Weed and smiley koalas were on the minds of Tweed Shire Councillors and staff at last week’s council meeting (21 September) as councillors discussed the regular obscuration of the ‘T’ in the ‘Tweed Heads’ sign at Kenedy Drive exit and how a smiley koala face slows traffic.
Councilor James Owen (Liberal) who moved a motion to look at ways to reduce the graffiti that regularly turns the ‘Tweed Heads’ signs into ‘weed Heads’ ones highlighted that attempts to remove the graffiti made the signs ‘look dirty’ and suggested raising the height of the signs and ‘restricting public access’.
Councillor Rhiannon Brinsmead (Liberal) acknowledged that ‘particularly the [sign] at the off-ramp that Kennedy Drive has proven to be a source of great entertainment for my teenagers over the years. They’re a little bit older now but I have to say they really did find it very funny.’
‘But on a serious note, I do agree with the comments regarding the reputational impacts that it can have with respect to tourism.’
Mayor Chris Cherry said that she would be supporting the motion and quipped that ‘whenever I see that sign saying ‘weed Heads’ I say, ‘so they want us to do more about weed removel’.
Happy, smiley koalas
Cr Owen followed the ‘weed’ sign motion with one on the use of six more ‘smiley face’ koala traffic management signs that will be provided by funding from the NSW government.
‘In Cassurina Way in 2021 measurement before the signs went it, where it’s a 50-kilometre road, there were 58 per cent cars speeding at that time. After the signs went in there was a seven per cent of cars speeding. So there was a 51 per cent drop in speeding cars. So they do work.’
The motion, seconded by Reece Byrnes (Labor), gave priority for signs at ‘Clothiers Creek Road to minimise fatalities of koalas from speeding vehicles’.
All councillors were in favour of both motions.
Either change the name of the town to Weed, or fund a graffiti work shop to improve their workmanship. Weed slows cars more than flashing signs.