car parking and traffic management around public schools ... · car parking and traffic management...

Car Parking and Traffic around Public Schools December 2009

DME 49766 0

Car Parking and Traffic Management around Public Schools

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This project, commissioned by the LGA of SA, focuses on developing a decision making framework for managing car parking and traffic management around public schools. It has been supported by a project Working Group and prepared by Strategic Matters.

December 2009 (Final version)


DME 49766 1

Table of Contents

Preamble 2

About the document 3

1. Part 1 - Overview 4

2. Part 2 – Who to involve 6

3. Part 3 – Decision Making Framework 8

4. Part 4 - Examples 10


DME 49766 2

Preamble This document provides a guideline for resolving traffic management issues around public schools. It was initiated following discussion between the LGA and the Minister for Education, Hon Jane Lomax Smith. The development of the guideline was supported by the LGA and the Minister for Education and has been prepared collaboratively by the Local Government Association of SA and the Department of Education and Children’s Services (DECS) and represents an indication of the goodwill and intent to resolve issues in a meaningful and constructive process. Funding for the project has been provided by the Local Government Research and Development Scheme

DECS can be contacted regarding traffic management issues. In the first instance Councils should refer any issues directly to the school Principals, if the matter then needs to be referred to DECS then the Principal can contact Asset Services in DECS through the Asset Support Centre on: Phone - 1800 810 076 Email - [email protected].


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About the Document Project Aim The project’s aim was to develop a good practice decision making framework to assist Councils in managing car parking and traffic management around public schools The document has been designed to offer Councils four layers of information: Part 1

Provides an overview - General information about the project including context, aim, key items and values that underpin the decision making framework;

Part 2 Presents information on how Councils, can determine WHO to involve when addressing a traffic management and / or car parking issue relating to public schools:

Part 3 Provides a decision making framework with a range of questions that Councils can ask to ensure that the nature of the issue is fully understood, the stakeholders appropriately identified, the solution that is developed is robust, and that resource implications are identified; and

Part 4 Offers a detailed series of examples that provides Councils with a range of likely scenarios that may be encountered when dealing with traffic management and parking around public schools.


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Part 1 - Overview 1.1 Project Context Councils and the Department of Education and Children’s Services (DECS) are faced with increased community pressure to address both traffic congestion and safety around public school grounds. All public schools are subject to the DECS policy that ensures that school pick-up and drop-off areas occur on public roads. However, State Government developments such as public schools are exempt from Councils’ planning requirements (development planning process). Where schools have arterial road frontage issues, and or the need for regulatory devices, and the approval of non-standard traffic management devices, input from the Department of Transport, Energy & Infrastructure (DTEI) is also required. To date many Councils have addressed the issue of traffic management around schools in one of three ways: • introducing controls around school zones that may involve parking and speed controls

as well as Local Area Traffic Management (LATM) measures; • developing land adjacent to the schools for drop-off and pick-ups; or • purchasing DECS land for the construction of additional car parks.

The current methods employed by Councils to address traffic management around public schools are ad-hoc and piecemeal. In many instances the ‘solutions’ rely on the Councils’ ability to have both finances and adjacent land available to them – which is often not available. Further to this, research undertaken by the Local Government Association of South Australia (LGA) indicates that in situations where Councils have adopted tighter parking controls (in an effort to restrict movement of both vehicles and pedestrians) the results have generally proven to be inadequate. The LGA is seeking to establish a more robust decision making process for determining cost sharing arrangement between spheres of Government and safe and sustainable traffic management outcomes around public schools. A joint LGA/DECS Working Party was established to inform the process and outcomes. The Working Party met three times and undertook some out-of-session work. Membership of the Working Party including two personnel from Councils (one metropolitan, one rural), two personnel from DECS and two personnel from the Local Government Association of South Australia.


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1.2 Key Items The framework has adopted the approach that all issues can be addressed as one of four broad problems: 1. Internal (on site - within school grounds) traffic management; 2. Internal (on site – within school grounds) parking; 3. External traffic management; and 4. External parking 1.3 Values of the Decision Making Framework The decision making tool / framework promotes: • outcomes that are flexible, responsive and durable; • the best ‘service delivery’ outcomes for the community; • ‘sound’ cost benefit outcomes; • politically acceptable solutions (both at a policy and local level); • decisions that address the Triple Bottom Line (TBL)

(including changing demographics, and infrastructure needs); • solutions that are amenable to councils’ social, financial and ecological constraints /

circumstances; and • collaborative input to, and ownership of outcomes.


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Part 2 – Who to Involve

When faced with a traffic or car parking issues around or within a public school there are a range of bodies and individuals who might need or wish to be involved in the decision making process. The table below highlights who might raise an issue, who the likely stakeholder is, who needs to be involved if the road is under the care and control of Local or State Government Control and what might be used to guide the involvement of the broader community. The table will also assist Local Government in determining cost sharing arrangement between spheres of Government and safe and sustainable traffic management outcomes around public schools. Figure 1 – Who to involve in the decision making

Who might initiate an issue?

School, Local Government, Resident(s), Local Member, Minister, DECS

Identifying the scope

of the issue

Likely key

stakeholders

Road under care &

control of LOCAL

Government

Road under care &

control of STATE

Government

Internal traffic issue? DECS, school n/a n/a

Internal parking

issue?

DECS, school, n/a n/a


DME 49766 7

Identifying the scope

of the issue

Likely key

stakeholders

Road under care &

control of LOCAL

Government

Road under care &

control of STATE

Government

External traffic issue? - School, Local

Government

- Department for

Transport, Energy

& Infrastructure

(DTEI)

- relevant Local

Government

authority

- Public Transport

Division

- Department for

Transport, Energy &

Infrastructure 1

- Office for Cycling

and Walking

External parking

issue?

- School, Local

Government,

DTEI

- relevant Local

Government

authority

- Public Transport

Division

- Department for

Transport, Energy &

Infrastructure2

- relevant Local

Government

authority

- Office for Cycling

and Walking

1 Involvement from DTEI is required when issues relate to arterial road frontage, regulatory devices, and /or the approval of non-standard traffic management devices. In some instances DTEI may get involved through their “Safe Routes to School” program (soon to be the “Way2Go” program) that focuses on the development of safe practices in the vicinity of schools both in terms of engineering interventions and behavioural change

2 As notation for reference note #1

Community

Consultation with community as per

Local Government‘s & School’s Consultation Policy


DME 49766 8

Part 3 – Decision Making Framework

When faced with a traffic or car parking issues around or within a public school there are a range of items that need to be considered in the decision making process. Figure 2 has been developed to provide Councils with a guide on that types of questions that can be asked to ensure that the nature of the issue is fully understood, the stakeholders appropriately identified, the solution that is developed is robust and that resource implications are identified. Councils are also encouraged to measure success of the “solution” through both the Outcomes i.e. those things (& attitudes and practices) that have been achieved or changed to achieve our desired result; and the Outputs i.e. those things that have been done or resources (on-ground activities and plans/documents) that lead to change.

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Figure 2 – Framework for Decision Making

- With whom is it occurring (who is it impacting on)?

- When is it occurring?

- How long has it been occurring for?

- What does it involve?

- What is the political interface?

- What are the safety issues?

- What are the options to address the issue?

- How do the options address:

� safety,

� the stakeholders,

� short and long term outcomes?

- Who else needs to be involved?

- How and when will they be involved?

- How will external expectations be managed?

- What resources are required?

- Are the resources available?

- Is there enough time to implement the outcomes?

- Has “whole of life” been factored into the solution?

- What will be put in place / achieved to address the issue?

- How have the outcomes been tailored to address:

� The local conditions?

� Best practice and / or legal requirements?

DME 49766 10

Part 4 – Examples Section four provides Councils with a range of likely scenarios that may be encountered when dealing with traffic management and parking around public schools. The table below has been divided into both an Internal (within school grounds) and External (outside the school grounds) split. It then offers a range of example issues, example strategies, example primary contact / stakeholder, other example stakeholders and the nomination of possible resources and tools that might be required to resolve the issue. The table has been designed to assist Councils with determining who the ultimate responsibly lies with, who needs to be involved, what resource what might required), and what tools might be used to advance / resolve the issue. Please note that where schools have arterial road frontage issues the Department of Transport, Energy & Infrastructure (DTEI) should be referred to in the first instance. Approval of non-standard traffic management devices and regulatory devices (such as speed limit approvals) also presides with DTEI.

Example Issues

(matters for consideration)

Example strategies

(What’s required to ‘fix’ the issues?)

Primary contact /

stakeholder

Other (secondary)

stakeholders

Resources

required

Tools

Internal Traffic Management (within school grounds)

Flow of traffic within

school grounds

DECS, school

Internal Parking (within school grounds)

Number of staff who

require parking spots

DECS school SG Land for

parking

AS 2890

External Traffic management (outside school grounds)

Traffic volume Traffic calming and traffic management devices

Local Government Residents,

DTEI (Transport

Time and $

from Local /

Traffic

Management

DME 49766 11

Example Issues


Example strategies


Primary contact /

stakeholder

Other (secondary)

stakeholders

Resources

required

Tools

section and Safety &

Regulation division)

Planning and local

government

State

Government

Plan for the site

AS 1742.13

Traffic flow Traffic calming and traffic management devices Local Government Residents,

DTEI (Transport

section and Safety &

Regulation division)

Planning and local

government

Time and $

from Local /

State

Government

Traffic

Management

Plan for the site

AS 1742.13

Accessibility to Public

transport

Explore feasibility of additional services and routes DTEI (Passenger

Transport Division)

LG (location of bus

stop routes etc)

DTEI (“Way2Go”

program)

Interface with School

Crossings

Investigate need for and placement of crossing(s).

Consider interface with other land uses

School

Local Government

State Government DTEI

DTEI (“Way2Go”

program)

Time and $

from Local /

State

Government

site analysis etc

AS 1742.10

Bicycle Lanes and

movement

Investigate need for and placement of dedicated

bicycle lane(s). Including need to link lanes with

surrounding bicycle lanes and routes

Local Government

Office for Cycling and

Walking

DTEI (“Way2Go”

program)

Width of road

to add bicycle

lanes

localized bicycle

study including

costings

AS 1742.9

Pedestrian safety and

movement

Investigate need for and placement safe crossing

points

Local Government

Schools

DTEI (“Way2Go”

program)

Time and $

from Local /

State

pedestrian safety

study including

costings

AS 1742.10

DME 49766 12

Example Issues


Example strategies


Primary contact /

stakeholder

Other (secondary)

stakeholders

Resources

required

Tools

Government

Explore alternative transport modes t/ f schools

e.g.: “walking Bus”

Refer - DTEI active travel ideas booklet

Local Government

School

DTEI (“Way2Go”

program)

Time and $

from Local /

State

Government

pedestrian safety

study including

costings

Examine signage needs including design and

placement

Local Government

Schools

Time and $

from Local /

State

Government

pedestrian safety

study including

costings

Interface with external

land owners and

operators

Develop and promote a “Road user’s protocol” /

education process /awareness raising program (To focus on issues such as ‘Drop and pick up’,

consideration of residents’ needs (e.g. clear driveways))

School

DECS

Local Government

Other State

Government

Time and $

from schools

Lack of road frontage for

“kiss ‘n drop” (collection &

delivery points)

Land transfer DECS

School

Local Government

Local

Government /

DECS

agreement &

Site

Management

Plan

External Parking (outside school grounds)

Provision of on street

parking

Explore and assess the provision of adequate # of

parking spaces

Local Government Local

Government

Land for

parking

Purchase and / or alteration of existing land for Local Government Local

DME 49766 13

Example Issues


Example strategies


Primary contact /

stakeholder

Other (secondary)

stakeholders

Resources

required

Tools

parking Government

Land for

parking

Explore ‘shared use of land’ (e.g. with another

institution / business such as a church)

Redesign the road reserve Local Government DTEI

Control parking conditions Local Government DTEI (regulatory

issues)

Alternate class times at the school (e.g. offset

older student’s class times and school hours from

10:30am -4:30pm)

Schools, Regional

Directors (DECS)

Increase public transport to / from the school DTEI (Passenger

Transport Division)

DTEI (“Way2Go”

program)

Provision of parking for

students

Explore and assess the provision of adequate # of

parking spaces in a ‘safe’ location with adequate

lighting and passive surveillance

Local Government Passenger Transport

Division to provide

buses / bus routes to

reduce need for cars

to access school

Local

Government

Land for

parking

Purchase and / or alteration of existing land for

parking

School

Local Government

Local

Government

Land for

parking

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