Call for suburb traffic analysis

Southbank residents have called on the City of Melbourne to conduct a Southbank-wide traffic analysis, as their concerns grow about continual congestion in the area.

Several residents have voiced concerns that the only traffic analysis being undertaken were those by developers and no authority had performed an analysis of the whole suburb.

Freshwater Place residents have taken matters into their own hands, conducting their own traffic study for the surrounding roads to their buildings, in an attempt to gauge the effects of added traffic from the extra developments approved along Queensbridge St.

Freshwater Place owners corporation chairman Peter Renner said he and fellow residents held grave concerns for the future of traffic flow in the area.

“With the parochial and myopic approach to traffic planning, gridlock will become an everyday word. Perhaps we should invent a new work for it – maybe ‘tetanus’ because the ‘lockjaw’ between authorities is the chief culprit in poisoning and strangling the world’s most liveable city,” Mr Renner said.

Freshwater resident Cedric Saldanha said the group’s studies had shown up issues that need to be addressed sooner rather than later.

“We remain concerned about the increased use of Power St and Queensbridge St as an entry to the CBD. Traffic congestion on both these streets will be hugely exacerbated by the proposed tower developments recently approved,” Mr Saldanha said.

“Freshwater Place sanctioned a traffic analysis by GTA Consultants of these two streets and their intersection. The analysis indicates that this intersection already operates at capacity. With the new developments, congestion will increase between 15 and 20 per cent,” he added.

“It is extraordinary that the Southbank Structure Plan 2010, the C171 Amendment and the Panel Report all make recommendations on Southbank traffic issues without the benefit of any suburb-wide traffic analysis.”

One of the major issues stopping a complete suburb study is that some roads are under the control of the City of Melbourne, while others are governed by VicRoads.

The City of Melbourne said while it was yet to act on the issue, it was in talks with

VicRoads about the necessity of a traffic analysis in the area.

“The City of Melbourne is currently working with senior VicRoads officers to scope the need for any further traffic analysis to guide improvements to the road network in Southbank and in particular to investigate the potential to improve the amenity of City Rd while still catering for appropriate levels of motor vehicle traffic,” a council spokesperson said.