When a Main Street Becomes a Main Road: The Case for Buderim’s Revitalisation

We often say that a town’s main street is its front door. It is the place where first impressions are made, where community stories are told, and where local commerce either thrives or stagnates.

In Buderim on the Sunshine Coast, that front door is Burnett Street. But currently, that door is being blocked by a constant stream of traffic.

The reality is that Burnett Street is being forced to behave like a major road rather than a village heart. When a thoroughfare takes precedence over social and commercial connection, the identity of the town begins to slip away.

The Transactional Trap

For a long time, Buderim has been a destination, a place people choose to visit for a stroll or to meet friends. However, that status is in steady decline.

The data shows that approximately 14,400 vehicles now pass through the centre daily, a 7.2 per cent increase since 2020. As the traffic volume grows, the street becomes increasingly “transactional.”

“When a main street stops providing a compelling reason to come and stay, local spending leaks away,” explains Stephen Burton. “People still come for appointments and errands, but they don’t browse, they don’t dine, and they don’t bring visitors. They don’t spend any more time than they have to”.

You can see this shift in the shopfronts. The street is becoming dominated by necessary services like medical and finance hubs, the places you go because you have to, not because you want to linger.

Safety and Accessibility: More Than "Nice to Haves"

For many residents, particularly those with mobility challenges or young families, the current state of Burnett Street is a barrier to participation. The issues include:

Lack of safe crossings: Pedestrians struggle to find safe points to cross, particularly near vital community spaces.
Congestion: Peak hour school traffic locks the centre up, forcing drivers into surrounding residential streets.
Inadequate Amenity: A lack of consistent shade and seating makes the environment hostile during the heat of the day.

While the Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) points to existing signalised crossings, the community experience on the ground suggests these measures are no longer sufficient for the growing population.

A Vision for a Pedestrian-First Village

Revitalising Burnett Street isn’t just about managing cars; it’s about choosing what kind of community Buderim wants to be. POMO is calling for a staged renewal plan that prioritises people over through-traffic.

This vision includes:

Frequent pedestrian crossings: Implementing more frequent and safer ways for people to navigate both sides of the street.
Slower movement: Designing the streetscape to naturally slow traffic, making the environment more predictable and less stressful.
Enhanced streetscaping: Investing in shade, seating, and landscaping that invites people to sit, stay, and socialise.
Community led solutions: Involving the community in the decision making process and asking them what needs to change.

However, without a funded program for renewal, the village risks losing its pull as an economic and social hub.

If we want Buderim to recover as a destination, we must design a street that people want to be in, not just move through.