New High School in Edmondson Park

Below in an addendum to Council advice submitted on 22 April 2024. This updated traffic and transport management advice is to supersede the traffic and transport management advice provided under the Council submission.

Regards,

Masud Hasan

Updated Traffic and Transport Management Advice (dated 23 April 2024)

Transport team has reviewed the subject application and associated Transport and Accessibility Impact Assessment and advises the following:

1. SINSW previously submitted the proposed traffic and transport facilities to Council’s LTC meeting on 31 January 2024. The committee provides comments on the proposed traffic and transport facilities. A copy of the meeting minutes is attached.

2. The proponent is to incorporate the following recommendations on the site plan and associated traffic facilities and submit the revised engineering plans and additional information to Council and the DPHI for approval prior to the determination.

RECOMMENDATIONS

a) The Committee supports in-principle the following traffic facilities including roundabout at the East Road and Buchan Avenue intersection, median island in Buchan Avenue fronting the school and parking bays along East Road and the parking restrictions along the southern side of South Road.

b) SINSW to revise the design drawings to increase the width of paved footpath along the school frontage to accommodate cyclists and to resubmit the revised design drawing to a future LTC meeting for further consideration. The design is to incorporate any corrective action recommendations from an independent road safety audit.

c) SINSW to submit output of network demand analysis such as pedestrian travel desire lines to/from the school be presented a future Committee meeting.

3. Mode share scenarios

It is noted that the project sets up high public transport mode share targets in Table 4.1. It will rely on additional school bus services in order to accommodate additional student trips (i.e. 400 trips in stage 1 and 1000 trips in stage 2). TfNSW is to confirm whether additional services will be available to cater for both primary and high school students.

TfNSW is to confirm whether both baseline and target mode shares are realistic and suitable for being used for the assessment.


4. The proposed high bus patronage will generate high pedestrian movements along Buchan Avenue. While a school supervisor is not provided for a high school, it is recommended that an application for a school supervisor for both the primary and high schools is lodged with TfNSW to manage pedestrian and traffic movements along Buchan Avenue. It is recommended that school buses are using the bus bays along the southern side of the Buchan Avenue in the morning peak to reduce pedestrian crossing demands.

5. The proposed school bus routes to/from the subject school site and associated bus timetables are to be identified and included in the school transport plan.

6. It is noted that only 1 minute turnover time is assumed to calculate kiss & ride queuing area which will require efficient and coordinated pick up and drop off management by the school and travel coordinator. Detailed measures for the kiss & ride management and reducing queue area are to be included in the updated school transport plan. Potential kiss & ride area is to be identified along South Road and Buchan Avenue.

7. The proposed on-street parking spaces of 72 spaces don’t comply with Council DCP which require a provision of 211 spaces. The parking provision for staff at Stage 1 will be fully accommodated. However, there is a significant reduction of car parking provision by 50% for staff during Stage 2. The school transport plan is to identify incentive measures in order to encourage staff to use public transport such as public transport allowance or free/low fare opal card. Alternatively, consultation is required with TfNSW for a car park lease arrangement in Edmondson Park commuter carparks. The parking improvement measures are to be included in the updated School Transport Plan.

8. It is noted that the intersection of Buchan Avenue & Faulkner Way will be operating at an unacceptable Level of Service (LoS E/F). Provision should be made for future intersection upgrade at this location such as TCS.

9. Table 11.18 indicates that the unsignalised intersection of Buchan Avenue/MacDonald Road will be operating at an unacceptable Level of Services (LoS F) for both stage 1 & stage 2 developments for the school. It is noted that this intersection is to be provided by Landcom. SINSW is to liaise with Landcom and ensure that adequate intersection treatments are to be provided at the subject intersection as part of the MacDonald Road construction. DPHI is to confirm with Landcom on delivery timing of the intersection upgrade in order to facilitate the planned developments including the subject school developments within the precinct. Interim intersection treatment may be required until a TCS is approved by TfNSW.

10. An updated school transport plan with the complete travel access guide is to be submitted to Council for approval. The updated transport plan is to include (but not being limited):

a) The travel coordinator is to liaise with Council’s road safety officer to develop a road safety education program for walking and cycling to the school. The current road safety education program for the Edmondson Park primary school should be extended and catered for high school students. Contact details of travel coordinator is to be provided to Council once the coordinator is appointed;

b) Detailed bus routes and associated timetable;

c) Active transport routes to/from the school;

d) Overflow parking management and potential kiss & ride parking area and staff parking sites such as leased parking site from TfNSW in Edmondson Park commuter carparks;

e) Incentive measures to encourage staff to use public transport such as public transport allowance or free/low fare opal card; and

f) Parking provision may not be adequate to meet the staff parking demand, and on-street parking for pick-up and set down is limited. The school car parking demand and provision is to be reviewed after 12 months of the first and second stages of the school. If required, strategies to address parking deficiencies or operation are to be developed and implemented in consultation with Council.

Dear Edmondson Park Development Team,
Congratulations on reaching this important milestone in the development project!
I'm writing to share some feedback on two key aspects of the plan:
1. Playgrounds and Sporting Facilities:
My primary concern is the lack of dedicated playfields or sports grounds for the new Edmondson Park primary and secondary schools. These facilities are crucial for:

Encouraging physical activity and healthy lifestyles in young people.
Promoting teamwork and social development through games like soccer, football, cricket, and hockey.
Identifying and nurturing potential talents that could lead to professional sporting careers.
Given the absence of existing sporting facilities in the new Edmondson Park community, incorporating them into the school projects would be a significant advantage.

I would greatly appreciate it if you could explain the rationale behind not including playfields or sports grounds in the current plans.

2. Public Accessibility of Development Proposals:

My second concern is the lack of public access to the development proposals. Ideally, the proposals should be displayed in a central location, such as the ED Square, for easy viewing by all community members. This would ensure transparency and allow residents to provide valuable feedback that can improve the project.
Thank you for considering my feedback. I look forward to your response and continued engagement with the Edmondson Park community.
Sincerely,
Tejas Mistry

The current traffic situation on Buchan Avenue is unsustainable and needs to be seriously reconsidered before the high school is opened.

The current set up of intersections onto Buchan Ave from Faulkner Way and Lacey Road are poorly designed and do not allow for effective traffic management, especially at school pick up and drop off hours. Due to the volume of cars entering and exiting Buchan Ave, significant backlog occurs and often leads to significant delays with numerous vehicles conducting illegal manoeuvres to get around the vehicle waiting to legally enter or exit Buchan Ave.

My suggestion is as follows:

1. Install a roundabout (desirable) or traffic lights (preferred) at the intersection of Buchan Ave and Faulkner Way to allow for safer vehicular and access to/from Faulkner Way and safer pedestrian crossing points.

2. At school times, Lacey Road should be a "No Right Turn" onto Buchan Ave to prevent cars backing up Lacey Road towards St Francis School.

3. During school times, Faulkner Way between Guillemont Road and Buchan Ave shoukd be a sign posted "No Parking" zone to prevent parked cars reducing that section of Faulkner Way effective being single lane.

4. The Kiss and Ride for Edmondson Park Public School is moved east on Buchan Ave to allow for better access to the bus zone adjacent to the school entrance along with a dedicated Kiss and Ride waiting area that doesn't obstruct vehicles parking to drop off or collect students.

5. Concrete pads installed at the extremities of full time "No Parking" zones in around both schools to prevent vehicles parking illegally and obstructing vision for vehicles driving through the area.

6. Traffic flow management at the corner of East Road and Faulkner Way to prevent the stream of cars departing the Kiss and Ride obstructing access for vehicles attempting to enter East Road.

I believe that these suggestions would make traffic flow in and around the Public School and future High School safer and more efficient for all users. As the population of Edmondson Park continues to grow with further development, it is imperative that measures are implemented now that are sustainable in the long term to prevent serious injury or loss of life.

excellent location next to primary public school with traditional setup.

Please refer to the attachment.