Background

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.