There is an item on the Vincent Council agenda for 11 August that seeks to approve a 30km/h speed limit in the Oxford Centre (Leederville). As one who has been pushing for years for slower speeds in our town centres, I support this wholeheartedly.
However, there is a sting in the tail - Main Roads apparently is agreeing to this only with the trade-off that the all-pedestrian phase at the intersection of Oxford and Vincent Streets be replaced by so-called 'parallel walk' phases.
It is nonsensical to implement a 30kph speed limit with the objective of "improving pedestrian safety" and then reduce the opportunities for pedestrians to cross safely and conveniently at the intersection in the heart of the area.
Parallel walk phases are not suitable for, nor are they safe in, places like this, where there are heavy and complex pedestrian movements. Even outside these areas, parallel walks are dangerous in WA as Perth drivers do not give way to pedestrians even when the pedestrians have right of way. Parallel walks add confusion, by having signals facing motor vehicle drivers change to green when the pedestrian is only halfway across the road, usually on a median island, so the car driver might assume that he/she (driver) has right of way.
Personally, I am not even willing to consider parallel walks at Oxford/Vincent (whether 5 or 10sec pedestrian 'advance').
The same applies at Walcott and Beaufort, where I have heard that Main Roads wants to do the same thing. Business people I have talked to in this area do not want to lose the exclusive pedestrian phase - and certainly pedestrians don't! This is the only controlled crossing point of Beaufort Street between Bulwer Street and Central Avenue - a distance of nearly 2.5km!
Presumably Main Roads will also seek to do the same in Mt Hawthorn at the intersection of Flinders Street and Scarborough Beach Road.
THE WA Planning Commission draft Activity Centre policy (Item 9.1.19 on Tuesday's Council agenda) states that "activity centres and management of traffic" should "sustain high levels of pedestrian movement". This proposal would restrict pedestrian access and worsen pedestrian safety.
I recently helped organise, with the support of the Town of Vincent, the 2009 Mainstreet Conference,held in Fremantle. This conference had the theme 'Rediscovering the Heart', reflecting the rediscovery by local communities of the centres that are both physically and socially their real heart. The key to this is people - so why on earth would we make things more difficult for people to move around our town centres on foot?
I will move that we do not support the removal of the pedestrian phase at the Oxford/Vincent Street intersection and also that: The Council opposes any diminution of pedestrian access and safety in its Town Centres through removal of dedicated pedestrian phases at traffic signals.
I completely agree with you on this, and I'm sure most of your other constituents would too.
ReplyDeleteWhy does Main Roads have so much power?
Hi Matt
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment. I have yet to speak with anyone who doesn't support the retention of the full pedestrian phases.
The Main Roads Act and the Road Traffic Act, between them, effectively mean that the Commissioner of Main Roads is responsible for all matters relating to control of traffic. Whilst there have been some encouraging changes in Main Roads in recent times (including the variable speed limit trial on Beaufort Street and the Leederville 30km/h proposal itself), there doesn't yet seem to be a coherent overall approach.
Perhaps we should fund Main Roads people to go over to York in England where the conventional priorities have been turned on their head - now the pedestrian is highest priority and solo car drivers are at the bottom of the heap.