TRANSPORT FOR NSW DECEMBER 2018 CONFIDENTIAL Young Street Road Closure Traffic Management Plan
TABLE OF 1 INTRODUCTION ...... 3 1.1 BACKGROUND ...... 3 CONTENTS 1.2 STUDY AREA ...... 3 1.3 TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT PLAN OBJECTIVES ...... 4 1.4 REPORT OUTLINE ...... 5
2 EXISTING CONDITIONS ...... 6 2.1 ROAD NETWORK ...... 6 2.2 VEHICLE RESTRICTIONS ...... 7 2.3 BUS NETWORK ...... 9 2.3.1 BUS ROUTES AND SERVICES ...... 9 2.3.2 BUS STOPS ...... 12 2.3.3 BUS PRIORITY INFRASTRUCTURE ...... 12 2.4 PEDESTRIANS ...... 13 2.5 CYCLISTS ...... 13 2.6 PARKING ...... 14 2.7 SERVICING VEHICLES ...... 15 2.8 LAND USE ...... 15
3 TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT PLAN ...... 17 3.1 IMPACTS ON RE-ASSIGNED TRAFFIC ...... 17 3.2 IMPACTS ON OFF-STREET AND ON-STREET PARKING ...... 18 3.3 IMPACTS ON PUBLIC TRANSPORT, CYCLISTS AND PEDESTRIANS ...... 19 3.4 IMPACTS ON EMERGENCY SERVICES ...... 20 3.5 MITIGATIONS ...... 22 3.5.1 CLOSURE TREATMENT OPTIONS ...... 22 3.5.2 TREATMENT AT INTERSECTIONS ...... 23 3.5.3 PROCESS PRIOR TO IMPLEMENTATION ...... 24 3.5.4 CONSTRUCTION TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT ...... 24
4 SUMMARY ...... 26
LIST OF TABLES TABLE 1.1 REPORT STRUCTURE OUTLINE ...... 5 TABLE 2.1 LOCAL ROAD NETWORK ...... 7 TABLE 2.2 LIST OF BUS ROUTES OPERATION ALONG THE MILITARY ROAD CORRIDOR ...... 9 TABLE 2.3 EXISTING BUS AND HOV PRIORITY FACILITIES ...... 12 TABLE 3.1 SUMMARY OF ON-STREET PARKING PROVISION PRE- AND POST-YOUNG STREET CLOSURE ...... 19
LIST OF FIGURES FIGURE 1.1 YOUNG STREET NEUTRAL BAY CLOSURE STUDY AREA ...... 4 FIGURE 2.1 ROAD NETWORK IN THE STUDY AREA ...... 6 FIGURE 2.2 VEHICLE RESTRICTIONS WITHIN THE STUDY AREA ...... 8 FIGURE 2.3 EXISTING PUBLIC TRANSPORT NETWORK ...... 11 FIGURE 2.4 NORTH SYDNEY CYCLING NETWORK PLAN WITHIN THE STUDY AREA ...... 14 FIGURE 2.5 EXISTING LAND ZONING ...... 16 FIGURE 3.1 EXTRACTED FROM THE PROPOSED YOUNG STREET UPGRADE PLAN PREPARED BY GROUP GSA FOR NORTH SYDNEY COUNCIL (DATED 19/12/2017) ...... 18 FIGURE 3.2 BUILDING AND STRUCTURE HEIGHT CLEARANCE ...... 21 FIGURE 3.3 MINIMUM CARRIAGEWAY WIDTHS – STRAIGHT SECTIONS ...... 21 FIGURE 3.4 MINIMUM CARRIAGEWAY WIDTHS – CURVED SECTIONS ...... 22 FIGURE 3.5 SHARED ZONE TREATMENT EXAMPLE SHOWING REGULATORY SIGNAGE AND BOLLARDS – PITT STREET MALL, SYDNEY ...... 23 FIGURE 3.6 VMS MESSAGE CONTENT EXAMPLE ...... 25
LIST OF APPENDICES APPENDIX A TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT PLAN IN A-H LIST FORMAT
1 INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND
Transport for NSW (TfNSW) Infrastructure and Services Division has been given responsibility for the delivery of the Northern Beaches B-Line Program (NBBP), in conjunction with Roads and Maritime Services (Roads and Maritime). The NBBP is a bus network servicing the Northern Beaches from Mona Vale to the City (B-Line). TfNSW is delivering this program on behalf of the NSW Government and Roads and Maritime to provide an integrated program approach. As part of the NBBP Project, TfNSW is developing a Traffic Management Plan (TMP) for closing Young Street in consultation with North Sydney Council. The Council have prepared concept designs of the streetscape and public domain area for the proposed Young Street Closure section. This Traffic Management Plan report provides a high-level assessment of the area supporting a future master plan of streetscape and public domain works in Neutral Bay to be provided by North Sydney Council. Young Street services the local town centre, key retailers and businesses in Neutral Bay, including associated major on and off-street parking facilities. The closure of Young Street at Military Road is anticipated to result in some redistribution of traffic through the local road network to the north of Military Road. This study aims to assess the road closure’s impact on local traffic through traffic modelling.
1.2 STUDY AREA
The project site is situated in the Sydney suburb of Neutral bay in the North Sydney Council Local Government Area (LGA). The proposed extent of the study area is presented in Figure 1.1, bounded by Military Road to the south, Ben Boyd Road to the west, Belgrave Street to the north and Waters Road to the east. Military Road is the key arterial road within the study area to be assessed as part of this study. This includes existing intersections (circled in Figure 1.1) which have been reviewed to determine the change in intersection operation, redistributed routes and traffic volumes through the intersections.
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Figure 1.1 Young Street Neutral Bay Closure study area
1.3 TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT PLAN OBJECTIVES
The key project objective is to assess and understand the traffic impact of closing Young Street between Military Road and Grosvenor Lane, and identify the impacts to local traffic movements in the study area bounded by Ben Boyd Road, Belgrave Street, Waters Road and Military Road, Neutral Bay. This Traffic Management Plan report has been prepared following the completion of the Young Street Road Closure Traffic Impact Study report (WSP, 2018). The objective of this plan is to:
— Further investigate and consider the impacts to the local road network within the area bound by the Military Road, Ben Boyd Road, Belgrave Road and Waters Road corridors.
— Consider the impact of the changed traffic demand along these local roads in terms of road capacity and operation, property access, parking supply and demand, pedestrian and cycle routes, emergency vehicle access and building on the modelling work already performed.
— Identify traffic management measures to be implemented during and post-construction.
— Include recommendations for mitigation measures—where appropriate—to address any performance or access issues and satisfy any potential community and/or stakeholder concerns.
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1.4 REPORT OUTLINE
The structure adopted for the Traffic Management Plan is summarised in Table 1.1.
Table 1.1 Report structure outline
Section in Task How the task is delivered report
2 Summarise existing road — Describes the existing road network, key intersections, pedestrians and network conditions cycling facilities and public transport provision within the study area. — Identifies key intersections within the study area where impacts are expected to be greatest.
3 Prepare a Traffic — Reviews the overall impacts on the re-assigned traffic. Management Plan (TMP) — Assesses the impacts of on and off-street parking. with the aim to mitigate traffic impacts of the — Assesses the impacts on cycling, pedestrians and public transport. proposed Yong Street — Assesses the impacts on emergency service access. closure — Discusses the mitigations.
4 Summary — Summarises the impact of the proposed Young Street Closure.
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2 EXISTING CONDITIONS
This section describes the existing road network, key intersections, pedestrian and cycling facilities and public transport provision.
2.1 ROAD NETWORK
The existing road network within the study area consists of Military Road, Young Street, Ben Boyd Road, Belgrave Street, Grosvenor Street, and Waters Road, as well as a few laneways such as Grosvenor Lane, Young Lane, Belgrave Lane, Cooper Lane, Martens Lane and Waters Lane. The local road network within the Neutral Bay commercial district is in a grid pattern, located entirely within the North Sydney Council LGA. North Sydney Council is the authority responsible for all roads within the study area, exempting Military Road which is classified as a state road under Roads and Maritime jurisdiction. Figure 2.1 shows a map of the surrounding road network and its relevant roads, while their description is provided in the section following.
Figure 2.1 Road network in the study area As a state road, Military Road provides a primary east-west connection through several lower north shore suburbs including Neutral Bay, Cremorne and Mosman. It connects the Warringah Freeway and Falcon Street to the west and intersects with Spit Road to the east. From there, Military Road becomes a local road and runs into the Mosman suburb, providing connections to local roads. As the primary connection between the Northern Beaches/Manly and North Sydney/Sydney, Military Road carries substantial through and local traffic. The annual average daily traffic (AADT) of Military Road in Neutral Bay exceeds 75,000 vehicles; thus, congestion regularly occurs during peak hours.
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To ease congestion along the Military Road Corridor, a tidal flow lane management system, time-operated bus lane and clearways have been implemented. Clearways operate during both weekday AM and PM peak hours in the eastbound direction. Bus lanes operate during weekday AM peak hours in the westbound direction. Movable medians, overhead lane guidance signals and associated in-pavement lights operate on Military Road, between the intersections of Young Street and Hampden Avenue. In conjunction with the clearways and bus lane operation, this tidal system creates two eastbound travel lanes, two westbound travel lanes and one westbound bus lane during weekday AM peak hours. To improve bus services and avoid interruption to traffic flow, an indented bus stop is created in the westbound direction, from just east of Rangers Road through to Wycombe Road. This arrangement allows buses that do not stop at Neutral Bay to overtake traffic. Outside weekday AM peak hours, the system allows three eastbound lanes and three westbound lanes. On-street parking is permitted in the kerbside lane in both directions. Belgrave Street (situated between Ernest Street and Gerard Street) is a regional road that runs parallel to Military Road in an east-west direction between the Warringah Freeway and Falcon Street to the west, and intersects with Macpherson Street to the east. In the study area, this is a four-lane, two-lane undivided road with a posted speed limit of 50 km/h. Ben Boyd Road runs in a north-south direction through Neutral Bay and connects Cremorne to the north. It enables access between Military Road and the areas on both sides of the road corridor. Young Street also follows a north-south alignment, connecting Military Road to the south and Wonga Road to the north. It provides a connection between the residential area in Cremorne and the commercial area in Neutral Bay. The key roads within the study area are summarised in Table 2.1.
Table 2.1 Local road network
Road Classification Speed limit Lanes/direction Military Road State road 60 km/h* Weekday AM peak – 2 eastbound and 4 westbound Other periods – 3 lanes each direction
Belgrave Street Regional road 50 km/h* 2
Ben Boyd Road Local road 50 km/h 2
Waters Road Local road 50 km/h* 1
Young Street Local road 50 km/h 1
Grosvenor Street Local road 50 km/h 1
Grosvenor Lane Local road 50 km/h west of Young Street 1 lane eastbound only 10 km/h east of Young Street *40 km/h during school hours at some sections
2.2 VEHICLE RESTRICTIONS
A review of Roads and Maritime Restricted Access Vehicle (RAV) information and details obtained during the site inspection indicate the following restrictions apply to certain vehicles in the study area (refer to Figure 2.2):
— No B-double travel is permitted within the entire study area
— No right-turn movement ban is implemented at the following intersections:
— Military Road at Ben Boyd Road (east and westbound)
— Military Road at Young Street (east and southbound)
— Military Road at Wycombe Road (eastbound)
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— Military Road at Waters Road/Rangers Road (all four approaches) — Ernest Street at Ben Boyd Road (eastbound)
— Belgrave Street at Waters Road (eastbound) — Belgrave Street at Cooper Lane (westbound)
— One-way scheme applies to Grosvenor Lane and a few north-south laneways between Grosvenor Lane and Grosvenor Street. These one-way local roads are:
— Grosvenor Lane (eastbound only) — Ben Boyd Lane between Grosvenor Lane and Grosvenor Street (southbound only)
— Young Lane between Grosvenor Lane and Grosvenor Street (northbound only) — Cooper Lane between Grosvenor Lane and Grosvenor Street (northbound only)
— Waters Lane between Grosvenor Lane and Grosvenor Street (southbound only)
— Vehicle gross load limit of 10 tonnes applies to Belgrave Street, with exception of buses as per existing signposting.
Figure 2.2 Vehicle restrictions within the study area
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2.3 BUS NETWORK
2.3.1 BUS ROUTES AND SERVICES The Military Road Corridor is served by an established bus network that caters for a wide range of trips. Opportunities to interchange between routes are promoted at major stops. The current bus network contains a variety of all-stops, limited stops and express services, joining and leaving the Corridor at several locations. The bus network map, with the Corridor from Warringah Freeway and Spit Road highlighted in blue shading, is shown in Figure 2.3. A list of bus services (44 in total) that operate along the Corridor is provided in Table 2.2. These routes have been divided into route groups, which categorise services by origin-destination (OD) and stopping pattern. These route groupings are used at busy bus stops, where services are split between different stands to assist passenger boarding.
Table 2.2 List of bus routes operation along the Military Road Corridor
Route Group Operating bus services along the corridor
B-Line Mona Vale to City Express/Limited stop services B1 – Mona Vale – Dee Why – Balgowlah – City
Manly to Pacific Highway All Stop Services 143 – Manly – Balgowlah – St Leonards – Chatswood 144 – Manly – Royal North Shore Hospital – Chatswood
North of Spit Bridge to City All Stop Services 151 – Mona Vale – Manly – Military Road – City 169 – Manly – Narraweena – City 178 – Cromer Heights – Dee Why – Balgowlah – City 180 – Collaroy Plateau – Dee Why – Balgowlah – City 188 – Mona Vale – Warringah Mall – Balgowlah – City
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Route Group Operating bus services along the corridor
Express/Limited stop services E65 – South Curl Curl – City E69 – Manly – Narraweena – City E66 – Allambie Skyline Shops – City E68 – Brookvale – North Balgowlah – City E70 – Manly – Balgowlah – City E71 – Manly – Balgowlah Heights – City E75 – Brookvale – Balgowlah – City E76 – Dee Why – North Curl Curl – City E77 – Dee Why – Wingala – City E78 – Cromer Heights – Dee Why – City E79 – Wheeler Heights – Dee Why – City E80 – Collaroy Plateau – Dee Why – City E83 – North Narrabeen – City E85 – Mona Vale – Warriewood – City E88 – North Avalon – City E89 – Avalon – City L90 – Palm Beach – City
North of Spit Bridge to All Stop Services North Sydney/Milsons Point 168 – North Balgowlah – Milsons Point 173 – Narraweena – North Sydney – Milsons Point
Express/Limited stop services E50 – Manly – North Sydney – Milsons Point E54 – Mona Vale – Milsons Point
Local services joining and All Stop Services leaving Military Road 225 – Cremorne Point Wharf – Neutral Bay Junction – Neutral Bay Wharf 263 – Crows Nest – Cremorne – City
Military Road to North Sydney/ All Stop Services Milsons Point 227 – Mosman Junction – North Sydney – Milsons Point 228 – Clifton Gardens – North Sydney – Milsons Point 229 – Beauty Point – North Sydney – Milsons Point 230 – Mosman Wharf – Spit Junction – Milsons Point
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Route Group Operating bus services along the corridor
Military Road to City All Stop Services 243 – Spit Junction – North Cremorne – City 244 – Chowder Bay – Mosman Junction – Military Road – City 245 – Balmoral – Mosman Junction – Military Road – City 246 – Balmoral Heights – Spit Junction – Military Road – City 247 – Taronga Zoo – Mosman Junction – Military Road – City 248 – Seaforth – Military Road – City 249 – Beauty Point – Spit Junction – Military Road – City
Balmoral to Chatswood All Stop Services 257 – Balmoral to Chatswood via Crows nest
Metrobus All Stop Services M30 Metrobus – Taronga Zoo – Spit Junction – Neutral Bay – City – University of Sydney – King Street – Sydenham Source: Bus routes and timetables information from https://transportnsw.info/, viewed 10 September 2018
Source: Extracted from State Transit lower north shore network map, https://transportnsw.info/, viewed 9 October 2018 Figure 2.3 Existing public transport network
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2.3.2 BUS STOPS There are four bus stops in the inbound direction and one bus stop in the outbound direction along the Military Road Corridor within the study area. A bus stop (Neutral Bay Junction, Military Road, Stand E) exists on the northern side of Military Road, approximately 40 m east of Young Street, which serves the eastbound bus services. On the opposite side of Military Road, there is a bus stop located approximately 40 m west of Young Street. Between Rangers Road and Wycombe Road on the southern side of Military Road, there are three bus stops (Neutral Bay Junction, Military Road, Stand A, B and C) also serving the westbound bus services.
2.3.3 BUS PRIORITY INFRASTRUCTURE Roads and Maritime has provided bus and “high occupancy vehicle” (HOV) priority along the Corridor to prioritise bus movement, improve bus reliability and reduce bus travel times, as well as promoting shared use of cars. The current bus and HOV facilities located within and adjacent to the study area are listed in Table 2.3.
Table 2.3 Existing bus and HOV priority facilities
Facility Inbound Outbound
Weekday AM peak
Bus lanes — Military Road from Hampden Avenue to Watson Street (6.00 am– 10.00 am Monday– Friday)
— Military Road from Belmont Road to Murdoch Street (6.00 am–10.00 am Monday–Friday)
Clearway — Military Road from Watson Street to Young Street (6.00 am–10.00 am Monday– Friday) — Military Road from Young Street to Hamden Avenue (5.00 am–11.00 am Monday–Friday)
— Military Road from Winnie Street to Spofforth Street (5.00 am–11.00 am Monday– Friday)
Weekday PM peak
T3 Transit — Military Road from Waters Road to west of lanes Winnie Street (3.00 pm–7.00 pm Monday– Friday)
Clearway — Military Road from Watson Street to Hampden Avenue (3.00 pm–7.00 pm Monday–Friday)
— Military Road from Winnie Street to Spofforth Street (3.00 pm–7.00 pm Monday–Friday)
24 hour
Bus lanes — Military Road from Winnie Street to Spencer Road
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2.4 PEDESTRIANS
Trafficable footpaths are provided along Military Road and most local streets within the study area, exempting some laneways where footpaths are narrow or disconnected. A shared zone is implemented in Grosvenor Lane between Young Street and Waters Road, where the default speed limit is reduced to 10 km/h and vehicles are required to give way to pedestrians. In preparing this study, it is noted that North Sydney Council is currently considering a proposal to extend the shared zone in Grosvenor Lane further west to include the section between Ben Boyd Road and Young Street. This proposal was published on the Council website for public consultation in early July 2018. North Sydney Council has advised through their local traffic committee submission that this proposal is not anticipated to impact existing travel patterns. Full pedestrian access via signalised pedestrian crossings is accommodated at most intersections within the study area. At Belgrave Street and Young Street, signalised pedestrian crossings are only provided on the east and west legs. Partial provision of crossing facilities at this intersection results in a disconnection of pedestrian access in an east-west direction. Additionally, a pedestrian crossing is not provided on the west leg of the Belgrave Street and Waters Road intersection. Pedestrians crossing at this location would need to utilise the crossing facilities on other legs and travel a longer distance. Other facilities within the study area include a pedestrian (zebra) crossing on Waters Road, south of Grosvenor Street. Ben Boyd Road, Young Street and Waters Road all provide north-south access for pedestrians within the study area connecting Military Road. There are also pedestrian laneways and through-building connections between the Grosvenor Lane car park and Military Road. Young Street is centrally located within the Neutral Bay commercial district and attracts the most pedestrian demand and activity amongst the three north-south links. Young Street also intersects with Grosvenor Lane and Grosvenor Street, where high pedestrian activities are already generated by the existing shared zone, on-street and off-street parking and nearby shops. A signalised mid-block pedestrian crossing exists on Military Road, 15 m west of Young Street, providing an indirect link between commercial uses on either side of the road.
2.5 CYCLISTS
There are limited cycle facilities provided within the study area at present. Based on the cycling information obtained from the North Sydney Council, Route 2 alignment which mainly consists of a separated bi-directional bicycle path (shown as blue line in Figure 2.4) has been provided along Merlin Street, Ernest Street, Park Avenue, Sutherland Street, Young Street (north of Sutherland Street), Benelong Road, Brightmore Street and Tobruk Avenue. This route likely attracts high cycling activities travelling to and from the adjacent North Sydney and Cremorne suburbs. Whilst Route 2 alignment provides a safe off-road bicycle path in an east-west direction, there is a missing link (shown as red dash line in Figure 2.4) between this Route 2 alignment and the Neutral Bay shops. Information obtained from North Sydney Council indicates that a cycling route has already been proposed along Young Street within the study area. This future route runs north-south along Young Street between Military Road and Sutherland Street, and connects the existing separated bicycle path Route 2 alignment at the Sutherland Street intersection. There is also existing on-street mixed bicycle route along Yeo Street which is referred to as Route 5. Route 5 is located south of the Military Road corridor, following an east-west alignment. North Sydney Council has plans to upgrade this Route 5 into a separated bicycle path to further improve bicycle facilities. Council is also investigating additional bicycle treatments in Barry Street which is a north-south street between Military Road and Yeo Street, opposite to Young Street. It is evident that the existing and/or future bicycle facilities located in the respective north and south of the Military Corridor are isolated. There is an existing missing link between Route 2 and Route 5. The implications of the road closure to cyclists, given this proposed bicycle connection, will be discussed in the following section 3.3. There are isolated bicycle parking facilities on Young Street and Grosvenor Street, including bicycle hoops on parking sign poles.
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Source: North Sydney Council cycling network update Figure 2.4 North Sydney Cycling Network plan within the study area
2.6 PARKING
On-street parking is generally permitted on the following local roads within the study area:
— Both sides of Belgrave Street between Ben Boyd Lane and Waters Road. Clearway restrictions apply to the northern kerbside parking between 3.00 and 7.00 pm Monday to Friday, and the southern kerbside parking between 6.00 and 10.00 am Monday to Friday, respectively. 2-hour resident preferential parking (RPP) restrictions apply to some sections of on-street parking along Belgrave Street outside clearway hours.
— Both sides of Young Street between Military Road and Belgrave Street. 2-hour RPP restrictions apply to the section north of Grosvenor Street. The section south of Grosvenor Street consists of various short-term parking restrictions including 10 minutes, ½ hour and 1 hour to suit parking demand associated with nearby commercial uses. One timed loading zone (approx. one parking space) is provided along the western kerbside, north of Military Road. Another timed loading zone (approx. two parking spaces) is provide along the eastern kerbside, south of Grosvenor Street.
— Both sides of Ben Boyd Street between Military Road and Grosvenor Street. Parking is restricted to short-term time slots such as ½-hour or 1-hour, and time-operated loading zones.
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— Both sides of Grosvenor Street between Ben Boyd Street and Waters Road. Restrictions include 2-hour meter parking, ½-hour parking and ½-hour RPP.
— Both sides of Waters Road between Military Road and Belgrave Street. Restrictions include 2-minute parking, 1-hour parking, 1-hour metered parking, loading zone, disability parking and 1-hour RPP during school hours outside the Redlands school frontage.
— North side of Grosvenor Lane. Loading zone, truck zone and short-term parking restrictions such as ¼-hour and 1-hour apply to the northern kerbside parking. An open car park consisting of approx. 65 spaces is located south of Grosvenor Lane between Young Street and Waters Road, providing short-term parking (1½ hours) to the surrounding shops. Observations on-site suggest that on-street parking within the study area is well occupied during peak business hours; few vacant spaces were spotted. The study area mainly consists of short-term on-street parking which suggests high turnover, and would generate some circulating traffic due to difficulty in finding a parking space. On-street parking is also permitted in the kerbside lanes on Military Road in Neutral Bay, outside the clearway and bus lane hours. Parking restrictions include ½-hour, 1-hour and 2-hour time slots. Apart from on-street parking and the open car park in Grosvenor Lane, Woolworths (supermarket) Neutral Bay provides an off-street car park for customer parking, with access from Grosvenor Street between Cooper Lane and Waters Lane.
2.7 SERVICING VEHICLES
Typical service vehicles of 8.8-metre length access can be accommodated on most local roads within the study area given the current carriageway widths. In laneways where the carriageway width is narrow, “No Parking” restrictions have been implemented to enable access. Loading zones and truck zones are provided at various locations throughout the study area which accommodate frequent delivery activities. Service vehicles would utilise Ben Boyd Road or Waters Road as the primary access route to/from Military Road. These service vehicles can travel further along Grosvenor Lane, if required, as a service lane to access the shops. With the existing kerb extensions and median, the Military Road/Young Street intersection appears to be restricted for large vehicle swept paths; thus, it is considered that the number of large vehicles entering or exiting Young Street would be limited. Woolworths Neutral Bay is bounded by Grosvenor Street, Grosvenor Lane, Cooper Lane and Waters Lane. The Woolworths store has a loading dock at the northeast corner of the site. The driveway is off Grosvenor Lane, east of Cooper Lane. Delivery trucks (up to 12.5-metre long) for Woolworths Neutral Bay do not currently utilise Young Street to gain access. These delivery trucks likely travel along Ben Boyd Road and turn into Grosvenor Lane to access the loading dock. After the loading/unloading, delivery trucks would need to continue travelling eastbound along Grosvenor Lane and exit onto Waters Road.
2.8 LAND USE
Young Street locates centrally within the Neutral Bay commercial district, with commercial and retail development nearby. Commercial uses are generally small to medium scale. Two Woolworths stores are located on either side of Military Road, namely Woolworth Neutral Bay (within the study area) and Woolworth Neutral Bay Village. Several retail malls with small shops also exist within the Neutral Bay Town Centre. In general, a mixed-use development of two to five stories makes up the predominant typology and scale. To the north and south of Military Road, mixed-use transitions into residential neighbourhoods. This is made up of predominantly low-density residential, with several medium and high rise residential building anomalies scattered throughout.
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The land use zoning within the study area is summarised in Figure 2.5 and primarily consists of:
— B4 – Mixed-use
— R4 – High-density residential
— R3 – Low-density residential.
Source: North Sydney Local Environmental Plan 2013 Figure 2.5 Existing land zoning
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3 TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT PLAN
This section investigated and considered the impacts to the local road network, due to the proposed Young Street Closure. The proposal comprises of a road closure in Young Street between Military Street and Grosvenor Lane, Neutral Bay. Group GSA Pty Ltd has developed a concept design on behalf of North Sydney Council. The design includes landscape and streetscape works to create a separation between pedestrians and vehicles. The plan also indicates some changes to the on-street parking arrangement in Young Street. In addition, the proposal may comprise the realignment of the existing signalised mid-block pedestrian crossing on Military Road west of the Young Street intersection. The new alignment of the signalised mid-block crossing is expected to directly connect the proposed Young Street Closure and May Gibbs Place. A comprehensive Traffic Impact Assessment (TIA) report has been developed separately to examine the network performance within the study area in details using SIDRA modelling. This section has built on the findings from the TIA report. Recommendations for mitigation measures were developed with the aim to minimise the potential adverse traffic impacts. A Traffic Management Plan (TMP) in Roads and Maritime Standard A–H list format is provided in Appendix A.
3.1 IMPACTS ON RE-ASSIGNED TRAFFIC
The TIA has concluded the following findings based on a comprehensive modelling assessment:
— Military Road intersections within the study area will experience excessive delays and queues along the Corridor, but this poor performance is caused by background traffic growth rather than the proposed road closure. The proposed road closure is not anticipated to generate unacceptable impact on the Military Road Corridor, particularly given the constant or improved queue-length along this corridor.
— The proposed road closure would affect the intersection performance at the Waters Road/Rangers Road intersection. Most traffic currently egressing from Young Street into Military Road would be redistributed as left-turn movements from Waters Road. This movement is the critical movement at this priority-controlled intersection, which generates the highest average delays and subsequently affects the LoS and queues on the north approach to this intersection. However, drivers may experience less delays and queues when eastbound traffic on Military Road gives way to traffic on the side street in stand still traffic situations. Drivers exiting Waters Road may also choose alternative routes once delays become excessive. These would both serve to reduce the actual delays below those forecast by the traffic modelling
— The modelling results indicated similar DoS, average delays, LoS and queue-length at all four intersections along the Belgrave Street Corridor to the current layout. These results suggest that the proposed road closure would not generate any noticeable adverse impact along the Corridor.
— The proposed road closure would not significantly alter the performance at the other intersections within the study area. The only noticeable difference was identified at the intersection of Waters Road and Grosvenor Lane where slightly longer queues would form on the north approach with the road closure. Overall, the impact associated with the redistributed traffic due to the Young Street Closure is limited to a few locations. The modelling results revealed that traffic egressing Waters Road would experience longer delays and form lengthier queues. There are limited alternative route options as to replace the access via Young Street. The redistributed traffic after the Young Street Closure will either access the study area via Military Road/Ben Boyd Road or Military Road/Waters Road intersections. The travel distance of detour is minimal given the relatively dense grid road network. Residents who are familiar with the area are often able to identify quicker routes based on their local knowledge and thus minimise delay. Most the road users are not anticipated to be significantly inconvenienced by the Young Street Closure.
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As discussed in section 2.7, Young Street does not appear to be the primary route for service vehicles. The impact on service vehicle access due to the road closure is also considered minimal. No noticeable impact is expected for Woolworths supermarket delivery trucks or other service vehicles which are currently using Grosvenor Lane.
3.2 IMPACTS ON OFF-STREET AND ON-STREET PARKING
Properties fronting the closure section of Young Street between Military Road and Grosvenor Lane are generally small-to-medium-scale commercial uses with most having off-street parking accesses provided from Grosvenor Lane. Only one driveway exists within the affected block at No. 7 Young Street, which is located approximately 40 m north of Military Road. The project concept designs (Figure 3.1) prepared by Group GSA Pty Ltd indicate that the existing vehicular access to No. 7 Young Street would be retained via a short path along Young Street between Grosvenor Lane and the driveway. Therefore, no other vehicular access to off-street parking would be blocked by the proposal.
Source: TfNSW Young Street road closure traffic impact assessment tender brief Figure 3.1 Extracted from the proposed Young Street upgrade plan prepared by Group GSA for North Sydney Council (dated 19/12/2017) In terms of on-street parking in Young Street, the proposed road closure would result in the loss of ten on-street parking spaces and one loading zone space in Young Street. The changes to on-street parking are summarised in Table 3.1. The project does not propose to alter other nearby on-street parking on other streets.
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Table 3.1 Summary of on-street parking provision pre- and post-Young Street Closure
Road section Kerbside Pre-road closure Post-road closure Change Remove: — 1 x timed loading zone — 1 x timed loading Young Street between (1 space) zone (1 space) Military Road and Western — 0 spaces — 2 x 10-minute spaces Grosvenor Lane — 2 x 10-minute — 5 x 1-hour spaces spaces — 5 x 1-hour spaces
Young Street between Remove: Military Road and Eastern — 5 x 1-hour spaces — 0 space Grosvenor Lane — 5 x 1-hour spaces
— 1 x mail zone Install: Young Street between (1 space) Grosvenor Lane and Western — 1 x mail zone (1 space) — 7 x 90-degree — 7 x 90-degree angle Grosvenor Street angle spaces spaces
— 1 x timed loading zone Remove: Young Street between (2 spaces) — 1 x timed loading zone Grosvenor Lane and Eastern — 5 x ½-hour 60- (2 spaces) Grosvenor Street — 5 x ½-hour 60-degree degree angle angle spaces spaces
— 2 x timed loading zones — 1 x timed loading zone Nett loss of (3 spaces) (2 spaces) — 1 loading zone (1 Overall Both — 1 x mail zone (1 space) — 1 x mail zone (1 space) space)
— 17 spaces — 7 spaces — 10 spaces
Based on on-site observations, on-street parking is at a premium in Neutral Bay. On-street loading zones are provided at various locations to accommodate high delivery parking demands. The removal of the loading zone in Young Street is likely to intensify the use of nearby loading zones on the northern side of Grosvenor Lane, west of Young Street and on the eastern side of Young Street, south of Grosvenor Street in the future. This would require a longer walking distance of up to 150 metres to businesses in the closed block of Young Street. However, this is not dissimilar to other locations within the busy suburban centre, where the closest loading facility may not always be available. The loss of ten on-street parking spaces in the Neutral Bay commercial district is anticipated to have minor impact given the high parking demand. Regular parking enforcement may encourage the turnover of the surrounding short-term parking space which could improve the on-street parking supply.
3.3 IMPACTS ON PUBLIC TRANSPORT, CYCLISTS AND PEDESTRIANS
As there is no existing public bus route using this section of Young Street, the proposal is not anticipated to generate noticeable adverse impact on bus services. The closure of Young Street may improve the bus service efficiencies along Military Road by reducing the amount of traffic entering and exiting from the kerbside transit lane on Military Road at Young Street intersection and therefore less interruption to traffic.
Project No PS109579 WSP Young Street Road Closure December 2018 Traffic Management Plan Page 19 Transport for NSW
The project concept designs include a shared path along Young Street between Grosvenor Street and Military Road. Cycling and pedestrian safety is anticipated to improve substantially given the increased separation from vehicular traffic. The pedestrianisation of the southern end of Young Street may attract greater pedestrian activities and activate the existing shop frontage along Young Street. Realignment of the signalised pedestrian mid-block crossing to provide a direct pedestrian link between May Gibbs Place and Young Street would further enhance the connectivity of Young Street as a preferred pedestrian route. Pedestrian circulation will become more direct in line with the pedestrian desire line and thus shorten walking distance. As May Gibbs Place is already a pedestrianised road, the proposed Young Street Closure with the realigned signalised pedestrian mid-block crossing would encourage pedestrian movements across the Military Road corridor and activate the retail areas on both sides of the Military Road corridor. This will also improve the connection between the existing bicycle routes located north and south of the Military Road corridor to be connected via Barry Street and then join the Yeo Street cycleway.
3.4 IMPACTS ON EMERGENCY SERVICES
The NSW Fire Brigades Guidelines for emergency vehicle access 2010 (Policy No. 4 Version 02) has been used as the primary reference document for this part of the assessment. Figure 3.2, Figure 3.3 and Figure 3.4 show the space requirements for NSW Fire Brigade appliances. The existing fencing and median on Military Road extends across the Young Street intersection. All vehicular traffic, including emergency vehicles at the Military Road/Young Street intersection, are restricted to left-in left-out only. Moreover, the kerb extensions and the median on Young Street provide a narrow manoeuvring space which may be constraining for large vehicles. At present with the intersection configuration of Young Street/Military Road, Young Street appears to be a less desirable through route for emergency vehicles, including the Fire Brigade appliances. Per the concept designs of the Young Street Closure prepared by GSA, the road closure point commences immediately south of the driveway at No. 7 Young Street. The NSW Fire Brigades Guideline stipulates a minimum width of 4 metres for general appliance access and a minimum width of 6 metres for aerial appliance access on a straight road section. Both general appliance and aerial appliance accesses can be accommodated in Young Street, north of the closure point given the existing carriageway width. A review has not identified any low height structure in Young Street that would obstruct the general appliance or aerial appliance access. Based on the landscape shown on the project concept designs, it is unclear whether the minimum carriageway width for general appliance access can be retained at the closure section. Notwithstanding, NSW Fire Brigades’ appliances will still be able to perform specific functions from the Military Road frontage at emergency incidents and thus may not require access in the closure section. Some road closure treatment may still be able to retain access which will be discussed in the section 3.5 in more details. Other emergency vehicles, such as ambulances or police vehicles, generally have better manoeuvrability and can negotiate around the closure using other roads in the local road network and perform U-turns if required. It is recommended that the NSW Fire Brigade, NSW Police and the Ambulance Service of NSW be consulted at an early stage to identify any special access requirement and to refine the designs, if required.
Project No PS109579 WSP Young Street Road Closure December 2018 Traffic Management Plan Page 20 Transport for NSW
Source: NSW Fire Brigades Guidelines for emergency vehicle access 2010 Figure 3.2 Building and structure height clearance
Source: NSW Fire Brigades Guidelines for emergency vehicle access 2010 Figure 3.3 Minimum carriageway widths – straight sections
Project No PS109579 WSP Young Street Road Closure December 2018 Traffic Management Plan Page 21 Transport for NSW
Source: NSW Fire Brigades Guidelines for emergency vehicle access 2010 Figure 3.4 Minimum carriageway widths – curved sections
3.5 MITIGATIONS
3.5.1 CLOSURE TREATMENT OPTIONS Similar road closure treatments already exist in several commercial precincts across Sydney. These road closures have often been implemented as part of place making, which activates the adjacent street frontages. Meanwhile pedestrian safety is substantially improved through the physical separation from vehicular traffic. Examples include Pitt Street Mall in Sydney, Oxford Street Mall in Bondi Junction, Kiaora Lane in Double Bay and Chatswood Mall in Victoria Avenue, Chatswood. In Neutral Bay, a permanent road closure has already been implemented in May Gibbs Place which is located between Military Road and Barry Street, opposite to Young Street. Majority of these road closures, except for May Gibbs Place, accommodate restricted vehicle access through various physical treatments and signposting. Pitt Street Mall, Oxford Street Mall and Kiaora Lane implemented time-operated shared zones which allow shared use between vehicles and pedestrians during certain periods, often outside busy hours. Outside these shared zone hours, the closed road sections become pedestrian-only areas. Regulatory shared zone signage and removable bollards are in place to guide road users. This treatment provides convenient access for delivery vehicles which are required to facilitate the pop-up markets regularly held in these closed road sections. Emergency and maintenance vehicle access can also be retained. Chatswood Mall implemented signage only to allow authorised vehicles to access the closed section of Victoria Avenue, presumably during restricted hours. This treatment provides similar benefits as to the time-operated shared zone which accommodates delivery vehicle access, as well as emergency and maintenance vehicle access. Enforcement, however, can be difficult; safety could be compromised due to lack of physical devices at the end of the road closure. The closure in May Gibbs Place creates a pedestrian-only area. No provision of delivery vehicle access in this street appears to be less problematic given the nearby on-street parking supply and the small number of shops affected.
Project No PS109579 WSP Young Street Road Closure December 2018 Traffic Management Plan Page 22 Transport for NSW
To better accommodate delivery, emergency and maintenance vehicle access, it is recommended that treatments such as shared zone and removable bollards be considered for Young Street. The closure may also incorporate a one-way scheme to maintain safe traffic flow given the restricted access. The design will need to incorporate durable pavement and suitable vehicle crossings to allow vehicle access.
Source: Roads and Maritime Technical direction – design and implementation of shared zones including provision of parking (TTD2016/001) Figure 3.5 Shared zone treatment example showing regulatory signage and bollards – Pitt Street Mall, Sydney
3.5.2 TREATMENT AT INTERSECTIONS SIDRA modelling analysis has revealed limited adverse impacts associated with the Young Street Closure. To improve the queuing along the Military Road Corridor due to the background traffic growth can be challenging and may require major corridor infrastructure upgrades which appear less feasible. The modelling results revealed that Young Street Closure would generate longer queues in the southbound direction in Waters Road, which would extend north beyond the intersection of Grosvenor Lane/Waters Road. It should be noted that these peak queueing issues would only occur during peak hour periods. It is recommended that traffic conditions be monitored so that suitable treatments can be developed in response to any substantial traffic changes. Road users often adjust their route choices to avoid any extensive delays and queues so treatment may not be required in the short term. “KEEP CLEAR” markings should only be provided where right-turning vehicles are prevented from entering or exiting the side street or car park (i.e. crossing the queue) and subsequently cause traffic to queue back through a signalised intersection, or where the waiting right-turning vehicle causes a road safety problem due to the road’s geometry. Given the traffic conditions, “KEEP CLEAR” markings are not warranted at the intersection of Waters Road and Grosvenor Lane. To assist the right-turn movement out of Grosvenor Lane, the soft option of erecting an advisory “DO NOT QUEUE ACROSS INTERSECTION (G9-237)” sign should be considered. A right-turn ban for the traffic exiting Grosvenor Lane can be also considered when conditions continue to deteriorate which will significantly reduce traffic exiting Waters Road and subsequently improve the intersection performance at Military Road/Waters Road.
Project No PS109579 WSP Young Street Road Closure December 2018 Traffic Management Plan Page 23 Transport for NSW
3.5.3 PROCESS PRIOR TO IMPLEMENTATION The implementation of a permanent road closure requires approval by Roads and Maritime, North Sydney Local Traffic Committee and North Sydney Council. Prior to this matter being considered by the approval authorities, public consultation should be undertaken to seek opinions from the community and local businesses. This public consultation can be conducted via on-site notice display, letterbox drop and local newspaper advertisement. The public consultation general fulfils the following objectives:
— Provide timely, accurate and comprehensive traffic and transport information to potentially affected road users
— Inform alternative routes and expected travel changes after the road closure
— Allow and accommodate community feedback regarding traffic and transport management issues
— Minimise and manage traffic impacts to protect local residential and business amenity. In addition, WSP has identified that the following key stakeholders (but not limited to) are likely required for consultation:
— NSW Police
— NSW Fire Brigades
— Ambulance Service of NSW
— State Transit
— Bike East
— Pedestrian Council of Australia. Should vehicle access remain available via shared zone treatment, Section 34 Roads Act 1993 application to close public road will not be required.
3.5.4 CONSTRUCTION TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT Subject to the majority community support and approval from Roads and Maritime and North Sydney Council, detailed construction traffic control plans should then be prepared to mitigate any negative impact associated with the construction of the adopted road closure treatment. To provide adequate notice to the affected road users, notification should be carried out by North Sydney Council prior to the works. This process may include the erection of portable variable message signs (VMSs), letterbox drop and street signs. The erection of portable VMSs on Military Road requires approval by Roads and Maritime. The location, spacing and message content should follow the requirements that are set out in Austroads Guide to Traffic Management Part 10: Traffic Control and Communication Devices (2016). Examples of the message content are shown in Figure 3.6.
Project No PS109579 WSP Young Street Road Closure December 2018 Traffic Management Plan Page 24 Transport for NSW
Pre-construction Frame 1 Frame 2
During and post-construction
Frame 1 Frame 2
Figure 3.6 VMS message content example Traffic Control Plans (TCPs) should be developed for all work locations where there is any impact on the road network and road-related areas; additionally, it is necessary to provide traffic control for any road users on the road network. The TCPs will illustrate the signs and devices that will be installed to warn traffic, pedestrians and cyclist around or through the project site. TCPs should be prepared based on the AS1742.3 Manual of uniform traffic control devices – Part 3: Traffic control for works on roads and the Roads and Maritime Traffic Control at Work Sites (2018) in consultation with Roads and Maritime and other stakeholders, as required. Accredited traffic controllers who hold Roads and Maritime’s current certification will be positioned at key access points and within the closure to control traffic movements to and from the project site and adjacent properties.
Project No PS109579 WSP Young Street Road Closure December 2018 Traffic Management Plan Page 25 Transport for NSW
4 SUMMARY
This TMP report has been prepared to investigate and consider the impacts of the proposed Young Street Closure to the local road network within the area bound by the Military Road, Ben Boyd Road, Belgrave Road and Waters Road corridors and make recommendations for mitigation measures. It can be concluded:
— Overall, the impact associated with the redistributed traffic due to the Young Street Closure is limited. Majority of the road users are not anticipated to be significantly inconvenienced by the Closure. Young Street does not appear to be the primary route for service vehicles. The impact on service vehicle access due to the road closure is thus considered minimal.
— The removal of the loading zone in Young Street is likely to intensify the use of nearby loading zones on the northern side of Grosvenor Lane, west of Young Street and on the eastern side of Young Street, south of Grosvenor Street in the future. The loss of ten on-street parking spaces in the Neutral Bay commercial district is anticipated to have some impact given the high parking demand. Regular parking enforcement may encourage the turnover of the surrounding short-term parking space, which could improve the on-street parking supply.
— As there is no existing public bus route using this section of Young Street, the proposal is not anticipated to generate noticeable adverse impact on bus services.
— Cycling and pedestrian safety is anticipated to improve substantially given the increased separation from vehicular traffic.
— Based on the project concept designs, it is unclear whether the minimum carriageway width for general appliance access can be retained at the closure section. It is recommended that the NSW Fire Brigade be consulted at an early stage to identify any special access requirement and refine the designs, if required. Recommendations for mitigation measures were developed with the aim to minimise potential adverse traffic impacts including:
— To better accommodate delivery, emergency and maintenance vehicle access, it is recommended that treatments such as shared zone and removable bollards be considered for Young Street. The closure may also incorporate a one-way scheme to maintain safe traffic flow given the restricted access. The design will need to incorporate durable pavement and suitable vehicle crossings to allow vehicle access.
— It is recommended that traffic conditions be monitored so that suitable treatments can be developed in response to any substantial traffic changes. To assist right-turn movement out of Grosvenor Lane, the soft option of erecting an advisory “DO NOT QUEUE ACROSS INTERSECTION (G9-237)” sign should be considered. A right-turn ban for the traffic exiting Grosvenor Lane should be also considered if conditions continue to deteriorate, which will significantly reduce traffic exiting Waters Road and subsequently improve the intersection performance at Military Road/Waters Road.
— Prior to the Young Street Closure being considered by the approval authorities, public consultation should be undertaken to seek opinions from the community to minimise objections and resolve any issues raised.
— Detailed construction traffic control plans should then be prepared to mitigate any negative impact associated with the construction of the adopted road closure treatment. To provide adequate notice to the affected road users, notifications should be carried out by North Sydney Council prior to the works.
Project No PS109579 WSP Young Street Road Closure December 2018 Traffic Management Plan Page 26 Transport for NSW
TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT PLAN IN A-H LIST FORMAT
A. DESCRIPTION OR DETAILED PLAN OF PROPOSED MEASURES
The proposal comprises of a road closure in Young Street, Neutral Bay. The closure section is between Military Street and Grosvenor Lane. Group GSA Pty Ltd has developed a concept design as shown in the figure below on behalf of North Sydney Council. The design includes landscape and streetscape works to create a separation between pedestrians and vehicles. The plan also indicates some changes to the on-street parking arrangement in Young Street.
B. IDENTIFICATION AND ASSESSMENT OF IMPACT OF PROPOSED MEASURES
A Traffic Impact Assessment (TIA) for the proposed Young Street Closure has been prepared by WSP Australia (October 2018). This TIA has concluded the following findings based on a comprehensive modelling assessment:
— Military Road intersections within the study area will experience excessive delays and queues along the corridor, but this poor performance is caused by background traffic growth rather than the proposed road closure. The closure is not anticipated to generate unacceptable impact on the Military Road Corridor, particularly given the constant or improved queue-length along this corridor.
— The proposed road closure would affect intersection performance at the Waters Road/Rangers Road intersection. Most traffic currently egressing from Young Street into Military Road would be redistributed as left-turn movements from Waters Road. This movement is the critical movement at this priority-controlled intersection, which generates the highest average delays and subsequently affects the LoS and queues on the north approach to this intersection. However, drivers may experience less delays and queues when eastbound traffic on Military Road gives way to traffic on the side street in stand still traffic situations. Drivers exiting Waters Road may also choose alternative routes once delays become excessive. These would both serve to reduce the actual delays below those forecast by the traffic modelling
Project No PS109579 WSP Young Street Road Closure December 2018 Traffic Management Plan Page A-1 Transport for NSW
— The modelling results indicated similar DoS, average delays, LoS and queue-length at all four intersections along the Belgrave Street Corridor to the current layout. These results suggest that the proposed road closure would not generate any noticeable adverse impact along the Corridor.
— The proposed road closure would not significantly alter the performance at the other intersections within the study area. The only noticeable difference was identified at the intersection of Waters Road and Grosvenor Lane, where slightly longer queues would form on the north approach with the road closure. Overall, the impact associated with the redistributed traffic due to the Young Street Closure is limited. The modelling results revealed that traffic egressing Waters Road would experience longer delays and form lengthier queues. There are limited alternative route options as to replace the access via Young Street. The redistributed traffic after the Young Street Closure will either access the study area via Military Road/Ben Boyd Road or Military Road/Waters Road intersections. The travel distance of detour is minimal given the relatively dense grid road network. Residents who are familiar with the area are often able to identify quicker routes based on their local knowledge and thus minimise delay. Most t road users are not anticipated to be significantly inconvenienced by the Young Street Closure. C. MEASURES TO AMELIORATE THE IMPACT OF RE-ASSIGNED TRAFFIC
It is recommended that traffic conditions be monitored so that suitable treatments can be developed in response to any substantial traffic changes. Road users often adjust their route choices to avoid any extensive delays and queues so treatment may not be required in the short term. “KEEP CLEAR” markings are not warranted at the intersection of Waters Road and Grosvenor Lane. To assist the right-turn movement out of Grosvenor Lane, the soft option of erecting an advisory “DO NOT QUEUE ACROSS INTERSECTION (G9-237)” sign should be considered. A right-turn ban for the traffic exiting Grosvenor Lane should be also considered if conditions continue to deteriorate, which will significantly reduce traffic exiting Waters Road and subsequently improve the intersection performance at Military Road/ Waters Road. D. ASSESSMENT OF PUBLIC TRANSPORT SERVICES AFFECTED
As there is no existing public bus route using this section of Young Street, the proposal is not anticipated to generate noticeable adverse impact on bus services. E. DETAILS OF PROVISION MADE FOR EMERGENCY VEHICLES, HEAVY VEHICLES, CYCLISTS AND PEDESTRIANS
At present with the intersection configuration of Young Street/Military Road, Young Street appears to be a less desirable through route for emergency vehicles, including Fire Brigade appliances and heavy vehicles. Based on the landscape shown on the project conceptual designs, it is unclear whether the minimum carriageway width for general appliance access can be retained at the closure section. Notwithstanding, NSW Fire Brigades’ appliances may still be able to perform specific functions from the Military Road frontage at emergency incidents and thus may not require access in the closure section. It is recommended that the NSW Fire Brigade be consulted at an early stage to identify any special access requirement and refine the designs, if required. Some closure treatment may still retain access such as shared zone treatment. Cycling and pedestrian safety is anticipated to improve substantially given the increased separation from vehicular traffic. The pedestrianisation of the southern end of Young Street may attract greater pedestrian activities and activate the existing shop frontage along Young Street.
Project No PS109579 WSP Young Street Road Closure December 2018 Traffic Management Plan Page A-2 Transport for NSW
F. ASSESSMENT OF EFFECT ON EXISTING AND FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS WITH TRANSPORT IMPLICATIONS NEAR THE PROPOSED MEASURES
The existing vehicular access to No. 7 Young Street would be retained via a short path along Young Street between Grosvenor Lane and the driveway. No other vehicular access to off-street parking would be blocked by the proposal. The proposal will result in a loss of ten on-street parking spaces and one loading zone space in the Neutral Bay commercial district, which is anticipated to have minor impact given the high parking demand. Regular parking enforcement may encourage turnover of the surrounding short-term parking space which could improve on-street parking supply. G. ASSESSMENT OF EFFECT OF PROPOSED MEASURES ON TRAFFIC MOVEMENTS IN ADJOINING COUNCIL AREAS
The affected area is entirely within North Sydney Council LGA and thus the proposed road closure is not anticipated to affect the adjoining Councils. H. PUBLIC CONSULTATION PROCESS
North Sydney Council would be required to undertake public consultation with affected residents and business owners regarding the proposed road closures in due course in accordance with Council’s public consultation procedure. This public consultation can be conducted via on-site notice display, letterbox drop and local newspaper advertisement. In addition, WSP has identified that the following key stakeholders (but not limited to) are likely required for consultation:
— NSW Police
— NSW Fire Brigades
— Ambulance Service of NSW
— State Transit
— Bike North
— Pedestrian Council of Australia.
Project No PS109579 WSP Young Street Road Closure December 2018 Traffic Management Plan Page A-3 Transport for NSW