Outcomes in College Street between Cameron Street and Curtis Road

Total Number of Properties

Total in Support

Total in Objection

Response Rate

Response Support Rate

Response Objection Rate

43

23

2

58%

92%

8%

Outcomes in surrounding sections (College, Church and Mort Streets)

Total in Support

Total in Objection

8

4

Resident Concerns

Officer Feedback

It is physically impossible for two-way traffic to share this narrow street and converting it to one-way will go a considerable way to making it a more navigable and less terrifying passageway (5 similar comments).

Council has noted residents safety concerns regarding the road width. The proposed one way will assist in alleviating these issues.

The safety issue is the speed at which cars travel in our street. This is due to inadequate signage of the speed limit, inadequate signage notifying drivers to the presence of a playground, an increase in traffic due to the Dry Dock re-opening. A one way street will not increase the safety, however a shared 10km pedestrian zone with clear signage will by reducing traffic speed. Can you please explain why this option has not been considered, as it was discussed at the meeting. (2 similar comments)

In addition, parking is already a massive issue, a one way street will mean extra traffic as we all do multiple loops of the block looking for a spot anywhere near our house. Furthermore, due to the nature of the deep gutters and slope of the pavement. Those that live in the even numbered, Curtis St end, will be unable to exit their car if they park outside their houses.

Council is currently developing a Local Area Traffic Management (LATM) plan for the Balmain East/Birchgrove precincts and examining a 10km/hr Shared Zone within College Street including traffic calming devices to provide a low speed road environment. The proposed one way restriction will assist in alleviating issues pertaining to the narrow carriageway width along with reducing vehicle volume within this section of College Street by restricting eastbound traffic.

A resident parking scheme is currently in place to address long-term non-residential parking in the street. The kerb profile is the same on both sides of the street and is expected to remain unchanged from the one way parking arrangement.

Any proposal to funnel some traffic into this street can only make the situation worse. I can't see that the proposal makes things safer in Church Street which your headline " making traffic safer for local residents" suggests would be the case. While I acknowledge Mort Street is a wider street than College Street, cars are typically parked on either side of Mort Street creating a narrower passageway.It is not uncommon for cars traveling in opposite directions, at the same time, needing to stop to allow the other car to pass. An increase in traffic on Mort Street will further exacerbate this creating a safety issue for residents entering their cars as traffic passes in very close proximity to parked vehicles.This is particularly concerning for residents with young families, including my own, who are required to place their children in car seats and are left exposed to traffic passing by.

It is expected approximately 227 vehicles will be diverted into the neighbouring streets which will primarily include Church and Mort Streets. These increase in volumes in Church and Mort Street is not considered significant. Church and Mort Streets have a kerb to kerb width of 9.8m and Mort Street has 9.75m respectively. Both streets have a more appropriate width to accommodate parking and two-way traffic than College Street.

Additionally, Church and Mort Streets have no reported crashes within the last five years to raise concerns regarding the existing arrangements.

A good follow up step would be to only have parking allowed on one side of the street at a time, alternating along the length of the street. This street is too narrow for double sided parking, and cars end up parked on the footpath, blocking pedestrian access. (1 similar comment)

This suggestion would result in a significant loss of parking and lead to an increase in parking demand within neighbouring streets to accommodate. As parking is in demand in Balmain and residents have expressed difficulty in finding parking, this would not be supported by impacted residents.

If College Street is to be made one-way, it should be in the direction taken by the majority of current traffic on that street. If currently an average of 227 vehicles travel eastbound and 118 vehicles westbound, then surely any change should be to make College Street one-way eastbound. That would at least minimise the amount of traffic being diverted to neighbouring streets. (3 similar comments)

The westbound restriction was supported by residents as it is an uphill direction which will assist in slowing vehicle speeds and receives the least volume will also reduce safety issues associated with the narrow width. The overall volumes are low and expected to have minimal impact on neighbouring streets.

The proposal favours residents in one street at the expense of residents in other nearby streets.If successful, this proposal may also create a precedent for residents in other streets to apply to become one-way.

Narrow two-way streets have long been a part of living in Balmain. Moreover, College Street is in a privileged position to many comparable streets in the suburb in that the College Street Park takes up approximately one third of the western side meaning there are less houses on the street between Curtis and Campbell Streets and therefore less resident traffic.

While the refurbishment of the Dry Dock has increased traffic on College Street, it is not a new venue. Residents who have acquired homes in the street, have done so knowingly that a hotel in close proximity may translate to an increase in traffic along the street.

Comments noted. Council generally only considers one-way restrictions for streets with genuine safety concerns, insufficient widths to accommodate two-way traffic, area wide traffic volumes impacts along with resident support.

Whilst College Street comparatively exhibits less traffic than neighbouring streets, the primary issue is in regard to its insufficient carriageway to accommodate a two-way traffic arrangement. This has led to safety concerns reported from residents.