Truck driver training in suburban streets, the missing Black Swamp koalas and impacts of construction work in the Eastern Escapement Conservation Area are discussed in letters published by Redlands2030.
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Truck driver training in suburban streets
I was searching the Web and came across your Redlands2030 site. It seems to be a portal for issues affecting the Redlands. I’m wondering if anyone has raised the issue of the number of truck driver training schools that are taking over our residential streets especially where I live in Cleveland over the last 4 or 5 years.
I raised the issue with Councillor Peter Mitchell and the Member for Oodgeroo, Mark Robinson a few years ago but neither was of much help.
If you look at the attached photos these trucks don’t belong in a residential area. They do their reversing practice from Smith St into Angela Crescent and Scot St. Quite annoying – reverse beepers, air brakes, traffic hazard and while they idle diesel fumes into my living room.
Sometimes they start at 5:30 am and practice even on Sundays. When the worst offenders get going it can be over a dozen times a day!
I did talk to some of the truck drivers when they pulled up. Not much empathy there and one said ” It’s not affecting you “.
I don’t know why they can’t practice in the Cleveland industrial estate if we must have them. I did suggest this to Cr Mitchell but nothing happened.
They also add to the general traffic congestion in the Redlands area. They don’t deliver anything or take anything away. As I said it is a fairly recent and unwelcome activity.
Truck driver training is an activity that shouldn’t occur in a residential area and it’s an industry we don’t need in the residential streets of Redlands.
M
Cleveland
Where have the Black Swamp koalas gone?
I have lived in the near vicinity of the Black Swamp for the past 11 years. Back in 2010 and up to 2014/5 we regularly had koalas walking through the property during the night and often seen on the move in the afternoons, visible during the daytime in the local trees in Queen and Haggup Streets.
All this activity was especially obvious during the mating season.
For the past three years, among my acquaintances, not one koala has been sighted in this area. Where have they gone?
Please, does anyone know?
Could Council please put some effort into reporting on this terrible situation, rather than putting effort and money into spinning more spin and self serving Councillor “newsletters!
MW
Cleveland
Eastern Escapement Conservation Area bike trails
I was recently walking through the Eastern Escarpment Conservation Area in Mount Cotton and I was appalled at the destruction that is going on there.
Supposedly mountain biking is a low environmental impact activity, but the creation of the new tracks is taking its toll on this area. Photographs I took show a new track they are in the process of creating and as you can see, they just go along with the digger and dig up the entire route, removing trees and other vegetation as they go. There are quite a few photos of the piles of “slag” they are leaving beside all the tracks (old and new).
According to the Redland City Council website, the approved plan for Eastern Escarpment Conservation Area named “Eastern Escarpment Conservation Area Plan: Connecting with Recreation” of February 2018 was approved in 2019. There is no update to this plan listed on the website and no record of an update being approved by council. The original budget for the approved plan was in the order of $800K with a 20% contingency. I understand that the project currently underway is being undertaken with a Queensland Government grant of $2.4M.
It looks as though the new track development is significantly in excess of what was planned in the planning document linked to the council website. Here is a link to the current mountain bike tracks in the area and “Cotton Canyon” and one of the tracks to Woodlands Drive are definitely not in the plan. I rang council to try to find out about this, they returned my call and were going to look into my complaints. Meanwhile….?
The construction effort also removed the boardwalk over the creek crossing and graded the fire trail so it now fords the watercourse. You can see the timbers from the removed boardwalk and the results of the new crossing – a muddy bog for walkers to negotiate and disruption to the flow of water.
I am not too sure what can be done about this, but is this just another example of the current Council’s lack of commitment to environmental stewardship.
NW
More Letters To Redlands2030
Precious Coastline, The Environment And Where Have The Koalas Gone!
Redlanders Ask Questions About Coastal Protection And Open Space.
Protection Of Coastal And Freshwater Wetlands
Redlands2030 – 14 May 2021
Please note: Offensive or off-topic comments will be deleted. If offended by any published comment please email thereporter@redlands2030.net
6 Comments
Re Truck Driver Training in Suburban Streets,
an interesting article on ABC online re residents complaining about garbage trucks making a racket in the early morning in Brisbane. Okay garbage collection is an essential service and has to be done. Commercial businesses turning a residential area into a trucking yard, for profit, with no benefit for residents – isn’t. The article mentions “community amenity” disruption and “affecting the liveability of our suburbs” which is the situation here in Cleveland. RCC should take note.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-11-23/brisbane-petition-stop-early-garbage-collection-/101578472
Truck drivers – and School parking – in suburban street.
One thing is they learn to reverse around a corner and drive in narrow streets – agree with the inappropriateness of weekend and early morning training, but large tyre marks on our new concrete drive way by someone learning to u-turn annoys me every day I see the marks.
Equally is it annoying that Smith st and Angela crescent are used as school parking by teachers and students, a 2-3 hour street parking limit would be appreciated.
Re Truck Driver Training In Suburban Streets,
An unusual and annoying problem for residents and drivers who have to negotiate around these large vehicles –
7 days a week. No one wants unnecessary traffic in their street especially large vehicles that congregate for no
real reason and is a recent development that has been dumped on residents. Trucks should stay on main roads
unless deliveries need to be made. There are numerous examples where large vehicles are prohibited from local. streets and areas even in the Redlands.
I am appalled by the utmost disrespect shown to yet another Redlands Conservation Area (Eastern Escarpment) where on the steepest part of Mt Cotton there are newly dug mountain bike trails with no siltation fencing in place, therefore leaving the environmentally sensitive rainforest below at extreme risk of sustaining damage from siltation runoff in the event of rainfall.
Over the past several years most of Redlands Conservation Areas have been transformed into mountain bike recreation areas and the question must be asked, at what point do the conservation values of an area become compromised by the recreation activities occurring on the site?
Who is measuring the impacts on the natural values of these conservation areas, such as the reduction of birds, wallabies and other fauna that are constantly disturbed by the presence of humans on fast moving bicycles? Another consideration must be for bush walkers who have enjoyed these conservation areas for many years without the risk of colliding with fast moving bike riders which is a real risk of catastrophic results in the event of an accident.
Re Truck Driver Training In Suburban Streets,
Seems to be something that has been dumped on the Redlands and especially Cleveland in the last few years. The worst offenders Global and Great Heavy just appeared out of nowhere. BTW these two companies seem to target a particular group of people. Are they rorting some training scheme ? Dump trucks and Prime Movers using a residential street for practice, as described above, many times a day even weekends. Really !
Yet the Redland City Council can ban advertising at a sport field from one complaint . In Brisbane there were complaints about the noise from some new ferries so the ferries will get new mufflers.
There is a place for everything but turning a residential street into some sort of trucking yard is not one of them.
Maybe a dedicated truck training facility should be developed for the greater Brisbane area along the lines of the Mt Cotton driving centre but just for trucks and funded by industry.
Re Truck Driver Training In Suburban Streets,
Sure trucks work in industrial areas, but they also drive on all areas, including industrial, residential, commercial and recreational.
I really think you want to have our drivers “domesticated” into residential areas before they “hit the road” and hopefully they will learn to do so respectfully.
Yes, it is annoying to have your area targeted as a favourite by driving instructors, but instead of fronting up to the instructor, can I make two suggestions?
Try to find out if your local area is also used by authorities to conduct TESTING. If this is the case, you can see why instructors want their charges to be familiar with your area.
Secondly, try contacting the Company office, explain your situation and see if they might help out by avoiding your street or limiting the times and frequency of training. (The company should know if the TMR use your area to test drivers also. Many companies do the testing privately themselves).
We all need trucks and if they can be trained to interact with consideration in residential areas we will all be better off. Good luck.