In 2007 the Hobart City Council installed a trial section of on-road bicycle lanes on Argyle Street between Federal Street and Lewis Street. This treatment has been well received by the community.
Following this, the extension of the Bicycle Lanes along Argyle Street and Campbell Street was approved by the Hobart Council at its meeting of 8 September 2008.
The Hobart City Council, as part of its effort to improve City accessibility through efficient transport systems and transport alternatives to the motor vehicle has designed and documented the next stage of this on-road bicycling facility. The design has been informed by detailed investigations, extensive data collection and significant observations.
The bicycle lanes are approved by the Department of Infrastructure, Energy and Resources (DIER) who are the State Government authority responsible for the approval of all traffic devices and line marking.
The project and the resultant bicycling facility have been supported by the Hobart City Council’s Draft Sustainable Transport Strategy and the Council’s Principal Bicycle Network Plan which was approved by Council in 2008.
The Project is being funded through a partnership of the Hobart City Council, the Australian Government’s Roads to Recovery program and supported by Sport and Recreation Tasmania.
Physical works which is predominantly line marking and coloured surface treatment application is programmed for March and April 2009.
The works will create a high standard on-road bicycle path for the citizens and visitors to Hobart. The works when completed will comprise of a range of markings and traffic devices which will be used for the first time in Tasmania. These devices have been in common use on the mainland of Australia for over 10 years. Information to explain these treatments is detailed here.
In urban areas where space is constrained, on-road bicycle lanes provide a solution to providing a safer space for cyclists.
The new Argyle and Campbell Street bicycle on-road lanes have been designed to cater for all road users. This has been possible due to the excess road width that currently exists on Argyle and Campbell Streets. This project presents an opportunity to introduce a high quality example of what is achievable.
The trial on road bicycle lanes on Argyle Street between Federal Street and Lewis Street provide an indication of what will be installed in this next stage. This next stage of the bicycle facility will, however, have several improvements on the initial trial section, these features are outlined below.
|
Existing treatment on Argyle Street |
|
|
It is noted that the bicycle lanes as designed for Argyle and Campbell Streets make use of the one-way nature of those Streets South of Burnett Street.
What will also be unusual to some motorists is that the design for Campbell Street places the on road bicycle lane on the right hand side of the road. On one-way roads it is possible for bicycle lanes to be placed on either side of the road. The right hand side placement of the bicycle lanes on Campbell Street has been selected to minimise conflict between motorists and cyclists and place cyclists on the “city side” of Campbell Street which will be the destination for the majority of cyclist commuters.
The project will include Australian Standard coloured surface treatments at points along the route where there is a higher likelihood of motor vehicle interactions with cyclists. These treatments are in common use around mainland Australia. This will be the first time in Tasmania that the surface treatments have been used for bicycle lanes.
The coloured surface treatments are green.
Information brochures on the treatment can be found by following these links:
Queensland Government – Coloured Surface Treatments for Bicycle Lanes
Victorian Government – Coloured Surface Treatments for Bicycle Lanes
Example of coloured treatment style to be installed.
|
The project will include head start storage areas at signalised intersections for bicycles. These facilities are also known as bicycle storage boxes.
The storage boxes will be placed in front of the left-turn lane on Argyle Street and the right-turn lane on Campbell Street. When cyclists wait at the front of a traffic queue in a bicycle storage box, they are safer as motorists can more easily see them. Cyclists are also away from direct exhaust fumes and can proceed more rapidly through the intersection, generally being able to cross the intersection before being overtaken by cars.
An information brochure can be found by following the link below:
Victorian Government – Head Start Storage Areas at Intersections for Bicycles
|
Example of coloured treatment and bicycle storage box. |
The project will include a lane separation strip where road widths have allowed. The separation strip provides another visual cue to motorists to maintain their distance from cyclists.
It is legal for vehicles to cross the separation strip to access parking or the driveways of properties. The separation strip is best described by the photograph below from an example in Victoria.
|
Example of separation strip. |
The project also incorporates minor changes to the existing road network. These changes include:
1: Creating “left turn only” lanes for vehicles along Argyle Street.
At some signalised intersections along Argyle Street, drivers are currently able to turn left or drive straight ahead from the left-most lane. These lanes will be converted to allow left-turns only.
The observations undertaken and the data collected shows that very few vehicles currently use the left lane for through movements. When occasional vehicles do use the left lane for through movements this is usually only to overtake other traffic. If retained this would see merging across the bicycle lane at the entrance and exit from each intersection.
Dedicating the left lane for left-turn movements will improve safety for cyclists and motorists.
2: Rationalising turning movements at the Argyle Street / Burnett Street junction.
In the past there have been two right turn lanes for vehicles travelling North on Argyle Street to turn into Burnett Street. This has now been reduced to a single right turn lane.
The observations undertaken and the data collected, along with live trials conducted through 2008 supported the rationalising of the right-turn lanes from Argyle Street into Burnett Street towards the Brooker Highway.
The single lane right turn was line marked in temporary materials after the resheeting works carried out in February. No adverse effects have been observed from this change.
Rationalising the turning lanes creates additional space at the junction for the vehicle lanes and the bicycle lane through the junction. It allows the bicycle lane to be extended all the way up Argyle Street to the Burnett Street intersection.
3: Final arrangements at the Argyle and Federal Street Junction.
The Argyle and Federal Street junction provides a very interesting situation from a traffic engineering and traffic management point of view.
As regular users of this junction would be aware the junction allows for journeys from the City to Mount Stuart and Lenah Valley (and vice versa) bypassing the North Hobart restaurant strip.
The junction currently experiences some traffic congestion during the morning and evening peaks. (Traffic congestion is, however, a relative thing.)
The observations of this junction indicate that a significant contributor to congestion at the intersection is the minor number of vehicles travelling North on Argyle Street who turn right at Federal Street. In the afternoon peak hour, between 4:30pm and 5:30pm, around 60 vehicles travelling North on Argyle Street undertook a right turn into Federal Street. The need for turning vehicles to wait for South Bound vehicles on Argyle Street creates a situation that impedes through vehicle movements.
The Council has considered the situation and has proposed to DIER a staged approach to managing the situation. This approach is detailed here.
Stage 1 – Trial and inform local area residents and business.
A. Install the new intersection line marking;
B. undertake a local area information campaign to ask motorists to instead turn right at Burnett Street and utilise Letitia Street for access; and
C. monitor the situation.
Stage 2 – If monitoring suggests further management interventions required.
A. Undertake a further local area information campaign regarding the situation;
B. trial a peak hour right turn ban, for vehicles travelling North on Argyle Street into Federal Street; and
C. monitor the situation.
Stage 3 – If monitoring suggests widespread community opposition to a peak hour right turn ban.
A. Remove the peak hour right turn ban;
B. allow through movements from the left hand turn lane on Argyle Street; and
C. inform the Community that the Congestion at Argyle and Federal Streets will not improve without fewer vehicles utilising the intersection at peak hours or other vehicle management strategies being utilised.
4: Final Design between Argyle Street and Campbell Street along Burnett Street.
A number of designs have been considered for the connector between Argyle Street and Campbell Street. The final design of this link is currently being finalised. In the meantime the documented and DIER approved on road lanes can be constructed.
Cyclists will have two options at Burnett Street when travelling South along Argyle Street. Cyclists will be able to re-enter the traffic lanes on Burnett Street and cross into Campbell Street where the on road lanes will re-commence. Alternatively cyclists may cross at the pedestrian signals and utilise the footpath on the Southern side of Burnett Street before rejoining the on road lanes in Campbell Street.
The design drawings for the works, as submitted to the Department of Infrastructure, Energy and Resources are available by selecting from the PDF drawing files linked here.
Dwg - 07-055 – COVER PAGE (Extent of Works)
Dwg - 07-055-001 Sheet 1 (Argyle Street – Federal to Smith Street)
Dwg – 07-055-001 Sheet 2 (Argyle Street – Burnet Street junction area)
Dwg – 07-055-001 Sheet 3 (Argyle Street- Burnett Street to Warwick Street)
Dwg- 07-055-001 Sheet 4 ( Argyle Street – Warwick to Brisbane Street)
Dwg-07-055-001 Sheet 5 (Burnett Street – Area in Final Design)
Dwg – 07-055-001 Sheet 6 (Campbell Street – Burnett to Warwick Street)
Dwg – 07-055-001 Sheet 7 (Campbell Street – Warwick to Brisbane Street)
The on-road bicycle lanes to be constructed are the next stage in the development of a truly connected and integrated bicycle network for the City of Hobart. Further development of the network is currently proceeding.
The patience, cooperation and courtesy of cyclists, motorists and neighbours in achieving this major first arterial bicycle route is appreciated. The creation of a cycling network for Hobart has the potential to reduce our collective dependence on cars for all our transport needs, increase the uptake of cycling as a viable commuter and travel mode for more citizens and create a better City for the future.
For further information please contact:
Stuart Baird
Hobart City Council
Via email at bairds@hobartcity.com.au
