FAQs

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 to the Police directly via Policelink for action.

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.

Under the Council’s Animals Local Law 2017, if an animal makes noise that meets the following limitations, it may be 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 it is:

• unreasonably disrupting or inhibiting an activity ordinarily carried out on a neighbouring or nearby residential premises, such as sleeping, hanging 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 and confidential

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 animal is causing a noise nuisance

• if the animal is found to be causing a noise nuisance, the Council may issue a compliance notice requiring the owner to remedy the issue

• if the nuisance continues, the Council may take further enforcement action, including issuing fines

• in ongoing or serious cases, the Council may take additional action, which can include seizure or removal of the animal

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 to fix the problem.

‍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, Trail Bikes and burglar alarms, contact the Queensland Police on 131 444 or report online at  https://www.police.qld.gov.au/policelink-reporting/noise-complaint-launch

‍ ‍·         noise from premises with a liquor licence – contact the Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation on 13 74 68

‍ ‍·         Aircraft noise contact Airservices Australia on 1800 802 584

‍ ‍·         Rental property contact Residential Tenancies Authority on 1300 366 311‍ ‍

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.

Brisbane City Council offers a range of different grants and funding programs to local non-profit community groups to help develop and improve services and facilities across Brisbane.
Available grants and funding programs include:

• Lord Mayor’s Safer Suburbs Grant

• Lord Mayor’s Better Suburbs Grant – Community Facility Category

• Lord Mayor’s Better Suburbs Grant – Community Support Category

• Housing Support Program

• Pathways out of Homelessness Grant Program

• Seniors Celebration Donation

• Lord Mayor’s Community Fund

• Environment Grants

• Sustainability Grants

• Native Wildlife Carers Grants

Application forms and guidelines for each program, as well as information relating to opening and closing dates, is available from www.brisbane.qld.gov.au or by calling 3403 8888.

Development.i provides access to past and current application details and basic property information for the Brisbane City Council area.

Development.i

For information on owning a dog or cat in Brisbane, please visit the Brisbane City Council Website.

The website contains a wealth of information including registration and renewals, permits, barking dogs, dangerous dogs, breaches, fines, forms and much more.