Airlie Beach Place for People - Pedestrian Crossing Trial

We want to make Airlie Beach a beautiful, tropical Place for People!

Council will be refining the 'place for people' pedestrian crossing trial during nightworks from 6pm – 6am on Monday 8 - Wednesday 10 July 2024.

Proposed refinement to the trial will involve:

• Four pedestrian crossings will be retained.
• Removal of plant boxes, cobblestones and pedestrian tactiles at four closed crossings that will be re-opened as vehicle priority areas.
• The removal of cobblestones and pedestrian tactiles aims to reduce confusion created by the visual cue of these elements.
• A new speed bump will be added near 'The Beach Shak' / Cotton on (eastern end of Main Street).
• The existing speed bump at the western end of Main St will be shifted closer to starfish roundabout.
• The left in / left out barrier at Airlie Creek carpark will be extended to mitigate right turns that can disrupt traffic flow.
• Minor road repairs in various locations of the Main Street, including at the pedestrian crossing near Red Cat. This crossing will be closed for a few days until it can be re-painted, once asphalt sets.

See our fact sheet for more information on the trial refinement and nightworks from 6pm – 6am on Monday 8 - Wednesday 10 July 2024.

Pedestrian Crossing Trial to date

We commenced the pedestrian crossing trial on 1 December 2023, following consultation with Airlie Beach Main Street businesses, key stakeholders, residents and visitors via face-to-face conversations, market stalls and online feedback. Feedback identified safety concerns and confusion with the previous vehicle priority status of the Main Street. See our consultation results to date:

• Pre-trial Consultation Summary and Consultation Report.
• 1 December 2023 - to date (June 2024) Trial Consultation Summary and Consultation Report

Council consolidated feedback and observations at 1 June 2024. Feedback during the pedestrian crossing trial highlighted a range of perspectives, representative of varying uses and needs in the Main Street. Visitors, visitor representatives, pedestrians and businesses were generally supportive of crossings. Common concerns were regarding closed crossings, where business accessibility was impacted, and persons trampled through gardens creating safety or amenity concerns.

Feedback and next steps

We thank the community for having their say during the trial and their patience with changes in the Main Street. We have integrated interests into our trial refinement and wish to continue to work with our community toward an ultimate streetscape design.

We will continue to observe, discuss and capture feedback from all users to help identify what works and what doesn’t work so we can utilise this information for future considerations for the Airlie Beach Masterplan to be developed.

Provide your thoughts or ideas via the feedback or map tool below.