“Door knocking doesn’t just occur in our neighbourhood streets. The front doors of many Gold Coast homes face the water, so it made sense to get my feet wet and visit residents via pontoons and jetties,” said Mayoral candidate Mona Hecke. “With assistance from the Australian Jet Ski Association President, Mandy Brown, I enjoyed a morning cruising the waterways of Paradise Point, Hope Island, Santa Barbara and Sanctuary Cove, talking with residents who live on the waterways.” Mona said, “Everyone we spoke with raised concern about speed limits along Coomera River.”
Speeding vessels of all types cause erosion of shorelines, pontoons and moored boats, noise disturbance and increased risk of accidents. The greater the speed, the greater the impact. And with erosion, the size of vessels is also a factor. Typically, larger vessels create stronger wakes. Over many years, the speed limit for all vessels along the south arm of the Coomera River was 6 knots. In 2018-19, with the aim of reducing travel times to and from the Coomera Marine Precinct, the Gold Coast Waterways Authority (GCWA) ran a 12-month trial to allow vessels under 6.5m to travel at 40-knots. The trial was considered unsuccessful. The GCWA adopted a lesser 30-knot limit and signs reflecting this change were erected. It seems now that most vessels, not just those under 6.5m, take the liberty to exceed 6 knots. Regular enforcement of breaches does not occur.
Mandy Brown explained that “adding to this problem is that many vessels, of all sizes, also disregard the 6-knot ‘distance-off’ regulations.” Speed enforcement is a police matter, but the Mayor has a position and advocacy role on the Board of the GCWA which is responsible for speed limits and signage. Noise nuisance is a council matter and harder to control, but it’s certainly related to speed.
Some residents told Mona that “the vessels speeding close to their properties cause so much disturbance that they are even considering moving to escape the noise and damage from wash.” One longtime resident said, “When all vessels were restricted to 6 knots, everyone seemed to comply, and our life was tranquil. Why change something that was working just fine?”
Mona Hecke said, “I understand that what residents want most is to see enforcement of the ‘distance-off’ speed limits and the 6-knot limit for large vessels this short section of the main channel. If that can’t happen, they say they would prefer the south arm speed limit to revert to what it always was – 6-knots.”