Dangerous path to nowhere
Fri 16 May 2008
Belinda Gear, Journalism
Eumundi residents want Sunshine Coast Regional Council to build a footpath to the Scenic Lookout on the busy Eumundi Range Road.
Local resident Peter Cooper said the current footpath starting opposite Eumundi State School was a path to nowhere.
“Pedestrians can only walk from the corner of Balkan Road and Eumundi Range Road to the school,” Mr Cooper said.
Walking any further up the Eumundi Range Road involves walking on the narrowly winding two-lane road.
Mr Cooper said he lodged a requisition form with council a few weeks ago and sent a letter to Mayor Bob Abbot asking for the footpath to be extended to the Eumundi Range Road scenic lookout.
“This would alleviate the dangerous walking conditions and be good for the health and safety of the community,” Mr Cooper said.
Cr Abbot replied in letter the matter had been passed on to Division Nine Councillor Vivien Dixon. Cr Dixon declined to comment on the matter.
Mr Cooper said he regularly had backpackers stay with him and it was impossible for them to walk from his home to the Eumundi main town.
“When they walk along the road once they won’t walk it again, as it is so dangerous and people get skittled,” he said.
Discover Eumundi Heritage and Visitor Centre manager, Wendy Birrel, said the centre often sent people to the Range Road Scenic Lookout and many people wanted to walk it.
“It’s a question asked by visitors a lot as many of the people who come to visit have no form of transport,” Ms Birrel said.
“We have to always advise against walking it as it is quite dangerous.”
Ms Birrel said it would be good if Eumundi had walking areas and signs like those in Maleny.
“I was recently in Maleny and saw signs saying you can walk to this lookout from here and I thought ‘wow, we need that in Eumundi’.”
Ms Birrel said the matter had been mentioned in a Chamber of Commerce meeting and Cr Griffith said she was in favour of putting walking paths and bicycle tracks in the Eumundi area.
“Council should ask future developers to put in bike tracks rather than car parks,” Mr Cooper said.
“Fuel prices are increasing and it is getting harder to afford to drive.
“We are years behind of Europe and China who have bike paths everywhere.”
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