Frequently Asked Questions

1. What can I do about speeding traffic in my street?
   • Enforcement of speed limits is the responsibility of the Queensland Police Service and any instances of speeding or other irresponsible and dangerous driver behaviour should be reported directly to your local Police Station for action.  Written requests tend to receive a higher priority than phone calls.
     Brisbane’s road network consists of more than 7000km of roads and speeding is a problem right across the city.  Other than Police enforcement, there are no quick or easy solutions to the widespread problem of speeding in suburban streets.
     Council receives almost one thousand requests for traffic calming each year and it is not possible or practical to implement every request.  Only around 10 percent of the requests processed by Council Road Network Officers meet the criteria necessary for work to proceed.
     While traffic calming may be effective in some situations, there are also instances where it is inappropriate, such as when the road in question is expected to cater for the safe and efficient movement of people and goods through a District or Region.
     Traffic calming is unlikely to prevent irresponsible or anti-social driving (commonly known as “hooning”). In some cases, traffic calming has been know to exacerbate these problems by providing “hoons” with the opportunity to test their high performance vehicles under more challenging road conditions.
     Traffic calming works are generally planned and implemented on an area-wide basis, called a Local Area Traffic Management (LATM) project, to ensure that traffic problems in one street are not relocated to another nearby street.
     In most cases, the aim of an LATM project is to discourage through traffic from using suburban streets (Local Access Roads) instead of major traffic routes. 
     Given this aim, LATM projects can also cause significant inconvenience to local residents, who have to negotiate the traffic calming on a daily basis.  This is a drawback that needs to be weighed up against any potential benefits a traffic calming project may deliver.  As a result, community consultation is an important part of an LATM project.
     Although Council considers a wide range of criteria when assessing the need for traffic calming, successful projects generally involve the following factors:
     1) The roads under consideration are Local Access Roads, which are primarily required to provide access to adjoining properties and do NOT have a significant function for carrying through traffic in the road network.
     2) Demonstrated community support for traffic calming measures (i.e. a petition or numerous letters, emails or phone calls from local residents), representing at least two-thirds of the households in the affected area.  A similar proportion of those households should also be prepared to have a traffic calming device (road hump, chicane or intersection modification) adjacent to their property.
     3) Significant non-local traffic volumes on Local Access Roads in a particular area (i.e. Through traffic that is not generated by local residents or their visitors) 
     4) A significant proportion of vehicles exceeding the maximum lawful speed on Local Access Roads in an area
     If these factors are proven to exist, Council officers will list an area as a candidate for an LATM project in the future.  Funding is allocated to these projects in each financial year’s budget based on city-wide priorities.
     Once funding is allocated, potential projects commence a two-stage process, which usually happens over the course of two or more financial years. 
     The first stage involves community consultation, consisting of a newsletter/questionnaire delivered to each household, outlining a conceptual scheme and inviting feedback to gauge the level of community support. 
     If a scheme is supported by at least 60% of respondents to the newsletter, all residents will be advised of the outcome and detailed design work will commence. This process includes further consultation with directly affected residents and property owners, whose properties are adjacent to proposed traffic calming measures. 
     Subject to satisfactory resolution of any issues arising in the detailed design process, such as property access, residential amenity or budgetary considerations, a submission for funding to construct the scheme is usually submitted for Council approval in the subsequent financial year’s budget. 
     This second stage of the project may be spread over more than one financial year, depending on the size of the area being treated and the amount of work involved in the scheme. 
2. How can I deal with a barking dog?
   • Under the Council’s Animal Local Law 2003, if a dog barks in excess of the following limitations it is considered a nuisance:
     
     
     
     • 7am - 10pm
     
     more than six minutes of animal noise in any hour
     
     
     
     • 10pm - 7am
     
     more than three minutes of animal noise in any half hour
     
     
     Animal noise is also considered a nuisance if a Council officer finds it to be:
     
     
     
     • unreasonably disrupting or inhibiting an activity ordinarily carried out on a residential premises, such as hanging the washing out or gardening
     
     
     
      
     Making a complaint about a barking dog
     If your neighbour's dog is barking excessively, you can take the following steps:
     
     
     
     • approach the dog's owner and state your case clearly and politely 
     
     
     • if the dog's owner is unapproachable or does not agree that a problem exists, you can contact the Dispute Resolution Centre on 1800 017 288 - this service provides free mediation that is impartial, confidential and available 24 hours a day
     
     
     
     If these methods don’t work, you can phone the Council on 07 3403 8888 to report the problem.
     How does the Council handle complaints about barking dogs?
     The Council will take the following steps after receiving a complaint about a barking dog:
     
     
     
     • investigate the complaint to determine whether the dog is causing a noise nuisance
     
     
     • if the dog is found to be causing a noise nuisance, the Council will serve the owner with a notice to remedy the nuisance and will offer assistance to achieve this
     
     
     • if the nuisance continues, the Council may issue a $375 fine
     
     
     • if the dog continues to create a nuisance, the Council may issue a notice to remove the dog. If the owner doesn't comply, the Council may seize and impound the dog
     
     
     
     How can I control my barking dog?
     If your dog is barking excessively, consult a vet to determine the cause of the barking.
     If the vet is unable to resolve the issue, contact an animal behaviouralist or a dog training organisation.
     Neighbours may be more patient with your dog's barking if they are aware of the steps you are taking the fix the problem.
     
3. How do I deal with unwanted noise?
   • Noise can disrupt sleep and interfere with daily activities. If loud enough, it can also have a detrimental impact on people's health. Guide to decibel levels
     Some noise regulations include a maximum loudness in decibels. Here are usual decibel levels for everyday situations:
     
     
     
     • quiet room in the house - 20 to 30 decibels
       
     • daytime in a quiet residential street - 35 to 45 decibels
       
     • large busy office - 50 to 60 decibels
       
     • lawn mower from 15 metres away - 70 decibels
     
     Which noise complaints are not handled by Council?
     The Council does not deal with these common complaints:
     
     
     
     • noise from music, parties, off-road vehicles and burglar alarms - contact the Queensland Police on 07 3364 6464
       
     • noise from premises with a liquor licence - contact the Department of Tourism and Racing's Liquor Licensing Division on 07 3224 7196
       
     • other types of noise complaints may be dealt with by the Environmental Protection Agency - contact the agency on 07 3224 5520
4. How can I update my electoral details?
   • Our office carries AEC enrolment forms that you can complete and send into the AEC. Alternatively, you can update your electoral details by completing an enrolment form from the Australian Electoral Commission website and mailing it to: Australian Electoral Commission, Reply Paid 9867, Brisbane 4000.
5. Did you know that at our office you can:
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     • Obtain house numbers
       
     • Collect brochures (see Catalogue of Brochures)
       
     • Make a request to the Call Centre
       
     • Make an appointment with Councillor de Wit
       
     • Apply for the Free Plants Program
       
     • Obtain Council Green Waste and General Waste tip vouchers
       
     • Obtain a Pensioner Rate Remission Application Receipt
       
     • Pick up a free Graffiti removal kit
       
     • Pick up a free ‘I Choose to Reuse’ environmentally friendly shopping bag
6. I would like a new bus service for my area, can you provide one?
   • The Lord Mayor has been putting a minimum of 60 new buses per year on the roads since 2004 and in this 4 year term there will be 500 more environmentally friendly buses. Already since the 2008 election there are 125 additional new buses on our roads.
     
     However in terms of the number of services (as opposed to buses) this is a State Government responsibility under the control of Translink established in 2004. Council’s responsibility is for the provision of the buses drivers and depots.
     
     Translink collects all the bus fares then provides Council with a subsidy for providing these services.
     
     All ratepayers also contribute to the cost of the bus services through their rates.