Caravan, boat and trailer ban for Gold Coast streets planned after traffic havoc
Gold Coasters have a message for political leaders: Ban caravans and trailers from suburban streets now. They reveal why it’s “terrifying to leave the drive way. VOTE IN OUR POLL
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Gold Coasters have a message for political leaders: Ban caravans and trailers from suburban streets now. They reveal why it’s “terrifying to leave the drive way.
WHAT BULLETIN READERS HAD TO SAY:
Gordana Lipovsek: “When kids are travelling on scooters and push bikes you can’t see them because of the size.”
Tristan Bryan: “As much as it might be inconvenient for others, and yes you have to navigate around them with them being wider than a car, technically they have every right to park them there. They do pay rego on them. Same rules should apply to caravans that apply to cars
when parking.”
Charlie Hoover: “They can park where they like, they pay registration for them on top of the car rego already being paid, just like any driver of a car.
If you have an issue with a van parked in your street, you’re a Karen and that’s all there is to it.”
Annette Williamson: “Some parts of our estate look like a storage facility and not just caravans bit huge boats,
trailers and anything else! If people can’t fit their toys on
their own property then rent offsite storage!”
Matheus Lobato: “About time. The one parked on Boundary st in Coolangatta has been there for at least half a year taking two car spots on a busy road where people that live there struggle
to find parks.”
Beverley Crawford McDonald: “This is shocking – a friend of mine in Burleigh has to risk her life and mine when I visit because she is on a curve on a busy road and a caravan there for six months blocks any view of oncoming traffic. Quite terrifying to leave the driveway and there are 13 units on the property. There has been an accident. This is not OK.”
‘IT’S ABOUT TIME’: GOLD COASTERS WANT TRAILERS BANNED FROM STREETS
The Gold Coast should stop the “blame game” and “clean up its street trailer shame” all by itself, the state Transport Minister has said in a stinging attack.
The city council this week called for the state government to “untie its hands” and change laws so it could police the mass increase in trailers, boats and caravans “littering” suburbia.
But Queensland Transport and Main Roads boss Mark Bailey said city hall did not need Brisbane to hold its hand.
“The Palaszczuk government’s world leading pandemic response has made the Gold Coast the place to be, and as the population and Queensland’s economy booms, we’re seeing more caravans, boats and trailers on the road,” he said.
“Councils already have the power to control who parks on local government roads and do not require changes to road regulations by the state government.
“Council needs to stop the blame game and clean up the Coast’s trailer shame.
“I’d also encourage council to make sure local planning decisions are made with a long-term view.”
Council this week wrote to the government asking for the power to outlaw vehicles just under 7.5m-long from parking in front of public parks, near intersections and on streets for long periods.
Authorities say they are having to paint yellow stripes in front of homes because the number of recreational vehicles in the city has increased by 7000 in two years.
Council transport boss Cr Pauline Young said recreational vehicles crowding streets would worsen.
“We know the waiting list for a caravan is now 12-8 months, so not only do we have to deal with the additional ones that have been purchased and are already cluttering the streets, but the constraints we are already facing will only get worse.
‘We need our state government to look at the current legislation and adapt it to suit the fact that we now have so many more recreational vehicles on our suburban streets.
“This is a serious congestion issue which is causing increased levels of stress on residential areas which are already dealing with an increasing number of people.”
Almost 85 per cent of the 800 readers who responded to a Bulletin poll on Wednesday were in favour of recreation vehicles being banned from parking on residential streets.
At present, trailers and boats are treated the same as cars, and cannot be fined providing they do not exceed parking laws.
Council data obtained by the Bulletin shows the number of complaints about recreational vehicles being left on streets had spiked.
During 2018-19, just 34 complaints were made through councillors. In 2021, the council received more than 500. The suburbs which recorded the most complaints were Southport, Paradise Point, Pimpama, Palm Beach and Upper Coomera.
The council tried to crackdown on trailers and caravans three years ago but failed because officers felt it was not a big enough issue.
‘Ban the caravan’: Push to kick trailers out of Coast streets
TRAILERS, boats and caravans will be banned from “littering” Gold Coast streets as part of a controversial push by council because people are struggling to get out of their own driveway.
Authorities say they are having to paint yellow stripes in front of homes because the number of recreational vehicles in the city has increased by 7000 in two years.
To ease congestion and maintain safety, the council wants to outlaw vehicles just under 7.5m-long from parking in front of public parks, near intersections and on suburban streets for long periods.
“It’s not just the space they are taking up, it is the massive hazard they pose to pedestrians and cyclists trying to navigate streets,” council lifestyle boss Councillor Hermann Vorster.
“Simmering tension in suburban streets with caravans littering cul-de-sacs means desperate owners are now parking near parks and playgrounds.
“The best place for private property is on private property.”
Council will write to the Department of Transport and Main Roads to ask for city parking inspectors to be given the power to force the removal of mobile homes.
At present, trailers and boats are treated the same as cars, and cannot be fined providing they do not exceed parking laws.
Council data obtained by the Bulletin shows the number of complaints about recreational vehicles being left on streets had spiked.
During 2018-19, just 34 complaints were made through councillors. In 2021, the council received more than 500.
The suburbs which recorded the most complaints were Southport, Paradise Point, Pimpama, Palm Beach and Upper Coomera.
“In an absurd situation, council has had to go into suburban streets and paint yellow lines near driveways just to ensure people can get in and out of their homes,” Cr Vorster said.
“This is a clear indication that there is a serious issue and we now need to get the state on board so we can tidy up our streets.”
The council tried to crackdown on trailers and caravans three years ago but failed because officers felt it was not a big enough issue.
Surfers Paradise councillor Darren Taylor said the rapidly increasing number of vehicles on Coast streets meant a solution was urgently needed.
“This is a huge challenge in the city and the complaints have been growing, so the time is right to look at what is needed,” he said.
“The big challenge is that these boats and trailers are taking up a lot of space in areas where we have high-density development and housing, but this is also happening in more suburban locations with caravans.
“During the past two years, the number of boats and trailers on the Coast have increased because of Covid and now with more southerners coming up looking for our lifestyle, we have to figure out a way to accommodate them.”
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