Ordinary Meeting of Council 01 August 2018 4.5 COMMUNITY CONSULTATION - ORCHID AVE/BEECHBORO RD NORTH/BRIDGEMAN DR BENNETT SPRINGS Ward: (Altone Ward) (Asset Management) Disclosure of Interest: Nil Authorised Officer: (Executive Manager Operations) KEY ISSUES • At the Ordinary Council Meeting 13 December 2017, Council resolved to undertake consultation with the community in the area surrounding the current roundabout intersection of Beechboro Road North, Orchid Avenue and Bridgeman Drive, in Bennett Springs regarding vehicle and pedestrian access to and from properties in this vicinity. • On 9 March 2018, 308 letters were sent to Bennett Springs households regarding this matter, and 15 responses were received which equates to a 5% response rate. • There were four key themes arising from consultation: • Congestion of vehicles turning from Orchid Avenue onto Beechboro Road North due to high traffic volumes from Beechboro Road North; • Safety of pedestrians crossing Beechboro Road North from the Orchid Park estate to the shopping centre; • Sight line issues through the roundabout; and, • Lack of exiting routes from Orchid Park Estate. • The City has previously investigated the feasibility of a dedicated pedestrian crossing over Beechboro Road North and traffic signals. These treatments were not feasible. The City also constructed an emergency access route for the Orchid Park Estate to mitigate the risks of a single point of entry into the area. • Main Roads are currently in the process of constructing the NorthLink - a transport link between Morley and Muchea - which will run parallel to Beechboro Road North. A part of this works will involve closing the access from Reid Highway to Beechboro Road North. It is anticipated that this closure will reduce traffic volumes along Beechboro Road North by 25-30%, and therefore improve traffic flow through the Orchid Avenue and Bridgeman Drive roundabout. A footpath will also be provided along Reid Highway which will underpass Beechboro Road North to improve pedestrian safety. Works are anticipated to be completed by April 2019. 1 Ordinary Meeting of Council 01 August 2018 It is recommended that the Council note the outcome of previous investigations and the improvements to the traffic flow and pedestrian accessibility in this area due to the NorthLink project. BACKGROUND At the Ordinary Council Meeting 13 December 2017, Council resolved to: 1) Undertake consultation with the community in the area surrounding the current roundabout intersection of Beechboro Road North, Orchid Avenue and Bridgeman Drive, in Bennett Springs. The consultation would include notifying residents of the City’s awareness of the issue, the historical context and planned future changes to roads in that area. It would also include the implications those past decisions and current plans may have for making changes to that intersection’s functionality. The aim of the consultation is to identify community concerns, needs and ideas, in order to determine priority actions to improve vehicle and pedestrian access to and from properties in this vicinity. 2) Request that a report on the outcomes of the consultation be presented to a future meeting of council with suggested recommendations. On 9 March 2018, 308 letters were sent to Bennett Springs households regarding this matter, and 15 responses were received which equates to a 5% response rate. There were four key themes arising from consultation: • Congestion of vehicles turning from Orchid Avenue onto Beechboro Road North due to high traffic volumes from Beechboro Road North; • Safety of pedestrians crossing Beechboro Road North from the Orchid Park estate to the shopping centre; • Sight line issues through the roundabout; and, • Lack of exiting routes from Orchid Park Estate. A Summary of Submissions is attached to the report. DETAILS City officers have investigated the issues raised during consultation outlined as follows: Congestion at Roundabout In 2015, the City undertook traffic modelling of the intersection. The level of service of the roundabout was considered to be functioning at a level of service A and B in both morning and afternoon peak periods which represents the best operational condition (i.e. free flow). The City used this modelling to consider whether the installation of traffic signals would be feasible at this intersection. Although traffic signals would increase crossing 2 Ordinary Meeting of Council 01 August 2018 opportunities for pedestrians, the data indicated that signals are not an appropriate treatment as the overall impact on traffic queues would be detrimental. The City discussed this option with representatives of Main Roads WA (MRWA) who were not supportive of implementing signals based on the traffic modelling results. During recent consultation, some residents suggested that the installation of an additional lane allowing unimpeded left turn movements from Orchid Avenue onto Beechboro Road North would assist in alleviating congestion. According to traffic modelling, the number of vehicles undertaking this movement is at maximum 33 vehicles during peak hour. Therefore, it is considered that the cost of such a treatment, which would include possible land acquisitions/dedications, is not warranted. MRWA are currently in the process of constructing the NorthLink - a transport link between Morley and Muchea - which will run parallel to Beechboro Road North. A part of this works will involve closing the access from Reid Highway to Beechboro Road North. It is anticipated that this closure will reduce traffic volumes along Beechboro Road North by 25-30%, and therefore improve traffic flow through the Orchid Avenue and Bridgeman Drive roundabout. Works are anticipated to be completed by April 2019. Pedestrian Crossing Facilities Pedestrian crossings exist across the roundabout at the intersection of Beechboro Road North, Orchid Avenue and Bridgeman Drive. As traffic volumes through the intersection are high, pedestrians experience difficulty in crossing at this point. The reduction of traffic volumes associated with NorthLink will potentially increase opportunities for pedestrians to cross safely at the roundabout. As part of the NorthLink project, a footpath will be provided along Reid Highway which will underpass Beechboro Road North as shown in the attached plan. This will provide a crossing facility which eliminates the conflict between pedestrians and the high traffic volumes along Beechboro Road North. This is considered the optimum crossing solution for safety purposes; however is at a distance of 350m from the subject roundabout. Other options investigated by the City to improve pedestrian accessibility include traffic signals, zebra crossings and a pedestrian overpass. Traffic signals were found not to be feasible as mentioned above. Installation of a zebra crossing at the existing pedestrian crossing at the roundabout is not a recommended option. The purpose of the roundabout is to increase traffic flow through the intersection, and a zebra crossing at this location would cause congestion and traffic queues. It would also pose a risk to pedestrians crossing due to braking distances at the roundabout. The installation of a pedestrian zebra crossing may be more appropriate midway between the roundabout and Marshall Rd intersection or between the roundabout and the Reid Highway overpass, in accordance with relevant standards. Installation of a zebra crossing would require the approval of MRWA as the authorising body for such treatments. Pedestrian counts undertaken in both 2014 and 2015 indicate that the number of pedestrians attempting to cross does not meet MRWA's requirements for the installation of dedicated crossing infrastructure. As part of the assessment process, MRWA would need to consider safety issues as well as potential congestion and queuing that may be caused by the crossing. 3 Ordinary Meeting of Council 01 August 2018 A pedestrian overpass is estimated to cost in excess of $1 million to install based on cost information obtained previously for similar projects. Such structures also require an adequate area in order to ensure that pedestrian gradients are not excessive on approach ramps. Given the cost, and the proximity of the underpass at the intersection of Reid Highway and Beechboro Road North which will provide a similar function, it is considered that a structure of this nature is not warranted. It is considered that the improvements undertaken as part of the NorthLink project will provide adequate pedestrian connectivity. Sight Lines A sight line inspection of the roundabout was undertaken by City officers. The vegetation in the centre of the roundabout currently impacts on driver sight lines. The City's maintenance team will remove and uplift the vegetation to improve sightlines. The brick entry statement structure on the north-western corner of the roundabout creates a visibility restriction for drivers turning left from Orchid Avenue onto Beechboro Road North. The structure is 1.7m from the edge of the road and is non-frangible, and therefore could create a hazard in the event of a traffic incident. Entry statements are usually constructed by developers at the time of subdivision and are costly for the City to maintain and replace. However, the community often value the amenity of these structures. There is a private fence on the south western corner of the roundabout which creates sightline issues for drivers turning out of Orchid Avenue. The fence is compliant and is constructed on the property line, and