Debra Mason calls on state to fix Tin Can Bay Rd turn-off

One of the region’s most notorious roads has become the centre of its second petition in as many years, with calls for a key turn-off to be fixed before someone is killed.

Cooloola Cove resident Debra Mason is calling on the state government to upgrade the Tin Can Bay Rd turn-off to the town.

Rural road safety is being dragged back into the spotlight with a new petition calling for a fix to major Cooloola Coast turn-off left “unsafe”.

Cooloola Cove resident Debra Mason is petitioning the state government to fix the intersection, which sits on the main route for residents travelling between the Cove and Tin Can Bay.

Ms Mason said on Thursday the existing give way signs at the turn-off only increased the risk at the turn-off, which had been the scene of countless accidents.

“It’s lucky there hasn’t been a fatality there,” Ms Mason said.

“Everyone I speak with has had a close call.

A roundabout was apparently in the pipeline, she said, but there was no sign of any funding for it.

Petitioner Debra Mason said “everyone I speak with” has had a close call at the intersection of Tin Can Bay and Bayside roads, and it needed to be fixed.

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Changing the give way signs to stop signs would have “some impact”, Ms Mason said, but “it was only a matter of time” until someone was killed.

The risks posed by the turn-off highlighted the ongoing failure to plan for growth in the area, too.

“I used to be able to travel down the road and never see a car,” Ms Mason said.

The petition says the “a turn off lane … does not provide adequate space and time for cars to enter” and “has made the intersection unsafe”.

“For several years the government has hinted at possible upgrades to the intersection to include either traffic lights, signs, or a roundabout with no commitment of funding,” it says.

The e-petition was only part of the campaign, Ms Mason saying paper copies were being made available in “every shop I can get them into”.

Debra Mason’s petition is the second in as many years concerning Tin Can Bay Rd, with Rainbow Beach businessman Tony Stewart (pictured) launching his own in 2021 which secured more than 12,000 signatures.

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It is the second petition involving Tin Can Bay Rd to be launched in as many years.

In 2021, Rainbow Beach businessman Tony Stewart called for significant safety upgrades, including overtaking lanes, along the stretch.

There were 13 fatal crashes along the road between 2001 and 2018, state government data shows, making it the second-most dangerous road in the region behind only the Bruce Hwy.

More than 12,000 signatures were on the petition when it was submitted to parliament in 2022.

Transport and Main Roads has been contacted for comment.