Mullumbimby Industrial Estate businesses have raised concerns around Council’s roadwork plans to block all traffic from travelling east to the highway, for four months (October to February) during the peak of summer/holiday trade.
The stage 2 roadworks by Byron Shire Council’s infrastructure team will impact around 13,000 vehicles per day (vpd), including heavy trucks, adding operational costs and time to motorists.
And it appears neither the option of night works throughout the project, nor an analysis of the impacts of the alternative routes, were considered by Council.
Trucks through town
Eastbound traffic along Mullumbimby Road, including from the Industrial Estate, will be diverted back to town to alternative exits to the M1 via Myocum Road or Coolamon Scenic Road. Council staff say that school buses and emergency vehicles will be given priority.
The works planned are for a short section (~900m) to widen the road, improve drainage, add culverts and lay new pavement.
During public access at Thursday’s Council meeting, local resident and industrial estate landlord, Sharon McGrath, told the chamber her concerns, and said that when she spoke to police, they said they were unaware of the planned traffic changes.
An urgency motion by Cr David Warth later passed, which ‘requests staff, as a matter of urgency, to provide relevant information regarding [the] roadwork construction methodology and the rationale for using day works versus night works’.
During debate, councillors appeared to struggle as to how to proceed, or even grasp the potential impacts. Acting infrastructure director Phil Warner claimed that while the community’s interests were taken into account, there was no other way to undertake the complex project.
He also said the funding only accounted for day works.
Before the vote was taken, Cr Janet Swain asked whether the project had been explained to the community. She said, ‘This is fixing a road the community has been complaining about for years… a few people are complaining because it’s inconvenient… can we just get on with it?’
Crs Delta Kay (Greens) and Janet Swain (Labor) voted against the motion.
Biz impacts
Glenn Wright from Little Valley Distribution, who operates his business in the industrial estate, says, ‘The reason you don’t have industry estates in towns is because of the high volume of trucks which deliver to those businesses’.
‘We have around 12 to 15 truck movements a day, and that’s just us – there are around 40 impacted businesses’.
He fears that the current plans have the potential for increased traffic accidents.
Glenn told The Echo, ‘Consultation is not consultation if it involves one party telling the other what will happen and the other consulted party, having their concerns listened to and then totally not acted on’.
Glenn added, ‘For months, I have been suggesting a window in the morning and a window in the afternoon to get heavy vehicle traffic out. Or do it at night – it won’t be more expensive, as the works will run quicker, with no traffic on the road. The response has been, “We have made plans and it’s unfortunate, but the works must happen and the town will deal with it”. That’s not consultation.’
The Echo asked Council staff if they could provide the construction program, traffic management plan, and budget.
The Echo also asked whether a cost analysis of night works for the entire works duration was available, as well as an analysis of the impacts to the alternative routes proposed, i.e. how those roads will be impacted and whether the increase in traffic will be safe for the public etc?
A reply will be published if received.
Biz concerns
The Echo contacted other local businesses who operate trucks from the industrial estate, and all had concerns for the upcoming roadworks.
Simon from Mullumbimby Removals told The Echo that while he had been informed of the works by Council pamphlets from around the industrial estate, he felt that there wasn’t enough info to be informed.
Aaron from All Good Foods distributes health food locally to Santos and IGA Mullum, as well as travelling up to QLD.
He said he runs five to six trucks, and while he didn’t have concrete numbers on truck movements, he estimated over 50 trucks would use Mullumbimby Road.
‘It’s going to be a massive inconvenience’, he said, ‘Council is underestimating the impacts for one-way traffic… this will chew up Myocum Road…’
South Murwillumbah-based Peter Shoobridge, from family-owned-and-operated Shoobridge Transport, operates around 50 trucks, some of them B-doubles. He told The Echo the traffic diversion, ‘will add to operational costs’.
Cr Warth Q&A
The Echo asked Cr David Warth a range of questions, including ‘Why weren’t councillors informed of the potential impacts by staff before it got to this late stage? It appears to happen regularly across all manner of operations’.
He replied, ‘As you know I’m a strong advocate for genuine and timely community consultation. We are presented with a major works program where I am concerned that all options may not have been explored sufficiently in conjunction with input from our community.
‘I have been told that an infrastructure engineers report has been privately commissioned and will be available as early as this weekend. I have put forward a list of considerations on the possible advantages of night works to my fellow councillors’, added Cr Warth.
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