Improving safety for pedestrians on Auburn Road
Location:
Hawthorn
Type:
Pedestrian
Status:
Planned
We're proposing to improve connectivity and safety for pedestrians on Auburn Road between the Auburn Station rail bridge and Queens Avenue in Hawthorn, to enable more Victorians to walk for everyday trips.
About the project
The Victorian Government is investing $21.1million over multiple years to continue supporting active transport projects and initiatives across the state. This includes investigating a safer pedestrian crossing between the Auburn Station rail bridge and Queens Avenue in Hawthorn.
There is high demand for pedestrians and bike riders on Auburn Road due to Auburn Railway Station, bus stops for Route 624 and surrounding shops. There is currently no signalised crossing near Auburn Station leading to people crossing the road unsafely.
We want to hear your opinion
We have investigated several design options, to improve connectivity and safety for pedestrians.
Our proposed option includes the following improvements:
- Raised signalised crossing south of the Auburn Station rail overpass
- Widening the footpath near the signalised crossing to provide more space for pedestrians
- Removal of up to ten car parks to enable signalised crossing and relocated bus stops between Queens Avenue and Victoria Road
- Shortening of the Route 624 southbound bus stop to accommodate the widened footpath.
These improvements will:
- Improve safety and connectivity for people on Auburn Road
- Offer a safe crossing place for pedestrians on Auburn Road
- Encourage the uptake of walking and bike riding for community members
- Better connect to the shops and public transport on both sides of Auburn Road
- A high-quality pedestrian network is a fundamental building block of the transport network and helps people make active transport choices that reduce transport congestion, minimise emissions and support vibrant economic precincts.
Project timeline
We are in the development stage for this project and are investigating a suitable option to improve safety and connectivity on Auburn Road.
We will talk to the community about our proposals from June 2023.
Once we have the final design, we will share this with the community and seek additional funding to deliver our improvements.
Improving active transport
Creating safer roads, intersections and crossings for pedestrians and bike riders will help save lives and encourage people to use active modes of transport. When pedestrians and bike riders are involved in a crash with a vehicle, they’re at a higher risk of being severely injured or killed.
Improving walking and bike riding connections that enable more Victorians to walk or get on their bike for everyday trips supports the climate change pledge of 25% active transport mode share by 2030.
If 50% of short vehicle trips were switched to riding a bike or walking, the Victorian economy would save $165million every year in congestion, health, infrastructure, and environmental costs.
How will this impact parking?
We’ll make every effort to retain existing on-street parking for residents, visitors and businesses in the area though some changes may be required.
Our proposed designs may impact up to 10 parking spaces on Auburn Road between Queens Avenue and Victoria Road to create a safer environment for pedestrians. Where parking is impacted, we’ll speak with impacted businesses to understand and mitigate the impacts as far as possible.
In April 2023 we conducted a parking study on Auburn Road to assess parking demand in the area. Of the 69 parking spaces on Auburn Road, we found that maximum parking demand was 57 spaces.
We also looked at surrounding streets including Victoria Road, Allen Street, Queens Avenue and Eastern Place. Of the 149 spaces in the study area, we found that maximum parking demand was 134 spaces.
This indicates that parking capacity is available near the proposed signalised crossing.
How can you justify removing parking spaces, won’t this negatively impact businesses?
Research suggests that creating or improving options for pedestrians and bike riders generally has a positive impact on businesses in the area.
Investing in better streets and spaces for walking can provide a competitive return compared to other transport projects, for example, research from UK based charity Living Streets, shows that walking and bike riding projects can increase retail sales by 30% or more.
It is often assumed that more parking will encourage shoppers, however this is not supported by available research. Studies have linked the quality of public spaces to people’s perceptions of attractiveness of an area, contributing towards their quality of life and influencing where they shop.
Contact us
To send feedback on the proposed option, or to find out more about the project, please contact us.
Email: [email protected]