Regulatory changes are on the Queensland Government’s agenda to reduce the environmental impact of visitors and their four-wheeled vehicles in national parks.
The Queensland Government has commissioned studies into Sustainable Visitor Capacity Management (SVCM) from consultants for three national parks and this week released documents containing the findings as well as proposed state actions.
You can See these reports here.
The consultants were tasked with examining the Bribie Island, Cooloola and K’gari (Fraser Island) recreation areas in the state’s southeast, identified as three of Queensland’s most popular destinations for day and overnight visitors.
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An Audi S5 bogged down at the Bribie Island entertainment area
These three areas attract more than 23,000 vehicles and account for more than 592,000 camping nights (i.e. number of campers times number of camping nights) annually, and reports have identified concerns that, in particular, there are too many vehicles present at peak times. time.
Reports suggest that limits on visitor and vehicle capacity need to be reviewed and enforced, along with sustainable management of infrastructure and visitor behaviour.
For example, consultants recommended compliance with current speed limits as a top priority, as speed was identified as a safety concern in stakeholder surveys.
They also recommend minimizing unnecessary nighttime driving on area beaches to protect wildlife movements.
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A Jeep Wrangler underwater at K’gari (Fraser Island)
The government said it was working with enforcement agencies to tackle “unsafe and unsocial behavior relating to vehicles and driving”.
Enforcement of such behavior is recommended in the form of “appropriate penalties to encourage compliance,” receiving “strong support” in the consultants’ research.
These penalties can result in double demerit points, a ban on repeat offenses and “empower the confiscation and impoundment of vehicles”.
“Currently, many of the behavioral problems experienced are by younger age groups, including drivers with P-plates. The Bribie Island report states: Focusing regulations on this age group has may seem a practical solution but it raises real social concerns.
“One option to consider is the impact of compliance measures that apply to all travelers but would have a specific impact on this traveler demographic – for example, applying double demerit points for beach driving violation.”
In response to consultants’ recommendations, the Queensland Government often commits to “working collaboratively” and “consulting with other government agencies on improving visitor behaviour”, endorsing most recommendations in all three reports.
However, they rejected separate recommendations to increase fees and provide shuttle buses for visitors to reduce the number of vehicles at peak hours.
The Government is currently evaluating ways to manage vehicle numbers on the busiest days of the year, and is implementing a Vehicle Access Permit number plate recognition system with a “dedicated team”.
