Weller Street Bicycle Boulevard and Traffic Calming

We are seeking your views on a bicycle boulevard and traffic calming measures in Weller Street, Millswood/Goodwood. This will involve installation of slow points along the street, kerb extensions at intersections and changes to the Mitchell Street/Weller Street intersection. The goal of the improvements is to create a more cycling friendly environment as well as reduce traffic volumes and speeds on Weller Street. Concept plans are available under Document Library to the right.

Background

Improvements to Weller Street were identified in both the Local Area Traffic Management (LATM) study for the areas of Goodwood/Unley/Wayville conducted in 2016 as well as the City of Unley Walking and Cycling Plan 2016-2021. These studies/plans can be downloaded from the Document Library to the right.

The LATM identified that Weller Street is used as part of a ‘rat-run’, with motorists using the street as an alternative to King William Road. Traffic speeds were also highlighted by residents as a major concern. The Walking and Cycling Plan, which establishes a network of bicycle routes throughout the City of Unley, identifies Wood/Weller Street as part of a popular bicycle route, but notes that with its current traffic conditions it is potentially unsuitable for mixed traffic (bicycles and motor-vehicles sharing the road). The Plan also highlights safety concerns for cyclists at the Mitchell Street/Weller Street intersection.

A more cycling and walking friendly environment also helps achieve Council’s active transport targets. These targets include doubling the amount of active transport journeys to work by Unley residents (target of 9.4% walking and 7.4% cycling) and recording the highest number (percentage of population) of sustainable transport journeys undertaken by our local community, when compared to the rest of metropolitan Adelaide.

About the Improvements

Along with Wood Street, the Wood/Weller bicycle route is a north-south alternative to King William Road and forms part of a route to/from the City of Unley and the Adelaide CBD. In 2016, Council upgraded the slow points on Wood Street to create a better cycling experience and reduce traffic speeds.

A bicycle boulevard is a road environment designed to support motor vehicles and cyclists safely sharing the road, without bicycle lanes or restricting access for motor vehicles. This is achieved through traffic calming to reduce speeds, enhancing visibility of cyclists at intersections, and by providing safe road crossings at intersections.

The purpose of the Weller Street improvements is to:

• Reduce vehicle speeds and potentially volumes along Weller Street
• Improve safety for all transport modes, including motorists, cyclists and pedestrians
• Maintain or improve the visual amenity of the street
• Provide consistency with Wood Street traffic management treatments, and
• Continue the implementation of a low-stress bicycle network throughout the City of Unley.

As a result, Weller Street (and Mitchell Street Intersection) Concept Plans have been developed. Please refer to the Concept Plans received via mail or alternatively available in the Document Library. The Concept Plans include the following elements:

• Improved traffic control and pedestrian/cycling safety at the intersection of Weller Street and Mitchell Street: two design options have been provided for consideration
• Traffic calming measures along Weller Street, including raised single lane slow points and kerb extensions: this also creates consistent traffic control along the length of the Wood Street and Weller Street corridor/bicycle route
• Better indication of Weller Street as a low-traffic cycling route including line marking and bike logo ‘sharrows’.
• It is necessary to restrict parking for 15m adjacent each slow point to allow a cyclist to ride along the kerb, which supports cyclist safety and efficiency of the bicycle route. This results in the loss of 25 parking spaces. The street can currently accommodate approximately 95 parked vehicles. Parking observations suggest that generally 15-25 vehicles are parked on-street on a typical day, indicating that overall parking availability will still be adequate.

The Concept Plans detail the type and locations of the proposed measures, as well as identifying where on-street car parking would be removed to accommodate the changes.

Providing Feedback

Your views are important to us. Your feedback will assist in finalising the designs of the Weller Street bicycle boulevard and traffic calming measures. To provide feedback please access the Weller Street Bicycle Boulevard and Traffic Calming Feedback Survey below.

If you would like further information, please contact Gayle or Erik at InfraPlan on 8227 0372.

Yours sincerely

Satyen Gandhi

Transport and Traffic Lead