Landscaping would be provided on the south side of Childers Street as part of the reinstatement works. The lost parking spaces are located on the road reserve, not on the VicTrack land, and the need for replacement spaces need to be determined following consultation with the City of Melbourne and PTV during the detailed design phase. Precinct 3: Arden Station Construction The main construction activity that may impact transport connectivity in Precinct 3 is the use of publicly owned land as a major staging and construction work site for the northern section of Melbourne Metro. Additional Truck and Traffic Movements As the Arden station precinct is planned to be one of the major sites for the construction of Melbourne Metro, more truck activity would be anticipated at this site than in other precincts. Activity at this site would extend over a period of around four years with 24-hour, 7-day operations and an average of approximately 260 truck trips each day for spoil removal and materials and equipment delivery. At peak activity, this could increase to around 360 truck movements per day. this amount of construction traffic would cause some disruptions, the roads in the vicinity of the site have sufficient capacity to accommodate the additional traffic, particularly as it would be spread across a number of routes – minimising the impact on any particular street. The trucks would then move out of the local area onto the arterial and motorway network, with most of this activity occurring outside peak periods when these roads have adequate spare capacity to accommodate the additional traffic. As current activities on the site already generate truck traffic in the area, the net impact would be considerably less than the truck generation numbers indicate. As discussed in Section 8.7, the impacts of additional traffic would be minimised through the adoption and implementation of a detailed transport management plan, which would include minimising truck movements during peak periods and avoiding truck movements at night time, where practical. Proposed construction traffic routes that have been developed for the precinct would move truck traffic away from local streets and to major arterial roads and CityLink as quickly as possible. These proposed routes are shown in Figure 84. Figure 84 Precinct 3: Proposed construction vehicle access routes
There would also be increased congestion at the Elgin Street/Swanston Street intersection and Cemetery Road East/College Crescent/Swanston Street roundabout. This congestion may cause additional queueing along College Crescent towards Royal Parade. Delays would occur at the north-west approach to the Haymarket roundabout (Flemington Road). Vehicles on Wreckyn Street and Grattan Street would experience longer delays, although the time differences are small in the context of an overall journey. Options are still under investigation to optimise the operation of the Haymarket roundabout and the Cemetery Road East/College Crescent/Swanston Street roundabout and reduce the delays along these key corridors. It should be that a number of the roads affected are designated as SmartRoads Priority Routes for public transport (i.e. Royal Parade and Flemington Road). As such, the delays to traffic movements are considered less of a concern when associated with the development of a major public transport project providing public transport services. In the AM peak period, travel time along Flemington Road/Peel Street and Royal Parade/Elizabeth Street would remain relatively similar, with a maximum increase in travel time of 20 seconds. In the PM peak, College Crescent, Gatehouse Street, Elliott Avenue and Leicester Street experience increases in traffic, although the major increases would still be on Swanston Street. The Cemetery Road East/College Crescent/Swanston Street roundabout may be a key point of congestion and would be likely to result in additional delays on the surrounding roads. Delays would increase by up to one minute on all approaches to the Haymarket roundabout, with this congestion spreading further south along Elizabeth Street and Peel Street northbound. Delays are also predicted along College Crescent and Swanston Street. As discussed in Section 8.7, travel demand management tools would be used to discourage traffic from travelling through the area, which would assist in reducing these impacts. Emergency access to the hospitals would be maintained at all times. these disruptions would affect travel in the area for a period of time, they should be seen within the context of Melbourne Metro being an important public transport project that would significantly improve the capacity and efficiency of the rail network across Melbourne. Public Transport The broader area in which the precinct is situated is well-served by bus and tram services. Consequently, construction activities in Precinct 4 would have the potential to impact on public transport operations:
Table 8–4 Environmental Performance Requirements for Transport Connectivity Draft EES evaluation objective Environmental Performance Requirements Proposed mitigation measures Precinct Timing Risk No. Transport connectivity – To enable a significant increase in the capacity of the metropolitan rail network and provide multimodal connections, while adequately managing effects of the works on the broader transport network, both during and after the construction of the project Road Transport (Construction phase) Develop and implement a transport management plan(s) in consultation with the relevant road management authorities to minimise disruption to traffic, car parking, pedestrian and bicycle movements during construction, including but not limited to: Management of any temporary or permanent full or partial closure of traffic lanes including (but not limited to): Childers Street, Kensington Royal Parade, Grattan Street and Barry Street, Parkville Franklin Street, A’Beckett Street and Little La Trobe Street at CBD North Flinders Street and Flinders Lane at CBD South Linlithgow Avenue, Melbourne St Road, Domain Road, Albert Road at Domain Toorak Road West at Fawkner Park Osborne Street, William Street in South Yarra Monitoring of travel behaviour changes caused by construction works, including baseline data and periodic reporting on behaviour change. Use this data as an input to the design of transport networks following construction Traffic management plan(s) must be developed recognising other projects operating concurrently, where relevant Provision for a minimum of one lane for traffic in each direction on St Kilda Road to be maintained throughout the construction within the Domain station precinct Potential routes for construction vehicles travelling to and from all Melbourne Metro construction work sites, recognising sensitive receptors Provision of suitable routes for vehicles to maintain connectivity for road users to JJ Holland Park, South Kensington station and to the medical and educational facilities adjacent to the Parkville construction work site Provision of alternative routes for trucks accessing the 50 Lloyd Street Business Estate, Kensington Prepare Transport Management Plan Consult with relevant authorities Consult with emergency services All Construction T001 – T007
Tram routes on St Kilda Road Disruption to tram routes through Domain tram stop Bus replacement services for disrupted rail customers. Active Transport (Construction phase) Develop and implement transport management measures in consultation with relevant road management authorities for cyclists and pedestrians to maintain connectivity throughout construction for road and shared path users including (but not limited to): JJ Holland Park, South Kensington station, Laurens Street, Grattan Street, Franklin Street (including RMIT facilities), Swanston Street, Flinders Street, St Kilda Road, Domain Road, Domain Parklands, Albert Road, Toorak Road, Fawkner Park, Osborne Street, William Street and Chapel Street. Implement active control at construction work site access points to maintain safety by avoiding potential conflicts between trucks, pedestrians and cyclists. In consultation with the City of Melbourne, provide suitable routes for cyclists and pedestrians throughout construction and maintain connectivity for road and shared path around of JJ Holland Park and South Kensington station. Prepare Transport Management Plan Consult with relevant authorities All Construction T001 – T005 Travel Demand Strategy In advance of construction works, MMRA to develop and implement a travel demand management strategy and appropriate tools to promote specific transport behaviour changes in response to road, bicycle and pedestrian paths closures/modifications and to reduce traffic congestion around construction sites, particularly in the vicinity of the Parkville and Domain Precincts where road closures and restrictions are proposed. The strategy must be consistent with the MMRA Community and Stakeholder Engagement Plan. Prepare Travel Demand Management Strategy and associated transport management measures Consult with relevant authorities All Construction T001 – T007 Road Transport (Operational phase) Design all roadworks and shared path works to relevant design standards to maintain safety of movement in consultation with the relevant road management authorities as required. Develop and implement a plan to re-instate car parking on Childers Street, Kensington and Laurens Street, Melbourne in consultation with the relevant road management authorities that: Prepare car parking management plan for each precinct Consult with relevant authorities All Operation T009 – T011