The Vineyard Precinct is a major future urban area proposed to be developed as part of the North West Sydney Priority Growth Area (NWPGA). Provide a strategic overview of the existing and future transport network in the North West Priority Growth Area; Overview of the future development of the North-West Priority Growth Area and the Vineyard area.
Identification of key criteria and objectives in planning the development of the Vineyard area. The Vineyard area is located in the northern part of the North West Priority Growth Area, entirely within the Hawkesbury Local Government Area (LGA). The draft Indicative Layout Plan (ILP) developed for Stage 1 of the Vineyard area is presented in Figure 4 on the following page.
3 Existing Transport Conditions
- Travel Patterns
- Road Network
- Windsor Road
- Boundary Road
- Bandon Road
- Schofields Road
- Traffic Volumes
- Heavy Vehicles
- Rail Services
- Richmond Rail Line
- Sydney Metro Northwest
- Bus Services
- Walking and Cycling
Windsor Road forms the main access route into the district, passing through the center of the town. In March 2014, surveys were conducted to understand existing traffic levels near the Vineyard area and the wider NWPGA. The results of the surveys are shown in Figure 11 on the next page and show that Windsor Road carries the majority of traffic in the district.
The relatively high number of heavy vehicles on local roads within the Vineyard Precinct is largely due to the light industrial use concentrated east of Windsor Road. The Vineyard district is currently served by the Richmond railway, a branch of the main western line. Due to the current low level of development, there are currently limited bus services in the Vineyard district area.
A summary of the existing bus routes in the vicinity of the Vineyard area is illustrated in Figure 16 on the next page. A summary of the existing off-road bike paths in the vicinity of the study area is shown in Figure 17 on the next page.
4 Precinct Planning Principles
- Transport Planning Objectives
- Road Classification and Capacity
- Road Cross Sections
- Heavy Vehicles
- Public Transport Provision
- Walking and Cycling
- Pedestrian Connectivity
- Cycling
In general, all future road intersections, as summarized in Table 3, should be assessed at the district master planning stage, the Development Control Plan (DCP), to minimize unnecessary land take. Local bus routes should be planned to run through the core of the district, rather than along arterial roads with poor pedestrian access. Regional bus routes should be built to allow more direct, time-efficient services to key regional centers such as Rouse Hill and Blacktown.
High density developments should be located near public transport hubs as these will be the areas where the highest modal share to public transport will be achieved. Roads and streets containing public transport stops should be activated wherever possible to increase convenience and attractiveness for pedestrians waiting for services. Pedestrian paths must be provided on both sides of the road carriageway in accordance with the standard road crossing sections described in section 4.3.
Accompanying infrastructure such as trolley ramps and bicycle beacons should be installed at all traffic signals. Where possible, stops should be located near traffic signals or alternative safe pedestrian crossing facilities (eg pedestrian shelters, zebra crossings). Roads and intersections along major bicycle routes should be designed to a standard that includes cyclist movements.
Directness: Cycling routes should be as direct as possible, taking into account major barriers such as intersections and steep topography. Directional signs should be installed to improve connectivity and signage, with legal signs and lines installed as per the NSW Bicycle Guidelines. Parking for short-stay cyclists should be provided in passively monitored areas. If the parking lot is visible, it is perceived as safer and is used more often.
Parking for long-stay cyclists should be in secure, locked facilities that provide protection from the weather and convey a sense of high priority for rider treatment.
5 Road Network Assessment
- Assessment Criteria
- Road Capacity
- Intersection Capacity
- Traffic Generation
- Land Use Assumptions
- Traffic Distribution
- Road Network Hierarchy
- Road Network
- Traffic Modelling
- Heavy Vehicle Movements
The following land uses have been adopted for Phase 1 and the eventual development of the Vineyard area. The traffic modeling carried out for this study took into account the traffic generated by the eventual development of the Vineyard district and other districts in the North West Priority Growth Area. In general, the traffic distribution used in the NETANAL modeling for the Sydney Metropolitan Region's future annual travel tables has been retained from the BTS travel matrices.
An overview of the crossing lines for Bandon Road and Garfield Road is illustrated in Figure 18. The preferred road network structure to support the full development of the Vineyard area as envisioned under the draft master plan is illustrated in Figure 20. The existing roads in the Vineyard area will form the structure in the road network.
It should be noted that TfNSW is currently undertaking a review of the North West Priority Growth Area Structure Plan, including updated traffic modeling for the area. The outcomes of the modeling may influence the future classification and role of a number of roads within the Vineyard area - particularly Boundary Road and Chapman Road. To support the phased development of the area, Boundary Road will be upgraded to sub-arterial status between Windsor Road and Menin Road.
This traffic model was used as a basis for predicting the volume of traffic in the coming year in the vicinity of the wine-growing district. The Sydney Outer Orbital has the potential to significantly change travel patterns for Vineyard residents. Due to the continued planning of major road projects in the district and the uncertainty regarding the alignment of the outer Sydney orbit, detailed operational traffic modeling for the first stage of the vineyard area has not been carried out.
At central junctions (ie the intersection of collector/subarterial roads) traffic signals will generally be required to handle the high traffic movements expected following the development of the area. The installation of traffic signals will be provided based on the development of the area and after demonstrating that the above guarantees can be met. Crossbreeding treatments identified at this stage to support the growth of the Vineyard area are illustrated in Figure 22 on the following page.
6 Public Transport, Walking and Cycling
Bus Services
- Proposed Network of Routes
- Bus Servicing
- Future Bus Services
It provides a link from Windsor and Mulgrave to Rouse Hill, serving a wide catchment in the Vineyard area. The North West Sector Bus Service Plan envisages that this service will be upgraded to a regional route depending on future demand. An illustration of the future bus network serving the Vineyard area is shown in Figure 23 on the following page.
Proposed higher order road network Existing external road network Northwest Growth Center Boundary floodplain and recreational reserves. All routes identified as bus corridors would be required to provide a road reserve of sufficient width to accommodate bus stops including shelters where. Should it not be possible to establish two carriageways, indented bus bays can be considered – although this option limits flexibility if stops should be moved in the future.
Bus stops must be provided at a minimum distance of 400 m to ensure good accessibility for workers and residents of the wine-growing district. The exact locations of bus stops within Vinograd will be determined during the detailed planning of the area, as land use will be more precisely defined. As a general principle, bus stops should be located to provide good access to key land uses including Cudgegong Road train station, Area 20 town centre, Rouse Hill Regional Park and local schools.
Facilities for waiting passengers, including shade, seating and shelters, are recommended at bus stops on major regional bus routes such as Windsor Road and Commercial Road. All bus stops must meet the latest requirements of the Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport (DSAPT) and the. The bus plan indicates two future bus services within the North West Priority Growth Area (Figure 25).
A suburban bus route is planned between Penrith and Rouse Hill, again running along the Schofields Road transit.
Rail Services
Pedestrian and Cycling Network
7 Summary and Conclusions
For new areas within the priority growth area Northwest, where private vehicles have historically dominated the transport landscape, it is crucial that strong collective transport, walking and cycling connections are established at an early stage, when new residents establish their travel habits. The Vineyard area will be served by a number of new bus routes proposed as part of the North West Sector Bus Service Plan. Bus stops are recommended to have a minimum distance of 400m to provide good accessibility for workers and residents in the Vineyard area.
Facilities for waiting passengers, including shade, seating and shelters, are recommended at bus stops located on key regional routes such as Windsor Road, Commercial Road and Wallace Road. Future residents and employees of the Vineyard area will benefit from improved accessibility across major roads through the intersection upgrades (and additional controlled pedestrian crossing) recommended in this strategy. Footpaths should be placed on both sides of the carriageway in accordance with the standard road cross-section for the Northwest Priority Growth Area.
A number of dedicated cycle routes have been identified in conjunction with the road upgrading works recommended in this strategy. Shared pedestrian/cycle paths (minimum 3m wide) are recommended for main roads including Boundary Road, Commercial Road and Bandon Road, with on-road cycleways (minimum 1.5m wide) recommended for roads expected to carry less than 10,000 vehicles per day wear. There is the opportunity to provide a recreational off-road cycle route along the eastern riparian corridor, which will serve planned open space areas as well as the neighborhood centre.
Appendix A
Appendix B
