Active transport uses physical activity to move from place to place and may be undertaken by walking, riding or with the aid of a mobility scooter or wheelchair.

Short, local trips of less than 5km are well-suited to active transport and typically include the daily commute to work or school, completing errands, accessing services or facilities and engaging in leisure or recreational activities.

Council does not recognise certain electric-assisted personal mobility devices, such as e-scooters, e-skateboards, and self-balancing one or two-wheelers, as ‘active’ transport due to their low physical effort requirements. However, Council recognises that these devices provide an affordable alternative to car travel.

Active transport has many benefits - it can help to:

• reduce traffic congestion by replacing local car trips with walking, riding or wheeling
• improve the mental and physical health of people who use it
• provide a low-cost alternative to car travel
• reduce impacts to the environment through a reduction in car emissions and improvements to local air quality.

The desire is for the Sunshine Coast to be a place where moving around our neighbourhoods and region is easy; a place where active transport infrastructure provides local connectivity and is integrated with efficient public transport systems. We want everyone to feel welcome using our transport networks by ensuring they are safe, accessible and inclusive.

Council recognises the need to reduce reliance on car transport to help achieve its vision for the region to be connected, liveable and thriving. Supporting and encouraging more people to use active transport will help to respond to the pressures of population growth, contribute to maintaining the liveability of the region and provide important connections to the significant projects being planned for the region including The Wave and Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games venues

Council’s current Active Transport Plan was adopted by Council in 2011. Much has changed since this time including the de-amalgamation of Noosa Shire Council in 2014. The Draft Active Transport Plan reflects our current boundary and is informed and shaped by the insights our community shared about their use and perceptions of active transport, proposed major projects including The Wave the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games and the current strategic frameworks which influence active transport outcomes.

The Draft Active Transport Plan 2025-2035 has been developed based on community feedback and aims to create a more connected, safe, healthy and sustainable region, where people feel supported to use active transport. It outlines actions for Council to implement either independently or in partnership with others to encourage more people to choose walking, riding and wheeling. The identified actions will contribute towards achieving the mode shift targets in Council’s Community Strategy and Integrated Transport Strategy.

The Draft Active Transport Plan was informed by the insights and perceptions shared by our community during the first round of consultation undertaken from 20 May to 17 June 2024.

Our community shared with us the following:

• Road safety concerns exist regarding walking and riding around the region
• Personal safety is a barrier for embracing active transport
• Many people desire a greater active transport network to make walking, riding and wheeling easier
• Participants expressed a need for improved connections to local destinations
• There is a need to fill the missing links in the network and improve connectivity
• Reducing conflict between different path users and with vehicular traffic is important
• Respondents want safer crossing locations and lower vehicle speed limits to improve safety
• Improved maintenance of the existing path network is required
• Active transport options must be integrated with public transport
• Health, wellbeing and sustainability are key motivators for embracing active transport.

This feedback has informed the Draft Active Transport Plan’s three priority areas for action. These areas for action are Networks and infrastructure, Supporting activities and Promote, influence and encourage. Council now wishes to check with our community that these priority areas and associated actions are right, and whether we have missed anything.

The community is invited to provide community feedback on the Draft Active Transport Plan from 7 October and 3 November 2025.

Please visit the project overview section with all the details on how to get involved.

The Draft Active Transport Plan will be refined based on community feedback. We look forward to sharing the new Sunshine Coast Active Transport Plan once it has been adopted by Council.