Coorabell Hall is not just a building. Under the leadership of President Lissa Coote and Secretary Adele Smout, and with the help of our local volunteers, it has become a thriving community hub – hosting food, film, art, musical events, and social gatherings. It is one of the few local places where people come together to connect and enjoy each other’s company.
The 80km/h posted speed is very often exceeded by impatient drivers outside our hall. Cars are travelling at speeds exceeding 100km/h. These speeds were recently recorded by Byron Shire Council (BSC). At the same time, pedestrians, families, and elderly residents are needing to walk on the roadway. This is a significant safety concern especially at night because parking overflows onto grassy shoulders – shoulders that are not maintained by BSC in a fit-for-purpose condition.
This issue has been raised with Council repeatedly by concerned community members. It has been raised recently through TIAC (Transport and Infrastructure Advisory Committee). It has been the subject of several on-site meetings with TfNSW (Transport for NSW) and BSC’s Road Safety Officer as recently as December 2025.
So why hasn’t anything been done? The answer leads directly to TfNSW’s [The Echo has chosen not to publish the name of the official]. TfNSW holds the legislative authority to change speed zones on all public roads. TfNSW has declined to act. Refusing until offsite parking is addressed to even to undertake the basic speed study required to justify a speed reduction.
Parking is a long-term issue. It requires land, funding, design, and delivery. It could take years. A speed reduction is an immediate safety control. It can be adjusted quickly, at minimal cost, with immediate impact. Choosing not to act on speed because parking isn’t resolved is not a technical decision. It is a policy failure at a state level putting our community, who love our hall, at risk of injury.
Although the hall is no longer managed by Council but by the community, Council is not without responsibility. Well-intentioned Councillors Hauge and Dods have met with the hall administration to facilitate a potential solution to the parking, which, if successful, will take one to two years to deliver. Through TIAC, Council officers have been requested to prepare a parking, signage, and speed zone options paper to go to BSC. Unfortunately, a lengthy process, but a light at the end of a very dangerous, dark tunnel.
The likelihood of a pedestrian being killed rises dramatically with speed: a person struck at 80km/h is several times more likely to die than at 60km/h. It determines survivability. The current position effectively says this: until the community solves a complex parking problem, a known safety risk will remain unmanaged. That is not how duty of care works.
Pressure is being applied to reduce events and limit activity. That is the implicit message and it’s unacceptable. This amazing local facility is being placed under pressure, with frustrated, hard-working volunteers conceding that it might just be easier to shut the hall down and walk away.
Yet the solution is straightforward: TfNSW undertakes the speed study, evidence is assessed, and speed is reduced to 60km/h to reflect actual conditions.
The only missing ingredient is action. What level of risk is acceptable? Because right now, the answer appears to be: higher than it should be.
If that doesn’t change soon, the next question will be much harder to answer: Why was nothing done when the danger was so obvious?
♦ Anthony Stante is a TIAC Member, road safety advocate, and Coorabell resident.
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