Signature
Category 2 Shared Zone is provided on a road which includes footpath parking and has substandard footpath widths, retains kerbs and has traffic calming devices and
treatments to regulate traffic speeds to 10 kph (Figure 10)
Figure 9: Category 1 Shared Zone – The Levee, Maitland
Figure 10: Category 2 Shared Zone – McCubbens Lane, Sutherland
The TfNSW Shared Zone Policy establishes a number of fundamental pre-requisite site criteria for Councils when considering the implementation of 10kph Shared Zones. Those criteria are detailed in the table below (Table 2).
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FEATURES SHARED ZONE MAIN STREET PRECINCT COMPLIANCE
COMMENT
Current traffic flows
≤ 100 vehicles per hour and ≤ 1000 vehicles per day
No AADT 6,818
Hourly traffic volumes regularly between 200 and 300 vehicles in each direction
Current speed limit
≤ 50 km/h Yes 40 kph HPAA
Length of proposed Shared Zone
≤ 400 metres Yes Length of Main Street Precinct 240m
Current Speed Limit of Adjoining Roads
≤ 50 km/h Partially Old Northern Road (south) 60 kph Showground Road 60 kph
Castle Street 50 kph
Old Castle Hill Road 50 kph Crane Road 50 kph
Current carriageway width
Minimum trafficable width of 2.8 metres
Yes 3.4 metres per lane, 6.8 metres total excluding indented parking bays Route
access
Must not be located along bus routes or heavy vehicle routes except delivery or garbage trucks
Yes Not a designated bus route. Access required for delivery or service vehicles only.
Streets with narrow or no
footpaths
Where pedestrians are forced to use the road
Not applicable Designated footway areas already exist within Main Street Precinct.
Existing road carriageway would need to be converted as part of any design to allow for pedestrian traffic.
Kerbs Kerbs must be removed unless excepted by the RMS
Not applicable Existing kerbs would need to be removed as part of any design to allow for continuous paving across the existing road carriageway.
Table 2: Site criteria for 10 kph Shared Zones
As indicated in Table 3 the Main Street Precinct would satisfy most of the site criteria for a 10 kph Shared Zone assuming that any design would take onto consideration the need for removing the existing kerbs and converting the road carriageway to a continuous paved area to allow for pedestrian and vehicle traffic to share the space.
Notwithstanding the level of compliance with the criteria in Table 3, it is likely that the major concern that would be raised by TfNSW in considering any application for a 10kph Shared Zone would be the current traffic volumes experienced through the Main Street Precinct. As those traffic volumes are well in excess of the maximum volumes nominated in the site criteria, the risk to the safety of pedestrians in such a shared zone is likely to be considered unacceptable by TfNSW.
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It is certainly possible that the slow vehicle speeds and possible travel delays resulting from the design features of a 10 kph Shared Zone may well discourage some existing through traffic. However it is doubtful that the numbers could be reduced sufficiently to meet the nominated site criteria under the TfNSW Policy. This is particularly the case given that once Castle Street is closed as a public road, the only means of entering or leaving the section of Old Castle Hill Road between the ‘Five Ways’ intersection and the roundabout at the former Eric Felton Street which adjoins Castle Towers and the Castle Hill station, is through the Main Street Precinct.
Perhaps the most effective means of significantly reducing traffic volumes in any proposed 10kph Shared Zone would be to convert the Main Street Precinct into either one-way northbound or one-way southbound. However this would still require the preparation of a detailed TMP and would necessitate changes to the operation of the traffic signals at the
‘Five Ways’ intersection to allow southbound traffic in Old Castle Hill Road to turn left into Crane Road (if the Main Street Precinct was made one-way northbound) or to allow westbound traffic in Crane Road to turn right into Old Castle Hill Road (if the Main Street Precinct was made one-way southbound).
According to the TfNSW Technical Direction the design principles for 10kph Shared Zones need to be defined to ensure that the proposed scheme incorporates various features that would be necessary to provide an appropriately safe environment. In particular any design would need to have an impact that clearly demonstrates to drivers that there is a change in the road environment and traffic conditions and that the priority is for pedestrians. Those design principles are detailed in the table below (Table 3) and in the attached correspondence received from TfNSW (Attachment 1).
FEATURES INFORMATION Street space/
kerb & gutter/
delineation
The road environment in a shared zone must be changed to ensure that it does not look like a normal road:
any delineation and kerbs shall be removed to enhance the sense of pedestrian priority (Cat 1);
where it is not possible to remove the kerbs then the shared zone must be treated to a level where drivers can clearly identify that they are in a different driving environment;
traffic calming or suitable pedestrian friendly treatments must be provided to reduce speeds within the zone where kerbs have been retained.
Entrance/exit points
prominent features such as signs, architectural or landscape features must be provided to indicate a change in the street environment and highlight the start/end of the shared zone (Cat 2);
a Give Way to Pedestrians pavement marking must be installed (Cat 2 only);
continuous footpath treatments should be considered as entry/exit treatments to assist traffic calming. Refer to TD 2013/05;
Traffic signs regulatory traffic signs as per the requirements of the NSW Road Rules 2008 are required;
all entry signs must be provided on both sides of the road, for one or two-way shared zones, to further enhance the changes in environment and priority;
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network. It must be clearly distinguishable by colour, texture and/or materials. Any exceptions require RMS approval.
Traffic calming features/
treatments
traffic calming or suitable treatments must be provided to reduce speeds within the zone where kerbs have been retained to encourage consistently slow driving and ensure compliance with the 10 km/h speed limit;
advisory speed plates are not required to supplement speed hump advisory signs;
Forward visibility to encourage drivers to drive with care and comply with the 10km/h speed limit, it is not desirable to have unlimited forward visibility in a shared zone;
in locations where it is considered necessary to maintain visibility, a minimum stopping sight distance of 12 metres shall be applied;
Vehicle mix and accessibility requirements
alternative access for large vehicles such as buses needs to be planned;
access must be designed to safely accommodate emergency vehicles, delivery and garbage trucks;
emergency services and Police are to be consulted during the design process;
Car parking car parking provisions may need to be altered to suit the scheme;
car parking bays must be marked along the scheme and in accordance with the prescribed lengths and widths in AS 2890.5 and AS 2890.6-2009 Parking Facilities;
car parking spaces that straddle existing kerb and gutter are to be provided in Cat 2 shared zones;
Bicycles cyclists must be able to safely traverse the features provided in the scheme to encourage lower vehicle speeds;
traffic calming measures must incorporate features to make them cycle friendly;
in one way shared zones, consideration should be given to contra-flow bicycle movements. This provision will increase access for non-motorised transport and must include Bicycles Excepted (R9-3) signs.
cyclists need to be aware that they must give way to pedestrians;
Mobility and vision impaired requirements
designs must include provision to safely accommodate the needs of the mobility and vision impaired;
refer to AS 1428.4.1 Design for Access and Mobility for detailed design requirements;
Lighting and drainage grates
appropriate lighting should be installed for safety and security purposes;
appropriate drainage grates should be installed to cater for pedestrian and cyclist use;
Table 3 Design Principles
If approved by TfNSW the redevelopment of the Main Street Precinct would be considered as a Category 1 Shared Zone.
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Zone to protect pedestrians from hostile vehicles in accordance with the NSW Police Force’s
‘Safe Places - Vehicle Management Guide’ and the ‘Hostile Vehicle Guidelines for Crowded Places’ prepared by the Australian New Zealand Counter Terrorism Committee.
One of the challenges with those types of barriers is that they require substantial structural foundations to absorb the impact of hostile vehicles. As a result the design of such foundations could severely impact on existing underground services within the Main Street Precinct and this would have to be reflected in any project cost estimates.
As with the Pedestrian Mall option, the cost of converting the Main Street Precinct into a 10kph Shared Zone with either two-way or one-way traffic would be difficult to estimate without even a concept design. However a construction cost similar to a pedestrian mall of at least $14.0m could also be expected as the design features are likely to be quite similar although the pavement treatments would be arguably different.
On the assumption that the design could be successful in reducing the volume of traffic using the 10 kph Shared Zone, it is likely that TfNSW would still seek further modelling to determine the impact if any, on the Eastern and Western Ring Roads as a result of traffic displaced from the Main Street Precinct. If those impacts were substantial, Council would again be expected to fund the upgrade of any intersections affected.
Queensland Investment Corporation’s (QIC’s) Position
In accordance with Part 3 of Council’s resolution, correspondence was sent to QIC on 4 February 2020 seeking its views on any review of the Main Street Precinct (Attachment 2). A response was subsequently received from QIC on 7 April 2020 (Attachment 3).
As indicated in QIC’s response they generally support any Council plan to increase pedestrian activation and create a more pedestrian friendly environment along the Main Street Precinct. However its redevelopment plans for Castle Towers relies on vehicle access into the Main Street Precinct for the proposed hotel/hotel school adjacent to the heritage precinct. As a result its preference is for some form of vehicle access to be retained in the form of a 10kph Shared Zone or even a one-way traffic movement order to ensure that any proposal does not significantly impact on traffic capacity within the wider precinct.
While not being considered as part of this response to Council’s Notice of Motion, QIC has also suggested that opportunities may exist to make the section of Old Castle Hill Road between the ‘Five Ways’ intersection and the former Eric Felton Street roundabout more pedestrian friendly. This issue relates to safety concerns associated with the large number of pedestrians crossing this section of Old Castle Hill Road mid-block between the station precinct and Castle Towers and is being separately investigated by Sydney Metro.
Other issues to be considered
This report has covered a broad range of technical and procedural issues, however, one factor that is beyond the control of Council is the impact of the current Covid-19 situation on traffic and pedestrian flows and retail activity.
This impact effectively serves to invalidate any studies that Council may choose to pursue currently on these topics. It is of course a matter for Council, but it may be prudent to allow activity to settle back to more normal levels before commissioning further studies.
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The Way Forward
As indicated in the report, if Council wished to pursue the options of redeveloping the Main Street Precinct for a pedestrian mall with a full road closure or a 10kph Shared Zone with either one-way or two-way traffic, it would require the preparation of a detailed TMP. The format of a TMP would include:
full description of proposal including plans;
identification and assessment of impact of proposed measures;
measures to ameliorate the impact of traffic redirected as a result of the proposed closure;
assessment of public transport services affected;
details of provision made for emergency service vehicles, heavy vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians;
assessment of the effect on existing and future developments with transport implications in the vicinity of the proposal;
public consultation undertaken.
The TMP would have to be initially endorsed by TfNSW before referral to Council’s Local Traffic Committee.
The most critical information required in such a TMP would be the impact of all proposed options on existing and future traffic movements in and around the Castle Hill Town Centre including the performance of major intersections on the Eastern and Western Ring Roads.
This would require the collection of key traffic data and the modelling of the changes that will occur with the re-direction of existing traffic away from the Main Street Precinct. It would also need to include an analysis of the changes required at the ‘Five Ways’ intersection to facilitate vehicle access into and out of the section of Old Castle Hill Road between the intersection and the roundabout at the former Eric Felton Street roundabout that would be required to accommodate the full closure Pedestrian Mall option or the 10kph Shared Zone option with a one-way traffic movement.
As part of the overall strategic planning for the Castle Hill Station Precinct, Cardno NSW/ACT Pty Ltd has recently been engaged by Council to undertake a traffic and transport planning study in order to determine the impact on the road network resulting from planned commercial and residential development in the Castle Hill Town Centre itself as well as the Castle Hill North and Castle Hill South residential precincts. The study is jointly funded by Council, TfNSW and the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment (DPIE).
One of the study objectives is to develop a traffic model that will be a critical tool for assessing the location and severity of the impacts from such developments. The study is also required to identify any potential mitigating measures to manage those impacts.
Although the traffic model could be amended to account for any proposed changes to the Main Street Precinct, the project is not expected to be completed for up to another 12 months.
The outcome of the study is obviously not yet known. However one of the most likely issues of concern regardless of whether the Castle Hill Main Street Precinct is redeveloped as a pedestrian mall or a 10kph Shared Zone will be the operation of the Terminus Street and Crane Road intersection which is already at a LOS F in the AM peak.
Preliminary planning for the upgrade of the intersection is currently in progress in anticipation
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civil works in Terminus Street and Crane Road as well as a pedestrian overpass to increase the intersection’s capacity. The cost of these changes is currently unknown but is likely to be in the order of $5.0M to $7.0M. The scope of these works and their cost may have to change further if the Main Street Precinct was either closed to through traffic altogether or converted to a 10kph Shared Zone with a one-way traffic movement as it would possibly require a further increase to the capacity of the intersection over and above what is currently anticipated.
Although a formal quotation for an amendment to the model to account for any proposed changes to the Main Street Precinct and the preparation of relevant TMPs has yet to be sought, it is expected that the cost could be in the order of $50,000-100,000. No funds have been provided for such an engagement in Council’s Draft 20/21 Budget and therefore a budget variation would have to be approved if Council wished to pursue the matter further.
The Castle Hill Main Street Precinct is currently less than 10 years old and from an asset management perspective, renewal of the major elements in the precinct such as the existing footpath paving and road pavement would not be expected for at least another 10 or 20 years. Furthermore, a significant portion of the existing foot paving on the western side of the precinct as well as some of the road surface is about to be replaced at no cost to Council as a result of public utility upgrade works associated with the staged redevelopment of Castle Towers. Consequently, any decision to proceed with either a pedestrian mall or a 10kph Shared Zone would be replacing these assets well before the end of their anticipated useful life.
Further to a traffic and pedestrian study and TMP, the following elements should be considered as part of the project:
Retail and/or place-based study - to look at the impact of total or partial closure or sharing of the road. It will be important for Council to understand the economic impact of any decision it might choose to make on local retailers and stakeholders.
Concept masterplan - to ensure appropriate place-making. Council clearly wants to maintain Castle Hill as one of our key town centres. Part of this process is exploring and understanding its full potential as a great place for our community.
Site investigations re services and utilities – to fully understand the costs associated with major works. This is currently a heavily utilised corridor and is understood to have a wide range of services and utilities present. If major relocations are needed then this can have a large impact on the costs of the project.
Detailed design of the roadway, pedestrian zones and intersections treatments - as set out in the report, detailed design work to construction standard would ultimately be required and these may need to include necessary changes at intersections.
Approvals – these would need to be obtained from other agencies and/or entities concerning traffic matters, utility and service adjustments and possible planning matters
Tenders and or quotations for work to be performed would need to be called and awarded.
Given the possible complexity and the type of work involved in the above points, our estimate given our experience with previous projects is that Council may need to set aside a budget of between $1m-1.5m.
CONCLUSION
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increase the level of pedestrian activation in the area. All options have significant implications for traffic movements within and around the Castle Hill Town Centre and may not be supported by Government or other stakeholders, however this report sets out the processes that Council would need to undertake to determine if either envisaged outcome is possible, and if so, how it can be delivered.
Any program of investigation and delivery is projected to have a not insignificant cost impact on Council’s reserves and should have regard to the regional traffic modelling being undertaken by Council in cooperation with TfNSW.
Given the complexity, costs and length of time involved in completing the works associated with this project, it is recommended that Council receive this report and revisit the matter upon receipt of the regional traffic modelling being carried out in cooperation with TfNSW.
IMPACTS Financial
If redevelopment of the Castle Hill Main Street Precinct to a pedestrian mall or 10 kph Shared Zone was to be pursued, funding would have to be provided for initial traffic modelling and the preparation of a TMP as per the options above. This is estimated to be in the order of $50,000 to $100,000. If Council was of a view to proceed with the matter then a budget variation would be brought back in the next available budget review report. These funds would need to come from Council’s reserves.
A detailed project plan including a comprehensive cost analysis of the entire project would then need to be undertaken if TfNSW was to support either option following its consideration of a TMP and the impact of any resulting traffic changes on the operation of the Eastern and Western Ring Roads.
Strategic Plan - Hills Future
The content of this report supports Council’s vision of ensuring our community infrastructure is attractive, safe and well maintained and meets the needs of our growing Shire.
RECOMMENDATION
The matters set out in the report be received and noted in response to the Notice of Motion of 10 December 2019 and that Council revisit the issue upon receipt of the regional traffic modelling being carried out in cooperation with TfNSW.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Correspondence from TfNSW regarding 10 kph Shared Zone (4 pages) 2. Correspondence to QIC regarding Main Street Precinct (2 pages) 3. Response from QIC (1 page)