Lane Cove Council Traffic Advisory Committee Parking and Traffic Changes

The Lane Cove Council is holding its last meeting for 2020 on Monday, December 7th 2020.  The Councillors will be reviewing recommendations made by the Lane Cove Council Traffic Advisory Committee (LCCTAC).  Some of LCCTAC recommendations have caused concerned among Lane Cove Residents, and some are addressing hazard risks identified by locals.

No Right Turn From Birdwood Lane Shared Zone onto Rosenthal Avenue

The Lane Cove Council state that Birdwood Lane was converted into a Shared Zone in 2018 when construction of The Canopy project commenced to improve pedestrian safety and activate the laneway.  ITC is not sure everyone knew that as cars always seemed to have the right of way.  It was not until The Canopy opened that people became aware it was a shared zone.  Read more here.

As part of The Canopy project, the existing Shared Zone was upgraded with the pavement surface changed to highlight the difference in the street environment and enhance pedestrian priority.

In August 2020, Council undertook a post-construction Road Safety Audit (RSA) where several deficiencies in the Shared Zone were identified.

Lane Cove Council is currently in the process of rectifying these deficiencies, one of which is the obstructed sightlines for drivers exiting the Shared Zone at Rosenthal Avenue.

The RSA identifies there is a risk of right turn crashes occurring and recommends Lane Cove Council ban the right-turn out of the Shared Zone.

The RSA also recommends installation of chevron markings to extend the Shared Zone into Rosenthal Avenue to improve sight distance, which will be undertaken by Council.

The sight distance to the north and south are depicted in Photos 1 and 2 below, respectively.

Traffic counts undertaken in July 2020 for a period of four weeks indicates the majority of vehicles accessing the Shared Zone are Class 1 and 2 vehicles (cars) followed by Class 3 (light to medium trucks), i.e. deliveries.

The types of vehicles accessing the Shared Zone (on Birdwood and Rosenthal Lanes) are shown in Figures 1 and 2 below.  ITC is not very good at Maths, but these stats do not add up.  Birdwood Lane is a one-way street, and if you enter at Birdwood Lane, you must exit at Rosenthal Lane (which is now called Birdwood Lane).  Why have fewer trucks used Rosenthal Lane?  The discrepancy in bike figures can be attributed to the Dominos electric bikes that may not exit at Rosenthal Lane.

The Lane Cove Council stated in the briefing note to the LCTAC “It is unlikely these Class 1 and 2 vehicles (except for residential traffic which is expected to be minimal in comparison) will be turning right out of the Shared Zone.”  ITC is not sure how Lane Cove Council has arrived at this decision as we have seen numerous cars turning right and circling the block waiting to pick people up from shopping or collecting pizza.  It seems that many drivers are unaware that the majority of the Shared Zone is a No Stopping Area.

Lane Cove Council further states “It is acknowledged that residential traffic and delivery vehicles will need to access Epping Road through Tambourine Bay Road, Sera Street and Longueville Road. Given that the restricted visibility has a medium risk rating, the detour for some vehicles is a minor inconvenience and compromise to improve safety in the Shared Zone.”

The proposed ‘No Right Turn’ restriction is shown in Figure 3 and is proposed to be installed on the light pole and median island.

ITC has a feeling but could be wrong that there used to be a no right turn into Rosenthal Avenue before the Canopy was constructed.

Lane Cove Council will be voting on the following recommendation:

That:- 1. Install ‘No Right Turn’ on the light pole and median island, as shown in Figure 3; and 2. Notify all the affected residents/businesses of the decision.

Update as at Monday 7th December 2020 at 10.57 pm – the Lane Cove Council voted in favour of this recommendation

Centennial Avenue, Lane Cove Installation of a ‘No Stopping’ zone in peak hours and removal of bus stop

Centennial Avenue is classified as a Regional Road under the NSW road hierarchy and has a weekday Annual Average Daily Traffic Volume of 13,842 vehicles.

Some Lane Cove Commuters has reported to Lane Cove Council that parked vehicles on both sides significantly reduce capacity on Centennial Avenue between Epping and Mowbray Roads.

This has been exacerbated by construction traffic associated with developments on Gordon Crescent.

This section of Centennial Avenue currently comprises of unrestricted parking on both sides except for several No Parking and No Stopping zones, bus zones and 4 x 1/4P;7am7pm; Mon-Sat. The ¼ hour parking restrictions were installed to assist a café at 7-13 Centennial Avenue.

In June 2019, Lane Cove Council undertook traffic counts on Centennial Avenue between Epping and Mowbray Roads which for northbound and southbound directions respectively.

For the northbound direction, the highest traffic volumes were recorded between 7-9 am and 4-6 pm.

Similarly, for the southbound direction, the highest volumes were also recorded between 7- 9 am and 4-6 pm, however, showed significantly higher volumes in the morning peak.

Based on the above traffic counts Lane Cove Council proposes to install ‘No Stopping; 7-9 am and 4-6 pm Mon – Fri’ on both sides of Centennial Avenue between Mowbray and Epping Roads.

However, it is not proposed to remove the 4 x ‘1/4P; 7 am-7 pm; Mon-Sat’ in front of 7-13 Centennial Avenue outside Bella Bacio Cafe.

Bella Bacio Café is heavily reliant on short-term parking, and there is no alternate parking available within proximity.

To further improve the efficiency, Lane Cove Council is also proposing to remove the bus stop currently located on the northern end of Centennial Avenue (Bus Stop ID 2066232) which services route 258 only.

This will require patrons to access an alternate bus stop (near Elizabeth Parade) located approximately 150-180 metres south of the subject bus stop.

Lane Cove Council has noted:

“Removal of the subject bus stop is not expected to significantly impact service levels for patrons given the proximity to an alternate bus stop that also services route 258.”

Lane Cove Council will be voting on the following recommendation:

That:- 1. Install ‘No Stopping; 7-9 am and 4-6 pm; Mon-Fri’ on the unrestricted section of Centennial Avenue between Mowbray and Epping Roads.

The existing 1/4P; 7am7pm; Mon-Friday is to remain;

2. Remove Bus Stop north of Centennial Avenue (bus stop ID 2066232); and

3. The above changes are subject to consultation with affected residents and businesses.

ITC has been contacted by residents who live along Centennial Avenue, and they are not in support of this proposal as the Apartment Developments have limited visitor parking and parking for people with a disability or seniors.

Some commuters did ask for a clearway during the period where there is major construction works around Lane Cove North (particularly during the excavation stage).

Residents received notification from the Lane Cove Council.

Update as at Monday 7th December 2020 at 10.57 pm – the Lane Cove Council DID NOT vote in favour of this recommendation

Finlayson Street, Lane Cove Installation of Indented Parking Bays

Lane Cove Council has received representation from residents requesting a review of the current ‘No Parking’ restrictions in Finlayson Street between Coxs Lane and Rosenthal Avenue.

The ‘No Parking’ restrictions were implemented following the November 2018 Traffic Committee and were part of the Village traffic management changes that aimed to improve traffic flow in Finlayson Street following the opening of The Canopy car park.

The ‘No Parking’ restrictions generated concerns from new residents of Finlayson Street where it was stated that provision for short-term parking should be made on Finlayson street to accommodate deliveries to residences.

In response to these concerns, the November 2019 Council meeting resolved that: “Council review the impacts and need for any further changes once The Canopy developments opened in June 2020 by no later than November 2020.”

As part of the review process, Council undertook consultation with residents of Finlayson Street regarding a proposal to install a parking bay near number 15 Finlayson Street.

The survey also sought to gain residents’ views on the number of bays as well as the preferred nature of use.

Council delivered 150 letters to residents of Finlayson Street, and residents were given a two (2) week response time in which Council received 60 responses (40% response rate). The majority of residents who responded to the survey (72%) supported the proposal to install an indented parking bay on Finlayson Street.

They also indicated that their preference is for two indented parking bays for the use of short-term deliveries and/or removalist trucks.

Lane Cove Council will be voting on the following recommendation:

That:- 1. Install two ’1/2P’ indented parking bays along the northern side of Finlayson Street as shown in Figure 8;

2. The indented parking bays to be designed in accordance with AS2890.5;

 3. Notify all the affected residents of the decision.

Update as at Monday 7th December 2020 at 10.57 pm – the Lane Cove Council voted in favour of this recommendation

Intersection Upgrade at Longueville Road, River Road and Northwood Road

After two accidents in two weeks, our cover photo sign has been installed outside the Longueville Sporting Club (aka The Diddy).   Read more here.

Have Your Say

If you would like to submit any of the above LCTAC recommendations or any council issue, you can address the Lane Cove Councillors before the Meeting to held on Monday, 6 December 2020.

To comply with the directives of the NSW Government and in the interests of public health, the meeting will be conducted online.   Members of the public will not be permitted to attend the Council Chambers. Councillors are also not permitted to attend in person and will be participating in the meeting via video conference.

Council is currently trialling the use of video conferencing for the Public Forum by using the online meeting platform, Zoom.    A link to the video conference, which will include all Councillors attending the online Council meeting, will be made available by email for community members to participate.

All speakers wishing to participate in the public forum must register by using the online form no later than midnight, 18 October 2020.   A Zoom meeting link will be emailed to the provided email address.

The time limit of three minutes per address still applies so; please make sure your submission meets this criteria. Alternatively, members of the public can still submit their written address via email to [email protected].

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