Tag Archives: LATM

Residents’ Traffic and Parking Forum

Posted on July 6, 2012 | Comments Off on Residents’ Traffic and Parking Forum

‘Rat Runs’ and No Parking

A feature of life soon!

What’s the alternative?

 

      Date:            Wednesday, 11th July, 2012

      Time:           7.00 p.m. for 7.30 p.m. start

      Venue:         St. Mary’s Anglican Church, 281 Glen Eira Road,  Elsternwick

       Speakers:        Dr. Bruce Corben  (Monash University)

 Cr. Narelle Sharpe  (Moonee Valley Council)

  Cr. Serge Thomann  (Port Phillip Council).

      Admission Fee

            Members:                        No charge

            Non-Members:               Small Gold Coin Donation  

Are you concerned about –

  • The increasing incidence of ‘rat runs’ in quiet residential streets?
  • The lack of on street parking in residential streets?
  • The lack of pedestrian and cyclist safety?
  • Council’s lack of response to these issues?

If so, then come along to our community forum and hear about the latest research, what can be done, and how other councils approach these problems.

Glen Eira Council is responsible for traffic management within and around the municipality, Council’s general aim of traffic management “is to ‘calm’ traffic in local streets and direct through traffic to the more major roads”.  However, the reality is that Council

  • Focuses on main roads
  • Adopts a re-active stance rather than a pro-active (Road Safety Strategy – requires 3 casualty crashes before safety issues are considered)
  • Does not practice community responsive strategic traffic management.  When was the last time you were consulted about traffic and parking in your Local Area Traffic Management (LATM) scheme?
  • Doesn’t consider flow-on impact of traffic in local streets when changing conditions in main roads (eg. McKinnon Road speed cushions, decreased speed limits on Glen Huntly Road and Centre Road,  Kooyong and Alma Roads intersection trial bicycle design received a petition signed by 243 residents soon after the start of the trial)
  • Only budgets for 4-5 traffic calming treatments (speed cushions) per annum in local streets
  • Describes residents’ concerns with increased traffic volumes and speeds as “perceived concerns”

What are other Councils doing, what can be done?

  • When addressing traffic issues the focus is shifting away from vehicular movement to focussing on the safety of the  most vulnerable road users (pedestrians/cyclists)  The Road User Hierarchy ranks various road users.
  • Goal is zero casualty crashes – if road users persist in unsafe habits (eg speeding), then the road design needs to include traffic calming treatments.
  • Address specific neighbourhood needs ie. systematic approach to particular traffic and parking challenges.  “Numerous criteria are considered – ranging from resident and community concerns, traffic volumes, traffic speed and accidents, to more proactive criteria such as the number of activity centres and number of facilities that generate a lot of pedestrian and car traffic like railway stations, schools and community centres” – Moonee Valley Council

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Traffic Management

Posted on January 28, 2012 | Comments Off on Traffic Management

Council has turned the cheek on this major concern of residents, by diverting attention into something vaguely called Road Safety Strategy. This stratagem allows council to by-pass its responsibilities over 95% of Glen Eira – our local streets, by pretending the only real problems are on the 5% – the major and arterial roads.

But safety on major roads is the concern of the police, and the major road and arterials themselves are maintained by Vic Roads. Council has little role to play in their upkeep. On the other hand, safety works, roundabouts, car parking, in Glen Eira’s local streets are the province and responsibility of Glen Eira Council. By emphasizing main roads, at the expense of local streets, Council is simply cost-shifting.

Council claims that protecting our local streets to the level needed by local residents is “throwing money at what is perceived to be the problem”. Council’s budget only allows for 4 – 5 treatments a year. We must be more serious about traffic safety. Such an appallingly inadequate level of safety works means that it takes at least several years of Budgets to finish the needed works for just one LATM (Local Area Traffic Management) scheme. There are dozens of such areas across Glen Eira screaming out for urgent safety works. GERA believes it is time Council greatly expanded its LATM program.

Glen Eira Council gleefully accepts millions from property developers who pay Council to provide better local facilities for the ever-increasing numbers of residents that Council is encouraging. The need for better car parking at shopping centres is obvious. Council collects huge extra commercial rates but fails to use that money to improve street parking.

GERA believes that increased funding is critically needed for Traffic Management and Safety. The planning of the local LATMs should take higher priority at council meetings.

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