Improving Local Streets - Young Street, Parkside

Construction is scheduled to commence on 26 April 2020, and will take approximately four weeks. Each intersection will need to be closed for a short period of time whilst construction is occurring. Further details on the construction and traffic restrictions will be provided to residents directly affected by the contractor undertaking the work, Camco (SA) Pty Ltd Engineering Construction Managers, one week prior to the construction commencement date.

This project is a key recommendation of the Local Area Traffic Management (LATM) study undertaken in 2017/18. The LATM study process involved analysis of traffic data and consultation with residents and business in the area in 2017. Based on the traffic data and 300 responses received, it was identified that reducing rat running traffic, speeding, and improving road safety around schools, were high priority outcomes for the area. Following endorsement of these recommendations by Council, the community were notified of the recommendations in September 2018.

The LATM identified that motorists use the local residential street network to avoid the Fullarton Road/Glen Osmond Road intersection and Glen Osmond Road/Greenhill Road intersection. This results in unnecessary traffic on streets surrounding Parkside Primary School during the school drop-off period when a high number of vulnerable pedestrians are present. In addition to this, it results in an inappropriate traffic volume on Kenilworth Road and Stamford Street, which accommodate 25-32% of their total daily traffic solely during the 8-9am period.

This amount of traffic can detract from the residential nature of the area, creating a noisy, car-dominated environment, where it is difficult to exit driveways and cross the road. This is also not conducive to children walking or riding to school (which we are actively encouraging through the installation of two new pedestrian crossings on Young Street and Robsart Street over the coming months). Our goal is therefore to reduce the amount of traffic that cuts through the area, creating a more pleasant and safer residential environment for Parkside residents.

Feedback from our community suggests that it is important to maintain access for residents and local businesses. We therefore considered measures that would discourage traffic whilst maintaining local access. With this in mind, we determined that a Driveway Entry at the intersections of Stamford Street and Oxenbould Street with Young Street would achieve these goals, discouraging a portion of non-local traffic from cutting through the area, whilst maintaining access for local residents and the school community. Although originally planned, this treatment could not be implemented at Jaffrey Street due to its narrow width.

A Driveway Entry is a 20m section of road designed to look like a road closure, but with two-way access maintained via a narrow link, which resembles a private driveway. When located at an intersection, this discourages non-local traffic from entering as, from the perspective of a motorist on Young Street, the intersection would not be perceived as a route through to Greenhill Road. Access through the treatment by residents, waste collection vehicles, and emergency services will be maintained. Motorists will be required to slow and check if a vehicle is approaching the other end of the treatment prior to entering.

Other elements of the designs include:

• 60 and 70 square metres of additional landscaping provided at the Oxenbould Street and Stamford Street intersections, respectively, including five trees at each intersection. A planting palette is provided above.
• A raised plateau at all three intersections which will reduce traffic speeds and provide pedestrians a continuous footpath from George Street to Glen Osmond Road.
• A bench seat at Stamford Street and Oxenbould Street intersections to provide resting points, aligned with our Active Ageing Strategy.
• Loss of five parking spaces at Stamford Street and four at Oxenbould Street (no loss at Jaffrey Street following design changes).

A Driveway Entry is recognised in Australian Standards and State Government traffic guidelines as an effective traffic control device in discouraging short-cutting and through-traffic. However, as it is designed to discourage rather than prohibit access to these streets, it will only reduce the number of motorists cutting through the area, rather than eliminate the behaviour completely.

A Driveway Entry is a 20m section of road designed to look like a road closure, but with two-way access maintained via a narrow link, which resembles a private driveway. When located at an intersection, this discourages non-local traffic from entering as, from the perspective of a motorist on Young Street, the intersection would not be perceived as a route through to Greenhill Road. At a typical t-junction a motorist on the terminating road gives way to traffic turning from the continuing road. However, with a Driveway Entry, as there is only space for one vehicle through the device at a time, this will change. The motorist already negotiating the device needs to be allowed to exit before another vehicle enters. Typical scenarios are provided below.