Picton Town Centre Transport Master Plan

PICTON ROAD CLOSURE - Sunday 5 February and Sunday 12 February from 7:30pm - 4am + MORE 3 Alerts

Background

Picton town centre currently experiences traffic congestion in a few key locations, which is forecast to worsen in future years. The location of the town, impacted by the surrounding topography and existing transport networks results in a large proportion of through traffic travelling via the town centre. This through traffic is mainly travelling from Tahmoor, Thirlmere and smaller towns and villages to the south of Picton towards the Hume Motorway and Wollongong in the east. Due to a weight restriction on Prince Street, which provides the only other east-west connection, a high volume of heavy vehicles make up the traffic travelling through Picton, affecting pedestrian amenity, safety and the general attractiveness of the town centre.

Council is continuing to advocate for a Picton bypass, however construction is likely to be many years away and we need to manage traffic congestion in Picton in the meantime. The measures in the Transport Plan will alleviate traffic stress and continue to serve our local roads even after a Bypass has been completed.

Key Details

Suburb	Picton
Categories	Major Project, Adopted Master Plan
Status	In Progress
Start Date	August 2019
End Date	December 2026

Picton Town Centre Transport Master Plan

Community Consultation

On 22 February 2022, Resolution 22/2022 (683 KB) was adopted - Consultation Regarding Proposed Changes to Picton Roads and Victoria Bridge.

Additional Community Consultation on the Prince St intersection upgrades was completed during early May, 2022. You can view the interim outcomes report here and the presentation here.

Prince Street Intersection Update

Council has been working with resident and business stakeholders regarding the Prince and Menangle Street intersection. Workshops held mid-year confirmed the need to undertake new traffic modelling. This new modelling will consider changes in travel patterns since the pandemic, updated information on development proposals, and the potential for the introduction of the Picton Bypass.

Further engagement will occur likely following the Christmas / New Year vacation period.

In other updates on the Prince Street project:

The introduction of the 50 km/h speed limit on Menangle Street has been announced. Council has been informed by Transport for NSW that this should be in place by the end of this year.
The truck advisory signs regarding height limits at Victoria Bridge are also under way. Sign posts have gone in and we are waiting for Transport for NSW to install the new signage.
Council has been working with Google Maps about adding warnings for over height vehicles prohibited on Victoria Bridge. As of Thursday 10 November, Google have included the height limit on the Google navigation app for vehicles travelling across Victoria Bridge.

Proposed Upgrades

NUMBERS IN REFERENCE TO PICTON TOWN CENTRE TRANSPORT MASTER PLAN MAPPING

Continue to improve pedestrian and cycling connections to Picton Sportsground
Investigate options to improve sight distance and road safety at Barkers Lodge Road, with the possible need to signalise
Future realignment of Lumsdaine Street, including proposed installation of traffic signals with a pedestrian phase
Proposed landscape, traffic calming and pedestrian amenity improvements along Argyle St, near Picton Public School
Proposed improvements at the intersection of Argyle Street/ Prince Street (including formalising the right turn bay)
Pedestrian crossing to be moved further north on Argyle Street and converted to a wombat crossing (a raised pedestrian crossing)
Investigate pedestrian safety improvements at the Argyle Street/ Margaret Street traffic lights
Proposed right turn ban on Menangle Street approach
Investigate pedestrian improvements on Margaret Street
Investigate pedestrian connectivity on Colden Street
Investigate shared path connecting town centre to Picton Street
Investigate pedestrian connectivity facilities near Victoria Park
Investigate pedestrian and cyclist improvements on the Prince Street bridge
Proposed traffic lights at the intersection of Menangle Street/ Prince Street/ Station Street (subject to TfNSW approval). Please see FAQs for more information.

View the Transport Master Plan 2026 View the Traffic Analysis and Strategic Design Report

What has happened so far?

Since 2017 Council has undertaken investigations (see below) into the current and future transport needs for Picton, to ensure measures are in place to allow for smoother and safer traffic flow.

Community engagement was carried out in April 2019 to let the community know about the planned changes in the Draft Picton Town Centre Transport Plan. Please have a look at our FAQs for responses to questions that were raised during the 2019 community engagement process.

The Picton Town Centre Transport Master Plan 2026 was adopted by Council in August 2019 and a number of recommendations have now already been implemented, such as:

The relocation of the pedestrian crossing on Argyle Street which was constructed in mid-2020, funded by Transport for NSW (TfNSW);
Implementation of a ‘No Right Turn’ on Menangle St at Argyle St from 7 April 2021 with a town centre bypass route via Colden St and Margaret St; and
Safety upgrades at Argyle St / Barkers Lodge Rd intersection in March-April 2021.

Projects are being pursued in a staged manner over time.

COUNCIL MEETINGS

For a detailed overview, please see the below extracts of the Ordinary Council Meetings:

19 August 2019 - Picton Town Centre Transport Master Plan 2026

16 September 2019 - Picton Town Centre Transport Plan 2026 - Proposed Signalisation of Menangle/Prince Streets intersection

On 16 December 2019, Council resolved to "pursue the detailed design for the signalisation of the Prince and Menangle Streets intersection".

On 15 February 2022, a presentation on the Picton Town Centre Transport Master Plan was conducted at Council's Community Forum. Residents were able to attend the forum in-person or stream online, as well as register to speak.

Watch the Community Forum Presentation here.

The Picton Town Centre Transport Master Plan - Community Forum Presentation (3.1 MB) is also available to download.

INVESTIGATION REPORTS

What next?

THE NEXT STAGE OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE TRAFFIC PLAN INVOLVES:

Signalising the Prince/Menangle Streets intersection
Upgrading Prince/Argyle Street intersection to include dedicated turning lanes; and
Once funding is secured, community engagement will be undertaken for the Picton Public School precinct regarding the proposed realignment of Lumsdaine St and proposed traffic signals. With our current commitment it is unlikely that funding will be confirmed until the 2023/24 financial year at earliest.