Good to listen to ratepayers

HATS off to Cairns Regional Council for listening to their ratepayers and not installing yet another set of traffic lights at a major intersection, this time at Redlynch.

Instead the council will vote today on a more interesting and aesthetically pleasing upgrade to the tricky Kamerunga Rd-Redlynch Intake Rd intersection outside the Red Beret Hotel.

The three-way configuration is a safety nightmare with one stop sign and pedestrian and railway crossings.

The stop sign on Kamerunga Rd is virtually ignored by most drivers and cyclists while the 40km/h speed limit is disobeyed regularly.

Many drivers were fined during a recent blitz by police but a better way to “calm” motorists and ensure they obey the stop sign and speed limits was investigated.

After extensive community consultation, officers have rejected the cheaper traffic light system for a low-speed upgraded “green village” environment with improved shared road safety for vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists.

Council officers have recommended a $2.5 million project involving a new external timber deck pedestrian pathway outside the pub, stone walls, irrigated gardens, heritage-style fencing and solar speed check signs, additional stormwater, new replacement water mains and extra lighting.

It will provide a much nicer village-type entrance to Redlynch and does away with awful traffic lights.

The concept plans also reveal an “opportunity” for a historic museum in the old disused railway station.

The council has turned a safety issue into an attractive entry statement at this maligned roadway.

Nick Dalton

Deputy editor