TRAM ROUTE 86 CORRIDOR IMPROVEMENT PROJECT COMMUNITY REFERENCE GROUP – WESTGARTH Recommendation Report Background The Westgarth Community Reference Group for the Tram Route 86 Corridor Improvement Project was convened by Council to provide community input into the re-work of the Project. Seven nominees were selected by Council for the group and six members participated throughout the four meetings which were scheduled fortnightly over July/August 2009. This Report contains a summary of the discussions and debates that were held between group members over the four meetings. The Notes of each meeting are presented in Appendix 1. The Report is divided into sections; 1. The Recommendations 2. Other Considerations 3. Appendices The group wishes to record again its strong opposition to any proposals that result in the creation of any form of sliplane which has the effect of bringing High Street traffic in closer proximity to those houses located on High Street south of Westgarth Street. Council should be aware that in the course of this process an option was presented to the Reference Group and was seen as a breach of Council’s prior undertakings that a sliplane would not form part of any future considerations. The Recommendations In the first two meetings the group discussed the issues that were raised with the initial proposal for the Westgarth section. These included: Impact on businesses Improved public transport & Pedestrian Access vs Vehicle Access Disability Access and Safety (40km/h) Resident Amenity vs Public transport access Ruckers Hill parking restrictions Merging of 2 lanes south of Westgarth in to 1 north of Westgarth Street Removal of Tram Stop 29 Control of regional traffic outside of Darebin Westgarth Street Link between High Street and St Georges Road Residential Access to High Street/Westgarth Street residential “pocket” Impact of increased population/traffic to the north of the municipality The group considered the Objectives of the reference group and agreed that they were all supportive of the general goals and principles involved in the Tram Route 86 Corridor Improvement Project. By the close of the second meeting the group had requested a number of options be presented for the Westgarth/High Street intersection as this was seen as the key area to be solved. At the third meeting these options were presented to the group. The pros and cons of each option were discussed and the group agreed to present their preferred option to Council. Recommendation 1: A centre island platform tram stop north of the intersection was seen as more beneficial than south of the intersection. The preferred option caters for pedestrians, residents, visitors, people with a disability, tram users and businesses. It also retains the parking in the strip shopping centre, the stop is easy to access, there is no slip lane, and the stop is located in a central position. The group also recommends that when the intersection is adjusted, that crossing time for pedestrians be extended to take into account elderly and people with a disability using the crossings. This recommendation meets the following Objectives of the Group, and the reasoning why is shown below: Objective Why? To create tram stops that are accessible to people The central island stop north of the intersection of all abilities (Disability Discrimination Act is a platform stop and thus DDA compliant compliant) To provide priority to the tram over single occupant The right hand turn movement from High, east motor vehicles to gain tram travel time and onto Westgarth Street is not on the tram lane. reliability improvements. The DDA compliant nature of the tram stop means boarding and alighting will be faster To improve safety for all road users A 40km/h zone will be implemented Tram passengers do not have to step out into traffic to access the tram Cyclists will not have to navigate a kerb outstand stop (and mix with pedestrians) To improve connectivity to public transport and key The stop will be located in the centre of the destinations in centres of activity strip but still adjacent to the bus routes running along Westgarth Street to the east and west To minimise parking losses in centres of activity. Parking can be retained around the central island platform in non-peak times To minimise impact on local residents. There is no slip lane as part of this option also provides an options for the retention and improvement of the green space at the southern entrance to the Westgarth Shopping Precinct and Darebin. Retaining the service lane outside houses 41-53 There is no slip lane as part of this option High Street as undertaken during the March/April consultation phase, generally in its current form for its current purpose (ie no left turn traffic on the service lane). To improve the experience for pedestrians in Slower traffic will be beneficial to pedestrians centres of activity. crossing the road within Westgarth. The central island stop may provide options for art, plantings etc. To retain the trees in High Street south of These will be retained in this option Westgarth Street. To encourage through traffic to utilise alternative The dedicated left turn lane into Westgarth preferred traffic routes Street heading west will encourage traffic to utilise St Georges Road which is the preferred traffic route Recommendation 2: Remove stop 28 and 29 Objective: To achieve tram stops every 400m (approximately) in accordance with public transport guidelines for land use and development. The central island stop proposed by the Group to be north of the High/Westgarth Street intersection necessitated that the Group look at the stops adjacent to it for spacing purposes. The following approximate distances would exist if the stop was to go ahead: Stop 26 (Walker Street) to stop 27 (Westgarth Street) = 270 Stop 27 (Westgarth Street) to stop 28 (Candy/Union Street) = 160m Stop 28 (Candy/Union Street) to stop 29 (Roberts St, south bound) = 180m Stop 29 (Roberts St, south bound) to stop 30) = 140m (Proposed for removal in the original proposal) Stop 28 (Candy Union Street) to stop 30 (Clarke St, nth bound) = 340m Given the Objective is for 400m between stops, what is the implication? Stop 26: Walker Street remains (recently upgraded to DDA compliant) 270m between Stop 27: Westgarth Street moves north of the intersection 420m between Stop 30: Clarke Street with southbound stop south of the intersection Proviso: Due to the loss of the pedestrian operated signals at Candy/Union Street the Group would like to see pedestrian facilities at the north end of the Westgarth shopping strip. For example a pedestrian refuge in the centre of the road with good protection and visibility of/for pedestrians. Recommendation 3: To provide for cyclists where possible. As kerb extension stops are not being recommended by the Group, the interaction between cyclists and pedestrians is not a concern. Lane width around the central island platform may cause some concern for cyclists but it replicates the current situation. Alternative cycling routes through Westgarth should be investigated and signed matching to a possible Northcote back-street route. Signals for cyclists to cross Westgarth Street at McLaghlin Street or Rucker Street. Recommendation 4: Parking on Rucker’s Hill The group does not recommend further restrictions on Rucker’s Hill and thus parking to be allowed at the current restrictions The current clearway times can continue where parking would be banned. The Group is open to, during clearway times, a part time tram fairway that would give the tram a dedicated tram lane between Westgarth Street and Clarke Street with cars having the second lane (no parking allowed due to the clearway). Counter-peak clearways in the pm peak are opposed by the Group. Recommendation 5: Traffic management outside of Darebin The Council throughout all development and planning for the Route 86 Improvement Project should actively pursue actions and advocacy to encourage drivers to make decisions on through journey’s prior to entry into Darebin. Other Considerations In addition to the above recommendations to Council, the Group would like to convey the following messages to the Council and the community: - The size and complexity of this project is immense. - Understanding the opportunities (tram track realignment), obligations (DDA compliance legislation), impacts (traffic modelling, parking data, passenger impact assessments etc) pros, cons and alternative view points takes time to do. - Four meetings of two hours has led us to these conclusions. The community, during consultation in October/November will not have that time to spend with officers in small groups and as such it will be difficult to grasp a complete understanding of the project. As a result, some weight should be attributed to these highly considered recommendations from a group of community members who have spent the time considering the options, pros and cons. Report endorsed by: John Crogan, Brendan Geary, David Cheal, Annie Russell, Palace Westgarth Cinema representatives, Simon Batterbury (to check) Westgarth Community Reference Group Appendix 1: Notes of the four Westgarth Community Reference Group meetings TRAM ROUTE 86 CORRIDOR IMPROVEMENT PROJECT COMMUNITY REFERENCE GROUP - WESTGARTH MEETING 1 NOTES Date: Tuesday 14 July 2009, 6.30-8.30 pm Attendees: 6 community members attended, Mandy Bathgate (Facilitator), Kate Downward (staff), Nigel Turner (staff – notetaker). Apologies: 2 apologies from members 1. Welcome and introductions (15 mins) Members introduced themselves Councillors best wishes sent to the group for the coming weeks of meetings. 2. Terms of Reference and Group Agreements (10 mins) Speak Respectfully (No Interruptions) Time-keeping Time to consider complex issues (allowing ongoing feed-back) Keeping to Terms of Reference Privacy Provisions Maintained Timely Communication (minutes) Facilitator Impartiality E-mail addresses won’t be circulated outside of the group.