Palmwoods business community back urgent safety upgrades to notorious intersections in the Hinterland town

Palmwoods businesses have backed calls for safety upgrades to several notorious intersections in the bustling Hinterland town.

Palmwoods businesses have backed calls for safety upgrades to several notorious intersections saying the roads were no longer coping with an influx of cars.

Roundabouts, traffic lights and more parking options were some of the suggestions from the public to ensure roads were no longer too dangerous to cross.

The push comes after a petition was launched calling on local and state governments to fix several intersections.

They include Chevallum Road, Jubilee Drive and Margaret Street; and the Churchill and Dunning Street intersections onto Palmwoods-Montville Road.

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Here is what the businesses had to say:

Katrina Maru, Capital Chemist

 

"(There's been) numerous near misses and accidents, there's people that just zoom down the road," she said.

"It's crazy busy and you've got all the seniors who are trying to come to the doctor and are crossing the road with all these cars."

Katrina Maru from Capital Chemist in Palmwoods

Cassie Berry, Palmwoods Bakery on Margaret Street

 

"It's gotten very busy," she said.

"I wait for cars to come through our shop window every day because of the intersection on Margaret Street and Main Street."

Cassie Berry from Palmwoods Bakery

Trudy Kither, Nature's Temple

 

"The area is just growing massively and no-one is doing anything about the actual traffic congestion," she said.

"You take your life into your own hands crossing from Woombye-Palmwoods Road across the intersection.

"They need to put a roundabout in or make it safer somehow."

Trudy Kither from Nature's Temple on Main Street

Jason Powell, J's Place Hair Studio

Mr Powell has run the studio in town for almost three years and says it is so difficult to find parking as well.

"We avoid it (Woombye-Palmwoods Road intersection) in the morning, it's too dangerous," he said.

"I'm not a traffic engineer but I think lights maybe."

Jason Powell from J's Place Hair Studio in Main Street

Jackie Allen, Little Miss Boho

"They're (the intersections) just really busy and can be dangerous," she said.

It gets banked up and it's hard to get out."

Jackie Allen from Little Miss Boho boutique on Main Street.

Sarah Wright, Home Grown Cafe

Ms Wright said she has seen a significant increase in the traffic through town.

"It has been a long ongoing problem and I know that various channels have been sought within the local and state government to explore issues and solutions around the problem," she said.

"I do use the intersection (Woombye-Palmwoods Road) but I can avoid it sometimes."

Sarah Wright from Home Grown Cafe on Main Street

Kirsten Whitehouse, Peach Island

Ms Whitehouse said the congestion is building near the duck ponds.

"It's quite dangerous, there's probably about two blind spots on both sides and there's near misses nearly every time you go through," Ms Whitehouse said.

"There's lots of estates opening so there's going to be hundreds more people and they haven't done any town planning to allow for that.

"There needs to be some lights with the pedestrian crossing and down near the duck pond there needs to be a roundabout or lights."

Kirsten Whitehouse from Peach Island in Margaret Street

Craig Barnby, Craig Barnby Real Estate

Mr Barnby says the problem at the railway bridge has existed for more than 16 years.

"It's poor design basically what I look at there is cars come out of Chevallum Road, if you're coming out of Jubilee Drive you have bad vision," he said.

"(It's) probably the worst intersection between here and the highway.

"There should be a redirection of the protections on the bridge or mirrors or to be honest, lights."

Mr Barnaby said there's been at least four or five accidents recently at the Woombye-Palmwoods Road/Chevallum Road and Jubilee Drive intersection.

He said it's only a matter of time before a fatality occurs.

"And then someone will start addressing it then," he said.

Craig Barnby from Craig Barnby Real Estate in Margaret Street

Rebecca Shepperson, Eye C U Optometrist

Ms Shepperson has worked at Eye C U optometrist for seven years now and says the traffic is chaotic.

"They speed up and down the main street and it's really hard to cross the roads," she said.

"I have to go through it twice a day and it is a nightmare and there's a lot of accidents down there."

Rebecca Shepperson from Eye C U Optometrist on Margaret Street

Karina Utkin, Mojo Hairstyling Studio

Ms Utkin said there's not only been an increase in traffic but an increase in anger on the roads.

The hairdresser says people drive like maniacs.

"It's dangerous, someone is going to be killed for sure," she said.

"It's really scary everyone just needs to chill out and slow down.

"They need to lower the speed limit (through town) and put in pedestrian crossings."

Karina Utkin from Mojo Hairstyling Studio in Palmwood's main street