Investing in future transport solutions

Helping our littlest residents ride to school, enabling our seniors to get to their nearest centre to shop or attend appointments, and encouraging all of us to use active or public transport, are just a few of the projects Sunshine Coast Council’s Transport Levy funded last financial year.

We may be one of Australia's most car dependant and fastest growing regions, but Council is committed to finding solutions to decrease our reliance on private cars.

Community Portfolio Councillor Rick Baberowski said the Transport Levy program continued to facilitate Council’s ability to plan and advocate for a smarter, healthier, more environmentally integrated approach to how we travel and connect our communities across the region.

“A good example was Council’s endorsement of the well-researched ThinkChange program, which has been a key step towards recognising the importance of challenging habitual patterns of travel and working with our partners and the community, to make more informed travel choices,” Cr Baberowski said.

“While public transport services clearly remain the responsibility of the State Government, the Transport Levy program is vital to our advocacy, contribution to innovative service improvements and has an essential role in the planning of an integrated transport system best suited to our region”.

The Transport Levy raised $6.8 million in the 2022-2023 financial year and was allocated to:

• continuing initiatives to improve bus stops and access to them
• continuing the RideScore trial initiative at select primary schools
• supporting the two Flexilink services and Council Link service for eligible persons travelling to their nearest centre
• starting the implementation of the ThinkChange ^TM travel change behaviour program which has been a key step towards challenging habitual patterns of travel
• supporting the Department of Transport and Main Roads in progressing the Detailed Business Case for the Sunshine Coast Public Transport Project and
• supporting various research and investigations to understand changes over time in how people travel.

Cr Baberowski said all property owners who contributed to the Transport Levy, are helping Council and the community work towards a healthier, more sustainable and better-connected Sunshine Coast.