‘Someone will be killed’: Pave the way for Palmwoods campaign launched to shed light on treacherous roads

The need to fix the roads in a growing hinterland town has become a matter of “life or death” with some residents saying accidents were now the “norm”.

A mother who suffered memory loss after a serious crash at a notorious intersection in Palmwoods has urged authorities to fix the roads before "someone is killed".

Lou Kellie has joined a growing chorus of residents voicing concerns about the road conditions in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland community with some saying crashes had now become the norm.

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Sunshine Coast Daily Pave the way for Palmwoods campaign logo.

It comes as the Sunshine Coast Daily launches the Pave the way for Palmwoods campaign calling for much-needed road upgrades in the growing community.

Ms Kellie, 42, was two months out of work after suffering from a concussion, memory loss and migraines after the crash at the rail bridge intersection in Palmwoods in October 2020.

The car was a write off.

"I hit the brakes but it was too late," Ms Kellie said. "I was just in shock."

The mother-of-one who moved to Nanango after the crash has urged authorities to fix the intersection before "someone is killed".

"Traffic has worsened considerably," she said. "There's a lot more people moving in to the estates but they haven't upgrade the estates to cope with that traffic flow."

Palmwoods mum Lou Kellie and her family were involved in an accident at the notorious Chevallum Road and Woombye Palmwoods Road.

The main issues include:

• The intersection of Woombye Palmwoods and Chevallum roads and Jubilee Drive under the railway bridge;
• The Churchill Street and Palmwoods Montville Road intersection; and
• The Dunning Street and Palmwoods-Montville Road intersection.

A petition calling for change has reached more than 1100 signatures.

But so far Palmwoods resident Jocelyn Anderson, 38, who was behind the petition, said the decade-long problem had "fallen on deaf ears".

"Unfortunately, I really seriously believe it will take a fatality before they actually decide that it's terrible," the mother-of-two said.

A driver escaped without serious injuries after a car rolled on Chevallum Road, Palmwoods, in 2019.

Transport and Main Roads Department statistics show there have been four crashes along Jubilee Drive in the past three years and 12 crashes along Margaret Street/Woombye Montville Road since 2015.

Six crashes have been recorded on Chevallum Road, between Woombye Palmwoods Road and Cheviot Road since 2015.

No people have died.

A Transport and Main Roads spokesman said a range of factors contributed to crashes which may be unrelated to the infrastructure.

"We all have a role to play in road safety and motorists are reminded to stick to the speed limits, abide by the road rules and drive to conditions," he said.

Palmwoods community members Sarah Kemp, Sarah Berry and Tim Anderson are urging for upgrades of the major connecting roads to Palmwoods. Picture: Patrick Woods

But Tim Parry, 38, who has lived on Jubilee Drive near the rail bridge for the past four years said traffic accidents had become the norm at the treacherous intersection.

"It's quite normal here now," he said. "In the past few years there's been a few accidents at the intersection a week.

"There's been seriously accidents that have affected people's lives long term."

Several developments have been approved in the region, including The Pines, Retirement Village Sundale and GemLife, meaning population is expected to grow even further from its current 8185 residents.

Residential development is forecast to increase by 424 houses - a 13.9 per cent growth from 2021 to 2026, according to data by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

However, little has been done to upgrade roads in Palmwoods.

The railway bridge at the corner of Margaret Street, Jubilee Drive and Woombye Palmwoods Road needs urgent upgrades, according to residents. Picture: Patrick Woods.

Glass House MP Andrew Powell whose electorate included Palmwoods prior to an electoral redistribution said there were only two solutions:

"One, move the railway line and bridge to the new alignment which would allow that intersection to be completely redesigned," he said. "Or install traffic calming measures similar to what exist in Montville."

The Daily has requested an interview with Nicklin MP Robert Skelton but the newly elected local member is unavailable for two weeks.

Instead, he said in a statement he understood the Transport and Main Roads Department was working with the Sunshine Coast Council to investigate possible solutions.

"Those investigations are ongoing and once they're complete I'll be asking the Minister and his department for an update," he said.

Originally published as ‘Someone will be killed’: Pave the way for Palmwoods campaign launched to shed light on treacherous roads