Project update - December 2024
Yarra City Council endorses Road Safety Plan for Alphington Road Safety Study area.
Thank you to everyone who participated in our “Safer Streets – Alphington” consultation in July and August 2023 and in January and February 2024.
We presented the recommended Road Safety Plan for Alphington at the Council Meeting on Tuesday 17 December 2024. This plan was shaped and amended based on the feedback of people who drive, walk and ride a bike in that area. It also addresses ongoing requests regarding road safety issues in the section of Alphington outlined in the study area, including many reports of conflicts that occur between road user and near misses
At the meeting, Council endorsed 11 of the recommended safety treatments including:
- 'No Stopping' restrictions on western side of Yarralea Street, north of Foulkes St during school drop-off & pickup times
- Pedestrian improvements on the northern half of Adams Street
- Pedestrian improvements on the southern half of Adams Street and Philips Street
- Improved part-time one-way signage along the Alphington Primary School frontage and improvements to current pedestrian crossing on Adams Street
- Pedestrian crossing on Yarralea Street
- Closure of laneway between Yarralea Street and View Street and pedestrian crossing on View Street
- Improvement at the intersection of Lucerne Crescent and Farm Road
- Speed humps on Como Street
- Priority change at the intersection of Lucerne Crescent and View Street
- No stopping reinforcement at the curve of Lucerne Crescent
- Pedestrian crossing improvements on Riverview Grove
4 of these projects are scheduled to begin construction within the 24/25 financial year including:
- No stopping reinforcement at the curve of Lucerne Crescent
- Improvement at the intersection of Lucerne Crescent and Farm Road (line marking option)
- Priority change at the intersection of Lucerne Crescent and View Street
- 'No Stopping' restrictions on western side of Yarralea Street, north of Foulkes St during school drop-off & pickup times
A Notice of Works will be distributed to affected properties closer to the construction date. At the meeting, Council also resolved for the pedestrian crossing on Yarralea Street outside Alphington Primary School to be considered for inclusion in Council’s budget process as part of 2025/26 capital works program.
The remainder of the endorsed projects will be included into Council’s long term capital works plan based on initially estimated costs, for future planning, design, and delivery.
Council also resolved to advocate to the Victorian Government and other relevant authorities to promote 6 projects within the study area for completion. These include:
- Improved cycling facilities on Heidelberg Road
- A better connection from the bridge to the Darebin Creek Trail
- 40 km/h speed limit on Heidelberg Road adjacent to the study area at school times
- Signal phasing modifications at the Heidelberg Road and Yarralea Street intersection to assist with pedestrian crossings at school times
- New mast arm for existing signalised pedestrian crossing on Heidelberg Road at Harker Street
- A new signalised pedestrian crossing on Heidelberg Road near Old Heidelberg Road
You can read the agenda from the meeting and learn more about the Road Safety Plan using the link below.
Learn more about this consultation - January 2024
What you told us in 2023:
In July and August 2023, we asked for your feedback to help us understand what types of road safety issues might need to be addressed within the Alphington Study area (outlined in the map below).
We received 107 contributions to the map board and 126 survey contributions. Around 71% of respondents were local to the area. We've also heard from those that were not local to the area but work or visit the area (25%) or who travel through the area as part of a longer journey (4%).
We frequently heard the area described as a landlocked peninsula given there are no through vehicle connections to neighbouring areas. The data we collected supports this view, with the low traffic volumes reflecting the predominantly residential area, with higher numbers of people driving, walking, and cycling on local streets around school pick up and drop off and sporting events.
You also told us:
We’ve used this feedback alongside an evidence-based road safety review to help us identify locations where there are higher risks of conflicts between different types of road users.
Your feedback has enabled us to develop some suggested changes to the street network aimed at addressing the road safety concerns you have raised.
Please note that these treatments are suggestions only at this stage. The purpose of this stage of the consultation is to understand the level of support and any feedback on each suggested treatment. This will inform how or whether we should proceed with the suggested treatments below.
We appreciate that some of the ideas we are presenting could change how you travel around the area and may result in slightly longer journey times when you drive. We believe that these suggested ideas could provide relative benefits to pedestrian and cycling safety particularly around the school, however no decision has been made at this stage.
Your feedback has also helped us to identify a location for a pilot trial for the New Deal for Schools project with Alphington Primary School, which will be undertaken in parallel to this study.
We have also identified a couple of locations where it makes sense to proceed with testing some improvements which we will monitor going forward. These have been presented separately and we will provide an update to the community on when they will be delivered.
Learn more about stage 1 of this engagement - 2023
A bit about the project
We're conducting a Road Safety Study in Alphington to help address possible road safety issues in the area.
To help us better understand where and what types of road safety issues might need to be addressed, we asked the community to provide their lived experience of using these specific roads.
Road Safety Studies (RSS) are site, corridor or precinct studies that seek to improve safety for all road users, with a focus on the safe movement of pedestrians and cyclists.
RSS investigate road safety issues through evidence-based assessment as well as the views of the community which they use as a key method of obtaining information. It should be noted that different sections of the community may agree on the issues, but sometimes have different views on ways of resolving them.
It will look at locations identified as having safety issues based on feedback from road users, traffic data and road safety assessments. It will also look at potential barriers to accessibility and movement to ensure safer connections at popular local destinations.
Most importantly, we want to know the community's day-to-day experience of using these roads as they walk, cycle or drive through the Alphington study area. This will help us understand where traffic treatments or adjustments will make the streets safer for all users and how they should be prioritised.
This area of Alphington is mostly residential, however it also includes major ‘people attracting land uses’ such as schools, sports clubs, parklands, and a golf club. This means that the streets are well used by a variety of different road users.
Subsequently, we regularly receive feedback from different sections of the community reporting on conflicts between these different road users and narrowly avoided collisions in this area.
Additionally, in recent years local schools have expanded, resulting in an increased demand for walking, cycling and driving on these roads.
All of these factors have led to the decision to undertake a review of actual and perceived road safety issues within this area of Alphington.
Have your say
Before we can begin considering the traffic treatment options, we needed to understand how you use the roads in the study area and your views on the safety issues. You did this by filling in our quick survey and then sharing your feedback on our interactive map.
