extraordinary meeting of council 07 april, 2015 item-6 local … · 2020. 3. 11. · extraordinary...

EXTRAORDINARY MEETING OF COUNCIL 07 APRIL, 2015

ITEM-6 LOCAL TRAFFIC COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS - FEBRUARY 2015

THEME: Balanced Urban Growth

OUTCOME: 6 Safe, convenient and accessible transport options that enable movement through and within our Shire.

STRATEGY: 6.1 Facilitate the provision of integrated transport alternatives that link residents to their home, places of work and services and facilities.

MEETING DATE: 7/04/2015

EXTRAORDINARY MEETING

AUTHOR: MANAGER – COMMUNITY PLANNING & SPECIAL INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS

MICHAEL LATHLEAN

RESPONSIBLE OFFICER: GROUP MANAGER – STRATEGIC PLANNING

MICHAEL EDGAR

REPORT

The purpose of this report is to present to Council the recommendations of the Local Traffic Committee (LTC) for February 2015. There was no face-to-face meeting in February. The following matters were reported electronically to the members of the LTC via email. Two items were dealt with. LTC Recommendations for February 2015 ELECTORATE – BAULKHAM HILLS ITEM-1 ARNDILL AVENUE, BAULKHAM HILLS – DOUBLE CENTRELINE

MARKING TECHNICAL OFFICER’S RECOMMENDATION TO LTC 10 metres of double centreline with rumble blocks be provided in Arndill Avenue, Baulkham Hills at the intersection of Hambledon Avenue. LTC MEMBER COMMENTS RECEIVED RMS – “I have no issues with the Arndill Avenue, Baulkham Hills – Double Centreline Marking.” Member for Baulkham Hills – “I concur with the recommendation”. Police – “We have no issue with this item” RECOMMENDATION TO COUNCIL Notwithstanding the recommendation of Council officers and that there is no objection raised by the LTC, Arndill Avenue is a 50 km/hr road servicing local traffic only and therefore does not warrant the installation of rumble

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blocks. In this regard, it is recommended that 10 metres of double centreline be provided in Arndill Avenue, Baulkham Hills at the intersection of Hambledon Avenue.

ELECTORATE – HAWKESBURY ITEM-2

‘RIDE TO RIVERSTONE’ CHARITY BIKE RIDE 2015 TECHNICAL OFFICER’S RECOMMENDATION TO LTC 1. The 2015 “Ride to Riverstone Loop” be classified as a Class 2 Event. 2. Council endorse the Traffic Management Plan as submitted by the Lions

Club of Riverstone and CAMWEST subject to the Police and Roads and Maritime Services approving the event in accordance with the Traffic Management Plan.

LTC MEMBER COMMENTS RECEIVED RMS – “RMS has no objection subject to the special event TMP classified as a Class 2 event, the TMP to be submitted to RMS for approval, any issues raised by the police are addressed and the routes included in the event provide sufficient width to accommodate general cyclists and traffic at the same time.” Member for Hawkesbury – Raised concerns about this matter not being dealt with in a face-to-face meeting especially having regard to the recent fatality. Mr Williams MP expressed great disappointment about the recent tragedy. “In the past eight years I have never failed to attend a Traffic Committee Meeting and on several occasions, cycling events have created a considerable amount of discussion regarding the safety issues they present on narrow rural roads. You will remember the issues I previously raised regarding Bannerman Rd, Annangrove Rd and Blue Gum Rd, they are all contained within previous Traffic Committee Meetings minutes. They presented significant safety issues and after discussion at the Traffic Committee, measures were implemented to minimise those risks, none of which were contained in any original reports from council to the Traffic Committee. At those meetings representatives of the Police, RMS, local bus companies and elected representatives of parliament (of which I am currently also the Parliamentary Secretary for Roads), were all key stakeholders representing our respective areas and were only too happy to provide input and eventually implement special conditions regarding the operation of these events. I feel particularly aggrieved on behalf of our Castle Hill Local Area Command, who has not had the opportunity to discuss these matters at an appropriate Traffic Committee Meeting and have had to attend tragedies such as the most recent death of a cyclist on our rural roads.” Police – “Like Mr Ray Williams has responded, Police also foresee there to be significant safety issues and deem the likelihood of a participant being involved in an accident as ‘High’. Mr Walter Smith has been advised of this.

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In the recent weeks, there was a fatality in another charity cycle event “Tour De Hills”. The event held on 1st March 2015, used similar roads to the ones proposed by the Ride to Riverstone charity event, which are predominately single lane carriageways with one lane in each direction, with a sign posted speed limit of 70- 80km/h. These roads are winding narrow rural roads with soft edges and trees to the side with no shoulders/ break down areas. Furthermore, the roads have blind bends and double continuous white lines covering a good length of the roadway, making it difficult for motorists to pass the cyclists legally and safely. Using narrow roads with high speed limits is a concern for police as the severity of injuries suffered by cyclists increase with the speed limit, therefore riders are more likely to suffer serious or fatal injuries on roads with higher speeds. Police noted that part of the Ride to Riverstone Route includes a main road, Old Northern Rd, between Wyoming Rd, Dural and Whites Rd, Glenorie. This road varies in speed from 60-80kph zones and accommodates a high volume of vehicles, including a large number of trucks and vehicles towing boats/ horse floats etc, on a single lane carriageway with one lane in each direction. This roadway poses a very high risk to the cyclists. Additionally it has become apparent through other cycle events held in the Hills LAC, that the organisers of such events are unable to adequately ensure the compliance of road rules by such a large number of cyclists, in particular - riding no more than 2 abreast. In the last event held, Police received complaints that the cyclists were riding 4-6 abreast and often in clumps of 30-40. Due to this, cyclists were crossing double separation lines on to the incorrect side of the road and into the path of oncoming vehicles in order to overtake one another. A report highlighting our concerns has been prepared by The Hills LAC and forwarded to North West Metropolitan Region for determination to be made by Mr Clifford as to whether police will approve the event.” Officer’s Comment The management and approval of events of this nature are undertaken in accordance with the ‘Guide to Traffic and Transport for Special Events’. The role of the LTC and Council is to determine the Class of the Event (Class 1, 2, 3 or 4) in accordance with criteria set-out in the Guide, consider and endorse the Traffic Management Plan prepared by the event organisers and impose any specific conditions on the event, if required. Council does have the power to veto the event for a range of reasons including safety, community impact and the like. However, if Council is agreeable to the event proceeding, the event organisers must still apply to the Police Local Area Command (LAC) to conduct a public assembly. The event cannot proceed without that Police approval. The Hills LAC has indicated that they will escalate that approval process to Assistant Commissioner Clifford, the Police Commander North West Metropolitan Region and, at this stage, that approval has not been given. The ‘Ride to Riverstone’ commences and finishes in the Blacktown LGA but is also run across roads within The Hills and Hawkesbury LGAs. Approximately 50 to 60 percent of the route length is on roads within The

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Hills Shire. This event must be considered by each LTC before being endorsed by the respective Councils. The event has been considered by the Blacktown City LTC and endorsed by the Blacktown City Council. The event has also been considered by the Hawkesbury LTC and it is understood that no significant concerns were raised by Committee members. At the time of writing this report, any recommendations from the Hawkesbury LTC had not been considered by that Council. The event has been run for a number of years without any significant incidents that Council is aware of. It is understood to be professionally managed with the event organisers preparing a comprehensive Traffic Management Plan (TMP) that takes a very strong risk management approach to the safety of not just riders, but the general community. However, the recent tragedy during the Tour de Hills highlights the potential risks that can occur with such events and the consequences that can arise. Given the opposition by the NSW Police and other members of the LTC, there is insufficient time left for organisers of the event to overcome the safety concerns and the event has now been postponed. Cyclists do have the right to use many roads including the roads included in the event. This event is supported by a TMP that has been professionally prepared and the appropriate insurance policies are in place. The risk to participate is known and those risks are identified in event documentation and rider briefings. Events such as these do have an important role in the community however the recent fatality does provide an opportunity to reflect on the risks and how best those risks may be ameliorated. It is recommended that Council, with the LTC, develop guidelines and safety measures for future events. RECOMMENDATION TO COUNCIL 1. The 2015 “Ride to Riverstone Loop” be classified as a Class 2 Event. 2. Council endorse the Traffic Management Plan as submitted by the Lions

Club of Riverstone and CAMWEST subject to the Plan being submitted to the Police and Roads and Maritime Services for approval.

3. Council prepare guidelines in relation to using roads within the Shire for cycling events.

IMPACTS

Financial Item 1 of the recommendations will be funded from Council’s existing Signs and Linemarking budget. Item 2 of the recommendations will be funded by existing traffic engineering staff. The Hills Future - Community Strategic Plan The operation of the Local Traffic Committee ensures that local traffic conditions are safely managed for the benefit of the local community.

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EXTRAORDINARY MEETING OF COUNCIL 07 APRIL, 2015 RECOMMENDATION

Council adopt the recommendations of the Local Traffic Committee for February 2015 as detailed in the report.

ATTACHMENTS

1. Report for Baulkham Hills Electorate (3 pages) 2. Report for Hawkesbury Electorate (12 pages)

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Attachment 1

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Attachment 2

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extraordinary meeting of council 07 april, 2015 item-6 local … · 2020. 3. 11. · extraordinary...

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