Newtown and Berhampore Roads to Become Safer

The Council's SaferRoads programme, which aims to reduce the number of crashes across the city by at least one third, is now moving to Newtown and Berhampore.

The focus on these suburbs began a few years ago when Councillors and Council officers met with the community in a series of workshops. Together, they identified speed, intersections, pedestrians, cycles, parking and general roading issues such as lighting and road width as key areas that need to be looked at.

The Council's Urban Development and Transport Portfolio Leader, Councillor Andy Foster says it is essential to talk to the community at a very early stage in the process so that their views can be sufficiently incorporated into the plan.

"It was really helpful," says Cr Foster. "Without the input of people who live in the area and who notice traffic issues on their roads on a daily basis, we would have to depend on statistical analysis. This way, we were able to back up our analysis with residents' experiences and put together a well-rounded plan."

The majority of traffic improvements are planned for Constable, Daniell and Rintoul streets because most crashes occur on these roads. Other measures designed for non-arterial roads aim to discourage non-residential traffic from using residential streets and reduce average speeds.

Local schools will be taking part in the Safer Routes to Schools education programme. It aims to reduce road hazards and encourage more foot and bicycle trips to school by providing safer and more convenient routes to school.

Public consultation gets underway from Monday 16 June. By the end of this week, all Newtown and Berhampore households should have received a copy of the SaferRoads proposal in the mail. If you have not received it, either call the Council on (04) 499 4444 and a copy will be posted out to you or you can check out the proposal on the Council's website and make your submission online. There will be a public meeting on 2 July at 7.00pm at St Anne's Parish Hall on Emmett Street in Newtown.

The consultation period ends at 5.00pm on Monday 14 July. All submissions will be analysed and summarised in a final Consultation Feedback and Implementation Plan which is expected to be available later this year.