Traffic Management and Road Safety
To report road safety issues, call Council on 1300 763 903 or make an online customer request.
Before reporting a road related issue, please use the Queensland Government’s ‘Road look-up’ to make sure you are directing your request to the correct team.
Any issues found on Queensland Government roads should be reported to the Department of Transport and Main Roads on 13 19 40.
Road Safety
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Suburban residential streets in the Cassowary Coast region are 50km/h, unless signposted.
If you are on a local street, in a built-up area within the Cassowary Coast region or our regional townships, you must travel no faster than 50km/h and drive to the conditions. When travelling through a rural area, the default open rural road speed is 100km/h.
50km/h speed signs have been installed in some areas, particularly around hospitals or major parks where there is a level of activity on the road fronting the park. Change to 50km/h signs are generally installed only where there is considerable evidence of non-compliance, a substantial level of roadside activity or recorded accident history.
Under the State’s local streets speed limit guidelines, it is not standard practice to install 50km/h speed signs. The Queensland road rules indicate that if a street in a built-up area is not signed then the driver is to assume it is a 50km/h speed limit. It would be impractical to sign every 50km/h residential street within the Cassowary Coast region.
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Complaints from residents regarding motorists driving faster than the speed limit in their local streets are fairly common. When traffic counts are undertaken it is found that the majority of vehicles are actually travelling within the speed limit. Speed limits also take into consideration the road environment, crash history and traffic volume.
Speed limits cannot be posted for unsealed (gravel) roads, as drivers need to drive to the conditions of the road, which can vary day by day. The driver must travel at a speed that is safe for the road surface, appropriate to their driving skills and suitable for the vehicle they are driving.
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Speed limits are set (by the Speed Management Advisory Committee) in accordance with strict guidelines, in partnership with the Department of Transport and Main Roads and Queensland Police Services, so that speed limits throughout Queensland are consistent and realistic. These guidelines also indicate that realistic and credible speed limits will be observed by the majority of road users. Unrealistic speed limits that are too low may attract poor levels of compliance. Speed limits take into consideration the road environment, crash history and traffic volumes.
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Council is continuing to look for opportunities to expand and improve our cycling and walking network. Whether walking or riding, we all need to share the road safely.
If you are riding a bicycle
When you ride a bicycle, it is important to remember you must obey the general road rules, the same as other motorists, as well as the specific road rules for bicycle riders.
- Be considerate of drivers when choosing to cycle two abreast. Indicate clearly and make sure you are clearly visible
- Ride predictably
- Use hand signals
- Obey the road rules. Rules apply to everyone not just drivers
- You can ride across zebra crossings, but make sure you stop and it’s safe to do so
- You can ride on a single lane roundabout like any other road user
Head to the bicycle road rules and safety page on the Department of Transport and Main Road's website for more information.
If you are a driver
- Give cyclists space – at least 1 metre at 60km/hr or less, and 1.5 metres over 60km/hr
- Give way to cyclists and indicate
- Brake and wait until it is safe to pass a cyclist
- Look before opening your car door