State to investigate Currie St traffic and parking options

Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey has promised to investigate parking and traffic calming options for Nambour. 

Mr Bailey said during the Queensland Cabinet’s visit to Nambour last Monday that he was happy for his department to have a look at the options for Nambour’s main street. 

The issue was raised by local businesspeople last fortnight. Parking has been discussed for more than a decade but there have been no substantial initiatives or improvements. 

In the meantime, Currie Street and its businesses have been slowly choking from congestion and starved of car parks along what used to be called the “miracle mile”.

Mr Bailey said his department was happy to work with local Councils when main roads went through towns, as they had done at Palmwoods.

“We’d have to work on it, and get some advice and be briefed, and have a look at all the issues,” he said. “But anything that improves a main street for community, I think is something the Government should be interested in.

“Some of them are, of course, Council roads around the CBD,” said Mr Bailey. “I imagine the side streets are probably controlled by Council.”

Mr Bailey said he had experience dealing with a similar issue in Moorooka when he was a local councillor.

“We did a fantastic upgrade in Moorooka shopping centre, and it gave the whole place a lift with better footpaths and improved safety. We dropped the speeds. We actually provided more pedestrian space so that people were encouraged back in to town. We provided a beautiful landscaping solution as well. And it just gave the whole community a lift, and people loved it.

“I walked up and down Currie Street today, and it doesn’t look like it’s had a lot done to it for a while, one might say. I’ll certainly have a chat with Rob Skelton about it and very happy and very open-minded about what we can do there.

“Often we can reduce speeds and we can look at the sequencing of the lights to promote better flow, and that sort of thing.”

Mr Bailey said it was beneficial to have a variety of parking time limits. “You do need a couple of spots where the turnover is quick,” he said. “So people can drop in, grab something and keep going, and not park there all day. And so you encourage turnover.

“Over time, what’s in place gets out of date, and we can work with local traders about giving it a tweak and seeing how we can improve things. So I’m happy to work with Council, and then Rob as the State Member, and see what we can do.”

Businesses welcome news

Local businesswoman Debra Lawson said the news was music to her ears and the local businesses in Nambour that are affected. Ms Lawson, who owns mixed retail store Gatherer, on the corner of Howard and Currie Streets, initiated a survey last fortnight which had attracted more than 500 signatures by last week.

She said she had been flooded with comments from people complaining about lack of convenient parking in the CBD and in turn prevents them from shopping in the town centre. 

“So many people have shared that they are circling the blocks a few times and if can’t find something they leave,” she said. “This is severely hurting the businesses and services who rely on local residents and visitors. It also adds to traffic issues, if you’ve got 5-10 cars an hour doing rounds of the town centre looking for parking – that only adds to the traffic congestion.

“Not everyone can walk blocks to enjoy easy shopping and we can’t rely on the two private car parks in town. They are for their customers who themselves want easy parking. We need one central, general car park for everyone to use, as well as improvements to current time-zoned parking to improve the turnover of spaces. And this needs to happen sooner rather than later.

“We love the idea of Currie Street improvements, there are so many great things we can do to help bring back a better feel to Nambour. But we also need long-term solutions like the multi-level car park. Nambour is growing and more people will move here in the coming years, especially with the entertainment offerings that are being worked on. But let’s make it easier for people to enjoy Nambour.”

You can fill out the Nambour Parking Survey at this link to have your say: www.surveymonkey.com/r/HS3DMLZ .  Link closes August 10.