By
Peter Anscombe
Image of new Bicycle Lane in Park Street, South Melbourne after waste collection
I am a resident of Park Street South Melbourne (City Edge 79-139 Park St) and I have major reservations about the newly constructed bike lanes between Kingsway and Moray Street. I am informed these bicycle lanes are a “trial” and not “final”.
Background
These works created a dedicated bicycle lane adjacent to the existing kerb in both directions and a relocated parking lane beyond that towards the centre of the prior wide carriageway, about some five lane widths (approx. 18m) from kerb to kerb. This means that there is now only a narrow central two-lane width carriageway remaining for traffic in both directions.
These two lanes are the major road connection directly to St Kilda Road and Kingsway from the South Melbourne precinct. As such they are heavily used by through traffic from the South Melbourne precinct, especially accessing Kingsway. They are used by emergency vehicles, construction vehicles, tourist buses and residents.
They are also used by garbage trucks which of course now hold up all the traffic as they do their collections and replace emptied bins on the footpath. This significantly increases the time garbage collection now takes, along with associated delays to traffic.
There are no turning lanes at street intersections and driveways other than the existing right hand turn into Kingsway, despite 3 intersections, and 4 driveways serving multiple unit developments.
All parking arrangements have been revised with much reduced both timed and resident parking. There has been a significant loss of parking spaces.
No loading zones have been provided nor pedestrian crossings mid-block.
Access to about 90 dwellings in the precinct, plus another 54 approved for construction, fronting or adjacent to driveways or accessing streets from this section of Park Street does not appear to have been considered. Most properties can only be accessed from Park Street.
Many turning movements in both directions are generated by these residences and as I mentioned above there are no turning lanes provided to access these streets and driveways.
Road space apart from through traffic is needed for furniture vans, deliveries, trades and other servicing of these properties and parking along with taxi and ride users.
Owing to the space taken for the bike lanes, there is now not sufficient road width buffer to accommodate these needs.
Local cyclists have not embraced the bike lanes and still ride on the footpath. I suspect difficulty of crossing to the lanes and navigating the Kingsway intersection might have something to do with it.
These works have now been in full operation for several months now and I would like to make further comments in the light of my experience. The issues are:
1. Speed of cars and cyclists. The 40 km limit is rarely observed.
The speed control treatment of the through lanes differs:-
West/East. North side. Small 40km sign but reasonably visible at the exit into the lane from the roundabout at Heather Street and a speed control hump at this point.
East/West, South side. Small 40km sign only at entry to the through traffic lane (or the exit of the intersection with Kingsway). Line of sight could be obscured by adjacent poles, especially when turning left from Kingsway.
Image of Park St East side of Kingsway intersection. Only one small 40kmh sign which is not clearly visible for motorists. There is no speed control hump at this point, yet it is the fast-moving traffic in
this direction accelerating across East to West across Kingsway which presents the most danger to the drivers exiting the City Edge driveways.
Further speed limit signage on the road surface is required in large letters on the road surface at both ends.
A speed hump control on the entry to the East/West Lane is urgently required as well as an additional 40km sign on the North side of the street.
Traffic calming measures are required in both bike lanes and general traffic lanes, especially at street intersections and driveways.
2. Entry access to City Edge and The Block (142 Park Street) driveways and to Law Street and Eastern Road
Entry and access to these properties are still problematic owing to now much limited vision/sightlines of the entry points from the main carriageway. This difficulty is now further compounded by fast moving cars and cyclists “hidden” from view by a row of parked cars.
Having to cross one lane to access another lane a few metres further is dangerous for all users.
Exit from driveways and streets is hampered by:
Entry to driveways and streets (especially at night) is hampered by:
- Restricted vision and speed of oncoming traffic.
- Speeding cyclists appearing from nowhere while halted across the bike path for access on the main lanes.
My suggestion to provide some clarity to motorists attempting any turning movement in Park Street would be to break the solid line-marking at the centre of the carriageway at points where the green material has been applied in the bike lanes.
3. No pedestrian crossing at the intersection with Eastern Road.
This intersection carries a lot of North/South pedestrian traffic. The Eastern Road parks also generate a lot of pedestrian traffic often with families with children and animals using both park facilities and taking their children to and from the Lillian Cannan Kindergarten.
Reduced pedestrian vision is also an issue as there is now a need to negotiate two extra lanes of traffic.
- Restricted vision of the driveway and other vehicles which may be using the driveway because of vehicles parked towards the centre of the carriageway.
- Virtually no vision of cyclists using the lane because of vehicles parked towards the centre of the carriageway.
Image of location where pedestrians cross Park Street near Eastern Road. A much safer crossing is needed at this point with the associated parking setback. A formal pedestrian crossing and perhaps a refuge is required at this location. Also, a traffic calming treatment is required at this location.
4 Parking arrangements
Resident and visitor parking arrangements seem “workable” for the time being, but maybe the future parking type balance mix will need to be looked at. In the “unrestricted time” permit parking area I have noticed there is often limited turnover, and that “hogging” of spaces occurs. I think in all fairness, there needs to be some control over this parking behaviour. The days of long-term free parking are past in my view. Maybe free at weekends and charged during the week with some permit spaces turned into loading zone/short term parking?
This particularly applies to the parking between the City Edge driveways, where short term parking needs to be considered for trade services, meals on wheels and home care service delivery. This type of parking is required and will be used by all residents in the precinct often at weekends.
Image of City Edge Driveway crossing bike and through traffic with visibility limited by parked cars. Driveway visibility from the through lanes, particularly at night is difficult. This driveway is one of two servicing a 47-unit residential building, so it carries as much traffic as other smaller streets in the precinct.
5 “Non-Parking” Uses.
The new layout does not provide any loading zones or areas for safe and convenient taxi/ride services pick/drop off. The loss of effectively a full lane width in each direction and stopping opportunities at intersections and driveways impact traffic and access in several ways, meaning that the former soft/informal pause spaces offered by the former greater lane width are now gone.
Taxi/ride service pickup and set down.
As a taxi/ride service user, I have been badly affected by the changes as there are now no safe/convenient locations to be waiting for or being dropped off from these services in the whole block on either side.
Reduced vision of oncoming traffic, turning vehicles exiting and entering driveways and streets, passenger pickups and drop-offs from taxis and ride services, add up to a major reduction of road safety in this precinct.
I NO LONGER FEEL SAFE USING TAXI AND RIDE SERVICES.
Previously I was able to be seen by the driver and picked up from the driveway without impeding traffic flow. Now to start a trip, I must stand close to the roadway to be seen and the driver must see me then stop in the through lane to pick me up.
At night the hazards are multiplied significantly by indifferent street lighting. The same situation applies to drop off at the end of the trip. Passenger and property identification from the centre lanes is now very difficult for drivers and emergency services.
There was a taxi rank on the north side of Park Street next to the reserve near the Eastern Road several years ago. Perhaps a car space adjacent to the pedestrian crossing point at Eastern Road on either side could be dedicated to passenger pick up and set down? This would also give much greater vision to both pedestrians and drivers at this spot.
Deliveries and Service Provision.
Where deliveries, furniture removals, trade services might have taken place by partially straddling the footpath and part way out into the street up to a car park width, this sort of activity cannot take place across a bike lane without blocking it entirely.
Our Owners Corporation has an ongoing maintenance and repair program which involves the engagement of contractors with vehicles larger than can be accommodated on site. Previously these vehicles could be accommodated as described above, but now alternative arrangements will have to be made and provided for by the State Government/Council.
I can only suppose this will involve future partial road/bike lane closures.
6 Street lighting
Street lighting in Park Street is predominantly on the north side. This means that the bike lane on the south side is somewhat in the dark under the adjacent trees and in the shadows of parked vehicles. Not an entirely safe situation.
Image of Park Street looking East from Heather Street. Night bicycle riding is hazardous as the street lighting is mainly on the north side and the bike lane is in darkness.
FUTURE ACTIONS NEEDED
1. Immediate resolution of items 1, 2, and 5.
2. Prompt assessment and review of items 3 and 4 now that new usage patterns have been established with the aim of having more flexible parking arrangements in the vicinity of residences.
3. An urgent review of the total layout and design of Park Street from Kingsway to Moray Street to find a solution for a much safer and workable layout, especially before the design of the tram extension is resolved.
