FOR people living in the seaside suburb of Yorkeys Knob, the main drag is, well, a drag.

For the past five years the local residents' association has been working on plans to transform Varley St into a safer and more attractive thoroughfare, more befitting the suburb they love to live in.

The grassroots group has scored a critical victory, securing approval from Cairns Regional Council on Wednesday.

"It's a great outcome and it shows what can be done if the community is persistent and works with the council," Yorkeys Knob Residents Association president Pam Bigelow said.

"The money's going to be spent on the street over time anyway, so this is about making sure it's spent in the right way, not just on green painted lumps of concrete in the middle of the road.

"It's about more than suburban enhancement, it's about identifying the facilities in your community that are inadequate and knocking them off one by one."

The concept plans include more landscaping and better traffic access, addressing the safety concerns that first spurred the residents' association to action.

"This all came from the simple need for people to cross the road  older people, younger people, parents with prams  who just couldn't get to the shops safely," Ms Bigelow said.

The groupwill now focus on securing funding for the $5.5 million project from all levels of government.

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