Logan residents warned of drone delivery service noise
Residents south of Brisbane have been warned about a high-pitched noise from a drone delivery service which starts flight trials tomorrow.
Logan
Don't miss out on the headlines from Logan. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A drone delivery service, slated for takeoff trials in Queensland tomorrow, has been given the thumbs down by a group of Canberra residents.
Members of Canberra’s Bonython Against Drones group, known as BAD, said the Wing service had plagued them over the past year and issued a warning to Logan residents: “don’t just duck for cover”.
WHAT YOU CAN BUY FROM WING IN LOGAN
DRONES LOGAN’S KOALAS EYE IN THE SKY
Wing was forced to delay its Logan launch until tomorrow, after Civil Aviation Safety Authority regulations grounded drones in southeast airspace while the state dealt with bushfires this month.
The grounding followed the federal Department of Infrastructure and Transport granting the California-based company clearance for community demonstration flights between September 8 and October 30.
It also got approval to run its Early Flyer Program, to homes in Crestmead and Marsden until October 30.
Bonython Against Drones convener Nev Sheather warned Logan residents to be prepared for the drones’ high-pitched noise, the possibility of privacy breaches and a loss of local land-based delivery jobs.
“The drones which are going to fly in Logan are quieter than those used at Bonython but they are at least 69 decibels, and over your head that is still very noisy, and very annoying,” he said.
“If you don’t like it, don’t just sit there and do nothing because it is not inevitable just because a commercial Google company wants to make money.
“The service should not just be foisted on people because Wing believed it would be a huge economic success — which it isn’t and can’t be.
“There are other concerns such as what they do with any photographic footage taken by the drones, which is sent to California and is used for research.
“Wing’s business plans are based on taking business, which means delivery jobs for young people, from existing services such as Deliveroo and Uber Eats, are in jeopardy.”
Since the Canberra tests, Wing has modified its craft for Logan so they have four propellers instead of three to dull any high-pitched sound.
The company said it listened to the Canberra residents and will use “random” flight paths in Logan so drone delivery routes are varied.
Wing Australia spokesman Terrance Bouldin-Johnsonsaid the company had also expanded its merchant base, adding fresh rolls and deli products from Logan Central’s Harmony On Carmody to the three existing businesses on the delivery menu.
“We are always open to feedback and have hosted more than 20 public information stalls and delivery demonstrations in Logan,” he said.
“Our newest aircraft in Logan are now equipped with this new propeller design. Since we’ve introduced the new propeller and other changes, our feedback from the community on noise has decreased by more than 75 per cent.
“We have hired staff from Logan and the broader region to run our delivery service and anticipate the merchants who co-locate at Wing’s delivery facility will also need to hire.”
Wing has also given assurances about privacy, but BAD members campaigned for ACT government regulations to be drafted to form the basis of national operating guidelines.
The community action group conducted a door knock in Bonython and found 80 per cent of residents surveyed were against the drones.
Findings were used in a submission to the ACT parliament calling for a federal inquiry into drafting national regulations for drones and drone delivery services.
The Transport Department conducted noise measurements and released findings this month, finding the delivery drones made 69 decibels of noise at 15m, with the delivery process over in 45 seconds.
The department has since slapped on a number of conditions on Wing’s operations in Logan including a limit of an average of 40 flights a day per suburb and the drone must only fly in daylight on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 7.30am to 7pm.
On Saturday, the service can operate from 8am to 6pm and on Sunday from 9am to 6pm.
A condition of the Wing approval is to provide all community feedback to the department.
High school swap history with Brisbane-Jakarta exchange
Hundreds of high school students will be able to get a taste of life in Indonesia under Australia’s first Islamic student swap program, with the deal to kick off in January.
Lot sizes almost slashed in half as state hikes council’s housing target
The state has ordered a bayside council to increase its housing supply by 30 per cent to accommodate an extra 45,192 residents by 2046 and has slashed the minimum lot size to help with the move.