Byron on its way to becoming the gridlock capital of the nation

A major road improvement project would wreak havoc on Byron, affecting outgoing traffic, local businesses and Byron’s economy, writes sue arnold.

Thinking of coming to Byron for the Christmas holidays?

Think again. As you prepare to wait in a major traffic jam to get somewhere, be sure to download a movie to your smartphone, meditate, knit, or do whatever makes you happy. It’s probably a good idea to make sure the car’s air conditioning is working, drink some water and maybe have a picnic lunch on the Esky because you could be there for a long time.

If you’re planning to spend time in nearby Mullumbimby, “Australia’s biggest smallest town” Don’t make the 20-minute drive from Byron between October and February without a lot of planning. Consider staying there for Christmas dinner and New Year’s celebrations. Ask yourself and your family: Is it possible to eat Christmas lunch in the car? How long are we prepared to sit in the car?

The region is in complete chaos due to major road works, drainage projects, new housing developments, affordable housing projects; This creates a situation that will have significant, potentially dangerous physical, social, economic and mental health impacts on both the community and visitors.

more than 1.9 million tourists An average of 5,205 visitors visited Byron Bay per day in 2024. Approximately 170,000 visitors came to the region in December 2024. December to February is the peak tourist season.

Byron Bay was elected in 2010 best destination In the world by Europeans Byron was ranked in 2019 11. It is among the most visited places in Australia by international tourists. Since there is no mandatory tourist tax, Byron taxpayers are funding the tourism invasion.

population The area’s population is approximately 37,826 people, and taxpayers cough up the dollars needed to fund community infrastructure and projects. The damage caused by the increased number of tourists.

Earlier this year Byron Council, Green mayor and three Green councilors announced a major road upgrade for Mullumbimby Road. mullumbimby district. Mullum, as it is known to locals, is famous for its hippie subculture and is often referred to as the anti-vaxxer capital of Australia.

Approximately 4,405 residents We brought Mullum home.

The town is hugely popular and growing as people are attracted to its counterculture, laid-back community and charm. The town’s attractions include trendy bars, music and food festivals, markets, events, yoga, gurus, a variety of international restaurants, spas, crystals, hippie clothing, doctors, holistic therapists and wonderful bakeries.

In the good old days of the 70s, Mullum Madness was at the top of the weeds.

Mullum also has the only public outdoor swimming pool in the Shire. The Byron Council chamber is also in Mullum.

Mullumbimby Road is one of the busiest roads in the state, with an average of 13,000 vehicles using it every day. With no alternative way of getting out of town, the high street will now have to cope with the significant number of heavy vehicles using the route.

Big business Supposed to start in mid-2025, it would take around four months to complete. Further delays pushed the work back to September and more recently to 13 October; It took an estimated four months to complete in February. All high season.

This means that the current model of only single lane access for traffic on Mullumbimby Road to Mullumbimby, with delays of up to 15-20 minutes to and from the road, will soon provide only single lane access to the town.

Traffic lines will spread along junctions leading to Byron and Brunswick Heads, causing major roadblocks. The single roundabout to the Pacific Highway will be lined with vehicles, making access a nightmare.

With the new start date there will be no outbound traffic on Mullumbimby Road, including at weekends. The municipality has designated two small rural roads as travel routes. Myocum Road and Coolamon Scenic Drive (CSD). Both of these roads are narrow, windy and certainly not designed to cope with the expected traffic. Myocum Road was chosen to handle heavy vehicles and CSD with community access.

Estimated 640 heavy tools It will be diverted to Myocum Road, along with an estimated 8,260 cars each day. This is a road lined with farms, with cattle as well as wildlife and farm vehicles crossing the narrow road.

Drivers will have to try their luck. There is no exit ramp on Mullumbimby Road for emergencies; The council’s emergency options depend on: “The road is open for emergency vehicles”. But there is no place for traffic to go off the road. Similar situations exist in both the Myocum and CSD pathways.

For visitors, any trip outside Byron town center will be fraught with difficulties. On the south side of the town, motorists exiting Mullumbimby during the road closure and using the CSD to reach Byron will have to cross main traffic lines coming from the south as more roads are already closed due to drainage works.

On the north side, options for getting to Mullumbimby are limited to navigating the HGV road, trying your luck on the CSD, or waiting in an endless queue to access the single lane to Mullumbimby.

Byron is supposed to be Australia’s ‘green zone’, a crown jewel in the party’s voter support. According to them website, ‘The party is founded on four pillars, including ecological sustainability, grassroots participatory democracy, social justice and peace and nonviolence.’

Unfortunately, at least three of the pillars are neither relevant nor applied like Byron’s. “green policy”.

With no social agreement or adequate community consultation, residents and businesses were denied documents, financial agreements, costs, budgets and any information on road works.

Options presented by experienced, qualified engineers focusing on night work and better traffic regulation were ignored by the Council.

The economy will be affected. More than 70 Mullum businesses are vulnerable.

Locals genuinely fear the potential for major accidents on Mullum’s only two existing narrow, windy road exits. The inability of ambulances to reach the scene of an accident is a real concern.

There is no evidence to suggest that the council consulted Byron Hospital Emergency Department, paramedics, paramedics, ambulance crews and fire crews about any emergency plans. There isn’t one.

For four months, no management plan was made to protect wildlife, which would be extremely vulnerable as heavy traffic affected their habitats.

If Byron is an example of anything, the complete failure of Aldermen voted in by residents to protect the area is a show pony for the exponential decline of democracy, transparency and community rights occurring across the state as major population increases and housing and infrastructure priorities are planned.

If Byron is on your holiday agenda, you have been warned! While Mullum retains its title as “Australia’s greatest small town”, Byron Shire will be well-qualified to become the country’s jam-packed capital.