Proposal to introduce 24 hour clearways

Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) is proposing changes to Victoria Road to improve traffic flow during the week and on weekends. It is proposed to install 24 hour clearways at all times, including Saturdays and Sundays, from The Crescent to Iron Cove Bridge. The community was asked to comment on this proposal in December 2011. Submissions closed Friday 3 February 2012.

EXISTING SITUATION

Essentially the kerbside lane is free flowing along Victoria Road other than kerbside parking available at:

• Westbound, between Gordon Street and Evans Street (6 parking spaces).
• Westbound, between Evans Street and Darling Street (11 spaces).
• Eastbound, between Terry Street and Crystal Street (10 spaces).
• Eastbound, between Wellington Street and Darling Street (14 spaces).
• Eastbound, between Prosper Street and Ellen Street (3 spaces).

This contributes to Victoria Road congestion.

During the week 75,000 vehicles use this road every day. To assist the flow of traffic, morning and afternoon clearways are currently in place on both sides of Victoria Road. To further assist buses travelling to the city, morning bus lanes are in place between 6am and 10am, Monday to Friday.

Currently there are no clearway restrictions on the weekend despite very high volumes of traffic on both Saturdays (over 70,000 vehicles) and Sundays (over 60,000 vehicles).

Existing weekend traffic is delayed and inconvenienced by vehicles parked on Victoria Road between Iron Cove Bridge and The Crescent.

As well as the impact on general traffic, there are up to 23 bus routes feeding into Victoria Road, carrying almost 5,000 commuters on a Saturday and nearly 3,800 on a Sunday. Better flowing traffic would assist bus commuters as well.

THE PROPOSAL

To improve the efficiency of traffic on Victoria Road between Iron Cove Bridge and The Crescent, one option could be to increase the operation of clearways Mondays to Fridays as well as introduce new clearways Saturdays and Sundays.

What will happen if we install 24 hour clearways on Victoria Road between Iron Cove Bridge and The Crescent?

• Weekday and weekend traffic would flow better at all hours.
• Some 44 car parking spaces would be removed – many outside retail shops.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT

Changes to the Victoria Road clearways proposal are being considered by RMS as a result of the issues and ideas raised by the community. The community will be informed of any changes and invited to comment. RMS will then make a decision and advise you of the decision.