Residents call for pathways to connect towns
By Sonia Isaacs
RESIDENTS of Beerwah and Glass House Mountains remain frustrated that, despite significant public backing, a critical pathway project connecting the two townships is still several years away from construction. Glass House Mountains resident, Steve Coleman, lives along Steve Irwin Way and says he holds grave concerns for people, including school kids, who he witnesses almost daily walking alongside the major arterial road.
Mr Coleman said he has been advocating for a path for over a decade. Unable to drive due to an illness, Mr Coleman says he often feels trapped at home despite being less than 2km from Beerwah as he finds Steve Irwin Way is too dangerous to ride along on a mobility scooter.
“I am unable to leave my home on my mobility scooter to go into either Beerwah or Glass House Mountains because there’s just no continuous path,” Mr Coleman said. “I would love the freedom of just being able to go into the shops. Sometimes I have to wait a week between carer visits and can’t even pop out to grab a carton of milk. I will probably be dead before this is even started.”
Beerwah resident, Glenn Allemand, said, like many others in the community, he often rides the “rough as guts” track on the western side of the train between Beerwah and Glass House Mountains.
He noted that calls for safer pathway access and better connectivity between the townships had been an ongoing issue raised with both local and state governments for well over ten years.
Recently, Mr Allemand received a response from the Transport and Main Roads department, stating that a proposed route would use vacated rail land following the completion of the B2N rail upgrade project, currently projected for completion by 2027.
“I think that if any of the government decision-makers were to ride a bicycle or walk this terrible track, they’d have a different view on it,” Mr Allemand said.
In a letter to Mr Allemand, TMR wrote that there was a commitment to fund a plan for a 20km ‘active corridor’ between Beerburrum and Landsborough.
“A priority section between Glass House Mountains and Beerwah will be built in tandem with stage 1 of the Beerburrum to Nambour rail upgrade project (B2N),” the letter stated.
Sunshine Coast Division 1 Councillor, Jenny Broderick, said connectivity between towns was vital, and finding interconnected pathway solutions for the hinterland remained one of her highest priorities.
“I will not rest until we have this issue addressed,” Cr Broderick said.
