A RABY Bay resident has raised concerns about a driverless bus trial scheduled to kick off in late November, after traffic build-ups reportedly caused significant delays when the bus hit the streets to map its route this week.
Redland City Council announced phase two of the Redlands Coast Smart Mobility Trial last week, telling residents the trial was not expected to start until late November.
But some residents raised concerns when they encountered the bus on the roads this week.
Council said the vehicle was in its pre-deployment period.
"The vehicle is current mapping the route, which is why it is travelling at a very low speed, with a traffic management vehicle following," a council spokesperson said.
"This will continue intermittently until the vehicle is operational and taking passengers in late November."
The resident told the Redland City Bulletin travelling home behind the bus on Wednesday had been a nightmare.
"People were so angry and frustrated," she said.
"It's less than walking pace, the thing is going so slowly. I missed an appointment because of it.
"It's not just residents, but tradies as well.
"I couldn't imagine coming home from work and having to sit another half an hour just to get down the street.
"It's so dangerous - there's a car travelling behind it saying slow moving vehicle, but it's going so slowly that people are trying to overtake and pulling out into the other lane."
The council spokesperson said the vehicle would travel faster once it was taking passengers later this month.
Its maximum speed is 20km/h, still slower than the speed limit on Masthead Drive.
"We ask motorists to be patient and drive with care during the pre-deployment and trial period, which will continue until June 2021," the spokesperson said.
"Safety features mean the vehicle will come to a stop if other vehicles get too close."
People living in the area would have appreciated extra notice before the bus hit the streets, the resident said.
"We're used to the triathlons and things but when those are on, they give us weeks' notice," she said.
"We should have been given similar warning but this came out of the blue."
The council spokesperson said discussions about the trial and pre-deployment activities had been held last week with members of the Raby Bay Ratepayers Association and businesses from the Raby Bay Harbour precinct.
Flyers were delivered to homes on Masthead Drive and its surrounding streets, and signs put up along the route, directing residents to council's Yoursay website.
The site does not give a specific start date for the trial but says it is expected to kick off in late November.
It does not mention the dates of pre-deployment activities.
The Raby Bay trial comes after council and RACQ tested the bus for six months on Karragarra Island.
On Thursday morning, the Redland City Bulletin observed the bus causing minor traffic build-up on Masthead Drive.
However, the bus was a source of entertainment for some residents, including walkers who took snaps of the bus as it travelled down the street.
