Allambie St which leads into Dalby) will increase the potential for conflict.”
Ms Simpson called the re-route proposal “the most stupid thing for Translink to do.”
“There is an alternative and that’s staying on Bungama Street and crossing into the Maroochydore CBD in a straight line,” she explained.
“The straighter the bus route with fewer turns, the better. This is a dumb design decision that has been taken without consultation with residents or consideration of safety, parking impact or passenger comfort.”
In a Joint statement, the council and Translink confirmed they have halted the proposed re-alignment of Dalby Street bus route, for now. They are seeking further community input.
While both organisations have previously consulted with some members of the community, the organisations acknowledged that, for some residents, these proposed changes may have caused concerns.
“… Sunshine Coast Council and Translink have decided to ‘pause’ the proposed re-alignment of route 619 along Dalby Street to seek further community input through a series of consultation forums starting from Monday, 14 November 2022,” they said in the statement.
The organisations revealed they would also “revisit the route options, considering community feedback.”
They said after the community consultation and review, they intended to confirm the preferred option within two weeks.
“We are working within local road network constraints. However, all options will be reviewed to ensure the best possible outcome for the community,” they said.
“Further detail as to next steps for community consultation will be provided as soon as possible. We thank the community for their continued support and patience.”
Background
Bus route 619 was intended to be realigned with new bus stops on First Avenue, by travelling from Aerodrome Road, along First Avenue and down Dalby Street, Maroochydore, rather than the current routing along Second Avenue and Bungama Street.
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