Traffic

Increasing amounts of motor vehicle traffic in residential streets is a major concern of residents. Moreland Council policies prioritise public transport, walking and cycling, but in reality not enough has been done to control increasing local traffic. New multi-storey developments are making streets more dangerous,  less livable, and less encouraging for walkers and bike-riders.

October 2021: Walking in Brunswick: Report on Brunswick Residents Network 2021 Walking Survey

Read the full report, subtitled “How to make walking in Brunswick Safer and More Enjoyable”, on  our Traffic and Walking Surveys page. Results will be used to lobby council and the state government.

September 2020: Objection to planning application for a Bunnings Warehouse on Glenlyon Road just west of Lygon Street.

Brunswick Residents Network made this submission objecting to the proposed location of this large store in a highly-populated area. Our objections focused on the consequences of bringing increased traffic into an already dangerously congested precinct where vehicles must find a way through a mix of pedestrians, bikes, trams and buses.

We supported our argument with a survey of residents from around the proposed site who provided observations of existing traffic congestion and hazards, with frequent hazards and near misses.  It provides an interesting insight into Brunswick residents concerns regarding traffic dangers.

• BRN objection to Bunnings planning application 2020
• Glenlyon Bunnings Traffic Observations report

July 2020: Submissions to Moreland Council on walking budget

In July 2020, Moreland Council added an extra $1.6 million to its transport budget as a COVID response, focusing on walking and cycling infrastructure. This included zebra crossings at T intersections and roundabouts, raised pedestrian thresholds (which make footpaths level across intersections); some pop-up separated bike lanes; and pop-up shared zones around Fleming Park.

Brunswick Residents Network collected and submitted a quick list of suggested zebra crossing locations in Brunswick; and Walk 0n Moreland collected a Moreland-wide spreadsheet of  both crossing and threshold proposals.

• Brunswick Resident Network zebra crossing submission, July 2020, including Brunswick proposals on WoM list
• Walk on Moreland (WoM) list of proposed zebra crossings and thresholds across Moreland

Note that priority areas will be on both the Principal Pedestrian Network AND in an Activity or Neighborhood Centre for example the areas close to Sydney Road, the Upfield line, and Lygon Street  (most of Brunswick is pp 13-15 on the linked map).

June 2020: Joint Budget submission on walking, to Moreland Council.

Brunswick Residents Network joined with Walk On Moreland, Be Safe Streets and Pedestrian Safety for Nicholson Street Coburg, to create a joint submission to the 2020 Moreland Council Budget. Thanks to Dr Andrea Bunting for her work in writing the submission.

• Read the submission

May 2020: Sydney Road Report obtained by FOI

• Read the report now

In July 2019 Vicroads presented five options for improvement of Sydney Road, to the community, at community information sessions and through an online survey.

These options were developed in response to the high incidence of traffic accidents on Sydney Road, with no simple solution given that the road and footpaths are heavily used by trams, motor traffic, bike-riders, and pedestrians and (except for on one side at peak hour) with car-parking along the kerbs.

By far the most popular option was “Option 3” which widens footpaths, creates a separate bike lane, and has trams and cars sharing the centre lane, with car parking removed – 52% rated this option as “good” or “very good”. Option 4, removing some all-day car parking, with a wider bike lane during peak hours, was rated “good” or “very good” by 31%.

Also of interest in the survey, given the dogged campaign by traders to retain all on-street parking in Sydney Road, was that only 10% of people driving to Sydney Road, always park on that Sydney Road. Almost half those surveyed (48%) always park on local roads or off-street car parks.

Although Vicroads offered to send the 7040 respondents a copy of the “Community Feedback Report” later in 2019, the responsible Victorian Government minister put the whole project on ice until local level crossing removals were complete; and blocked the release of the report.

The report has now (May 2020) been released in response to a Freedom of Information (FOI) application made by Revitalise Sydney Road Inc. and you can now read it here

August 2018

We’ve just written a detailed response to Moreland Council’s new Integrated Transport Strategy (MITS).

• Read the BRN response

Older history

In April 2011 we conducted a residents traffic survey completed by over 200 households in the Victoria to Albert streets precinct, in Brunswick and East Brunswick. Residents shared concerns on issues including traffic speed, traffic volume, and trucks using residential roads.

• Read our report and analysis of the 2011 survey results

In August and September 2012 Council ordered traffic surveys at over 20 points in central Brunswick. The findings showed that residents were correct in saying that large amounts of traffic was going through residential streets, and that speeds (for narrow residential roads) were often high.

From December 2013 to January 2014 we carried out a second survey this time completed by over 400 households in the Victoria to Albert streets precinct, in Brunswick and East Brunswick. This surveyed  residents approved and priority options for traffic management.

Read  Time for Action – our report and analysis of our 2014 survey results .

Email brunswickresidentsnetwork(at)gmail.com to receive extra emails with news of the meetings and activities of Brunswick residents traffic working group, (or if you want a better quality copy of our recent report for printing, or more details on its findings)