Some traditional Local Area Traffic Management studies focus on how cars move through an area – but here at Safe System Solutions we’re about more than that.
We want all road users to be safe and to be able to get to their destination.
Our Local Area Traffic Management studies focus on ensuring the safety of all road users, and by doing so, encourages equity in transport with all road users. This naturally leads to more walking, cycling and scooting, and gives more certainty around trips for drivers.
And – most importantly – it reduces the risk of death and serious injury.
The problem we addressed
Warrnambool City Council asked us to undertake a Local Area Traffic Management Study for the city’s Botanic Precinct in response to growing safety concerns due to mixed traffic use, traffic congestion, pressures on parking, and pedestrian and cyclist access.
Our aim was to develop a list of prioritised cost-effective options to improve traffic management as the regional Victorian city grows and gets busier.
Rather than addressing each challenge individually, this approach takes a precinct view – balancing the travel needs of people to walk, cycle and drive.
Or, as Austroads explains, Local Area Traffic Management is essentially system-based and area-wide. It ‘considers neighbourhood traffic-related problems and their proposed solutions in the context of the local area or a group of streets within it, rather than only at isolated locations’.
The opportunities we identified
Our work included traffic studies, concept designs and community consultation before we identified a suite of opportunities to address the complex challenges and create safer streets for all road users.
This ranged from wombat crossings and raised school crossings, to roundabout upgrades and shared paths.
You can view the Botanic Local Area Traffic Management Plan Summary here, including maps of the proposed infrastructure changes across the precinct.
Why people focused Local Area Traffic Management matters
We love to see growing and thriving regional communities – but it can bring complex traffic challenges as our roads and streets keep up.
By looking at these challenges from a precinct-wide lens, people focused Local Area Traffic Management Plans help local governments to create safe, connected and more liveable communities.
