Hornsby Shire Council

Attachment to Report No. WK75/09 Page 0

 

ATTENTION    MRS JUDY HOPWOOD - Member for Hornsby

                           EASTWOOD POLICE STATION – Sergeant Tara Phillips

                           ROADS AND TRAFFIC AUTHORITY – Mrs Divna Cvetojevic

                           THE MAYOR AND ALL COUNCILLORS - For your information

                           COUNCILLOR MICHAEL HUTCHENCE – Council’s representative

                           EXECUTIVE MANAGER WORKS – For your information

 

Road                   Shepherds Drive                                             Suburb        Cherrybrook

Location             Between Lemongrass Place and Kenburn Avenue

                                                                                                  

File Ref              F2004/09848                                                   LTC No.        25/2009

Electorate          Hornsby                                                          UBD Ref.     152-A9

______________________________________________________________________

 

REFERRAL OF TRAFFIC MATTER FOR COMMENT OR OBJECTION, IF ANY

________________________________________________________________________

 

SUMMARY

 

This report details the traffic implications for the proposed extension of “No “Parking” restrictions near Shepherds Lane and a new “No Parking” restriction near Glamorgan Way, Cherrybrook.

 

SUBJECT

 

SHEPHERDS LANE

 

Attached is an extract from report WK34/09 considered by Council at the Ordinary Meeting of 8 July 2009. Council resolved to refer the matter to the Local Traffic Committee for a recommendation.

 

Some residents have requested that parking restrictions in Shepherds Drive on the approach to the Kenburn Avenue roundabout be extended to allow more queuing during peak periods. When the Local Traffic Committee (LTC) considered the roundabout design in 2008, the extent of parking restrictions required to allow the roundabout to operate properly was assessed using traffic data. The LTC was concerned that excessive removal of parking would result in higher speeds in the vicinity of Shepherds Lane, the main access to Greenway Park. Therefore, peak period parking restrictions were only provided for approximately 60 metres between Shepherds Lane and the roundabout and about five vehicle parking spaces now remain during peaks. With parking removed all the way to Shepherds Lane, two lanes may queue across this intersection, making ingress and egress from Greenway Park more difficult as turning traffic would be required to judge the intentions of two lanes of moving traffic. Removing more parking from Shepherds Drive will also result in those vehicles relocating elsewhere in other sections of Shepherds Drive, Kenburn Avenue or Greenway Park and should only be implemented after assessment of these implications. This is discussed elsewhere in this report. 

 

Site observations confirm that the duration of queuing falls short of the warrant required to provide an “It is Illegal to Queue Across Intersections” pavement marking, which cannot be installed without RTA and Police approval. As queues across Shepherds Lane are almost constantly moving such a facility would be unworkable and unenforceable.

 

The extent of queuing in Shepherds Drive will continue to be monitored and if queues increase to levels experienced prior to the changes to the roundabout in August 2008, changes to traffic or parking management will be further considered and proposals referred to the Local Traffic Committee for consideration.

 

Given the volumes of traffic accessing Shepherds Drive during peak periods, and the relatively infrequent queuing past this point, it is recommended that the current parking restrictions be maintained. The current delays in Shepherds Drive meet prescribed performance standards and removing parking to achieve a slight reduction in delay does not justify the increased road safety risk of having two lanes queuing across Shepherds Lane.

 

Council seeks the Committee’s advice regarding the road safety implications of removing the six parking spaces between Shepherds Lane and Kenburn Avenue during peak periods.

 

GLAMORGAN WAY.

 

On 18 June 2009 Council, received a petition organised by the Strata Manager of The Manor, signed by residents representing fifty households, requesting that Council provide parking restrictions near the driveway to The Manor similar to that provided at intersections. The petitioners appear unaware that Glamorgan Way is a private driveway and not a public road. Hornsby Council does not provide parking restrictions at private driveways unless there is a documented crash history or the site characteristics indicate the location is a high risk. At the Ordinary Meeting of 8 July 2009, Council resolved that the matter be referred to the Local Traffic Committee for a recommendation.

 

There are 52 residences within The Manor. Assuming each residence has 2 off street parking spaces results in a total of 104 parking spaces. AS/NZS 2890.1 recommends that a driveway serving 101 to 300 parking spaces accessing a non arterial road should have a width between 6 and 9 metres without separation for driveways. Glamorgan Way is 12 metres wide at the boundary and 15.3 metres wide across the wings at the kerb and has separate ingress and egress carriageways. Council seeks input from the Committee regarding the extent of parking restrictions required.  

 

The Committee is advised that later this year Council’s Traffic and Road Safety Branch will develop a draft policy regarding parking restrictions at driveways. If adopted, this will be a new policy which will require liaison with other councils, the Police and the RTA, review of driveway related crash data across the Shire, the development of a risk assessment matrix, consideration of benefits and disbenefits including costs. The policy will provide guidelines on whether Council should provide parking restrictions at private driveways, and if so, how to rank priorities given the large number of driveways involved.

 

CONCLUSION

 

Both items to be determined following an on site meeting.

 

SITE MEETING

 

Local Traffic Committee representatives met on site at the intersection of Shepherds Lane and Shepherds Drive at 3.00 pm on Wednesday 12 August 2009. Mrs Judy Hopwood, Member for Hornsby sent apologies and was unable to attend. Snr Constable Keith Skinner from Eastwood Highway Patrol attended on behalf of Sgt Tara Philips. David Lance from the RTA attended on behalf of Mrs Divna Cvetojevic. Councillor Michael Hutchence also apologised for being unable to attend and participated in the Committee’s on site discussions via mobile phone set on loudspeaker.

 

The Committee spent over half an hour observing the school afternoon traffic peak flow out of Shepherds Lane and traffic flow in Shepherds Drive. All agreed at removing parking on the northern side of Shepherds Drive between Kenburn Avenue and Shepherds Lane would make leaving or entering Shepherds Lane more difficult due to the need for turning motorists to judge gaps across two lanes of traffic. Currently on street parking in Shepherds Drive limits through traffic into one lane which provides safer movement during traffic peaks. Queuing from the Kenburn Avenue roundabout was not extensive enough to effect the operation of Shepherds Lane during this visit however the Police and RTA representatives are aware that queuing occurs sporadically through peak periods.

 

The Committee is also aware that Council is working with Cherrybrook Village Shopping Centre Management to improve traffic flow within the shopping centre car park to reduce the frequency of queuing in Shepherds Drive. The need for further changes to parking and traffic management in Shepherds Drive should only be considered after Cherrybrook Village Shopping Centre management completes its review of pedestrian crossing points and aisle operation within the centre.

 

No vehicles were observed parked near Glamorgan Way and about 6 vehicles were observed entering and leaving the The Manor in the half hour. The Committee considers that the need to provide parking restrictions at this driveway to be a low priority compared to other driveways within the Shire. The Committee agreed that if Council was to change its procedure and provide parking restrictions at private driveways it should start by prioritising locations based on crash history, frequency of parking and traffic density.

 

RECOMMENDATION THAT

 

1.   The peak period parking restrictions from Kenburn Avenue to Shepherds Lane not be extended as removal of parking will make ingress and egress from Shepherds Lane more difficult during school and sports peaks.

2.   Parking restrictions not be considered at Glamorgan Way until Council completes its Shire driveway review.   

 

_________________________________________________________________________________

 

 

Lawrence Nagy

Chairman

 

 

Date __________