North Queensland residents struggle with restrictions on damaged road

Australia Broadcast Center

2 days ago

There is growing frustration among residents of a rainforest community north of Townsville who are struggling with a permit system to return home each night.
The Mount Spec Road, leading to the townships of Paluma and Hidden Valley, was cut by landslips during record-breaking monsoon rain in February.
Alternative routes increase travel times by more than two hours along roads mainly suitable for four-wheel drives.
Queensland's Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) has not provided a timeline for fully reopening the road.
It last month introduced a permit system for full-time residents to access Mount Spec between 6am and 6pm.
"We assure the community that we are working as quickly and safely as possible to progress critical repairs," a spokesperson said.
Traffic controllers monitor entrances and the road is shut and monitored by cameras outside permitted hours.
Tourism operators said the impact had been "devastating", with one business estimating more than $100,000 in lost bookings.
Rhett Harrison, who lives between Paluma and the Hidden Valley, said the permit system had been challenging.
"After you work an eight-hour day, by the time you travel into town, you really haven't got a lot of time to be able to live your life, get groceries and you have to pretty much hope there's not an accident on the way back to the range road," he said.
Mr Harrison worked from home and homeschooled his son while Mount Spec Road was closed, and relocated to his sister's house in Townsville to reduce travel times.
"We would come back in and stay at her place for the entire week, all in one bedroom," he said.
"Pretty much so that we could go to work, so that he could have some level of normalcy of being able to return to school."
He said he wanted access hours to Mount Spec Road reviewed.
"I actually think that road is safer to drive at night because if there are any vehicles oncoming I can see them because of the headlights," he said.
Paluma and District Community Association president Jamie Oliver said part-time residents were being denied access to their homes and the community was growing frustrated.
"For those people who work in town and finish by around 5:30pm, it's very difficult to get to the start of the road by six," he said.
"It's still extremely inconvenient even for those permit holders to get up."
Mr Oliver said residents wanted TMR to release geotechnical expert assessments so they could understand the key data and logic behind the department's decisions.
"Repeatedly we get nothing but vague information that is contained in the road reports," he said.
"It really is infuriating and insulting to be held in this kind of disregard."
A TMR spokesperson acknowledged the residents' frustration and said public safety had remained a top priority throughout the planning process.
The spokesperson said the department would continue to update the community.
"Engineering reports are complex technical documents and uncontrolled distribution can lead to misinterpretation and misinformation," they said.
The authority said it was complying with conditions outlined by geotechnical experts, which included limiting the number of vehicles travelling on the road to reduce the risk of further landslips.
They said the 6am-to-6pm timeframe provided drivers with the "best opportunity" to react to oncoming hazards.
"TMR anticipates changes may be made to the conditions once restoration works occur and the risk of the slope sites reduces," they said.
"Traffic data is being monitored and if volumes remain within safe limits, TMR would be able to issue further permits to other residents within the area, including those who reside there part-time."