The Federal Government have recently announced $95.6 million in funding towards the planning and scoping of Picton Bypass and Picton Road projects. The funding is part of a commitment to state infrastructure in the Federal Budget, aimed at creating jobs, improving commuter safety and driving economic growth. The announcement follows strong advocacy by Council and the community.

As construction on the Bypass is likely to be some years away, it’s important for Council to manage the traffic congestion in Picton in the meantime. The measures outlined in the Picton Town Centre Transport Master Plan will alleviate traffic stress and continue to serve our local roads even after the Picton Bypass has been completed.

Council has worked on developing concepts that we were confident would meet Transport for NSW (TfNSW) requirements (noting Menangle Street is a state owned road).

In April 2019 an informal session was held with residents as well as a drop in session, which were well attended. 

At its meeting of 22 February 2022, Council Resolved (in part) to:

Undertake further community consultation on the Prince St & Menangle St and Prince St and Argyle St intersection designs and any potentially viable alternative options that will consider:
a. On and Off-street parking impacts
b. Impacts to nearby residents and business premises
c. Access to resident driveways
d. Road and pedestrian Safety
e. Costs of any design implementation
f. Heritage impacts
g. Ensuring that future traffic demands can be met with any proposed design to ensure a service level of E or better by 2026 and into the future
h. TfNSW approval requirements and Council’s Traffic Committee approval as may be required.

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.

Options such as a roundabout on Menangle Street or a complete closure of Prince Street have been considered and were found to be either impractical or likely to worsen congestion issues.

Improved pedestrian connectivity was an important consideration in the plan, an issue which only traffic signals would remedy at the Menangle/Prince St intersection.

To find out more about the different options investigated and the reasons they weren't pursued, view the Community Forum presentation of 15 February 2022  for detailed insights.

The short to medium term issue is the quantity of traffic (rather than speed) that will become un-manageable if we do nothing. However, residents are encouraged to request a speed zone review. You can do so at any time by visiting https://www.saferroadsnsw.com.au/haveyoursay.aspx  

Council and various community members have requested a speed zone review of Menangle Street numerous time without success.

The concepts being put forward to improve the safety conditions on Picton’s roads take into consideration the town’s heritage. Want to know more? If you would like further details or have any concerns about this project, please contact Council’s Infrastructure Coordinator on 46771100. Further information can also be found online at: https://www.yoursay.wollondilly.nsw.gov.au/picton-transport-study 

In developing the Picton Town Centre Transport Master Plan, options for the Prince/Menangle Street Intersection were thoroughly workshopped given the significance of the proposal. A range of options were investigated in detail, including a roundabout and converting Prince St to one way. These alternate options were found to be impractical or worsen congestion issues.

As well as improving traffic flow, the signalisation of Prince/Menangle Street (unlike other options) will improve the long-standing issue of pedestrian connectivity, which we are pleased to remedy for the community.

Please see below the current draft design, pending approval from TfNSW. You can also download the image here. 

View the Detailed Design Report for Intersection Upgrades at Prince St. 

Cardno’s work on the Picton Town Centre Transport Master Plan 2026 was the next step in a series of studies. Earlier work such as the Picton Town Centre Study undertaken by TDG in 2017 identified a wide range of options. On review it was found that many of the options identified in the TDG study could only be implemented by Council with significant cost and/or with the requirement to acquire significant amounts of private property.

The brief to Cardno for the Picton Town Centre Transport Master Plan 2026 was to investigate options that could be implemented, and have benefit, in the period prior to the Picton Bypass becoming operational. This is what was meant be ‘quick win’. The reference to ‘low cost’ was made in reference to the cost of major road projects such as the Picton Bypass. It has always been Council’s understanding that ‘low cost’ may still require a significant investment of Council funds.

The ‘low cost, quick win’ phrasing has not steered the results towards traffic lights. The intention has been to identify a solution that is effective and is also efficient and represents the best use of Council resources.

Preliminary costings will not be available until a design solution is agreed. The confirmation of that design solution will not occur until the current community engagement process is completed. Based on comparative projects, and the preliminary design work undertaken to date, it appears that the roundabout options would be the most expensive to implement as they require the greatest land acquisition.

Once a preferred solution is identified and the cost confirmed, further discussions will need to be had with Transport for NSW to determine any financial contribution that the State Government is prepared to make.

The loss of parking has been clearly identified by residents and businesses as a major concern. Design solutions will be seeking to minimise the loss of on-street parking.

Legal advice will be sought as the design progresses and nears completion. Compensation is certainly a factor when land acquisition is involved. For all other impacts, this will need to be reviewed in particular with respect to measurable loss.

Occupational health and safety relates to the management of risk to everyone within a workplace. In the context of the Prince Street Intersection project this may become relevant if works were to proceed and the area becomes a construction site. In this instance, any contractor would need to have the appropriate plans in place to manage resident health and safety.

As for how the design may impact resident health and safety, this is a key issue. Resident safety and health were identified as major concerns in the recent 2022 consultation process. Impacts on safety and health will be considered as part of identifying a solution for the intersection.

A key intent of the project is to avoid a traffic situation that creates significant safety, noise and amenity impacts for local residents. The design options being considered are not based on the current circumstances but on future predicted conditions and their impacts. Council is currently undertaking new modelling with updated assumptions to ensure that those predicted conditions are as accurate as possible.

Driveway access and egress has been raised as a specific concern, including in relation to the loss of the kerb side parking lane. This will also be a factor in the identification of the preferred design solution with consideration given to how driveways perform and any physical changes that need to be made to better accommodate safe access to, and egress from, resident and business driveways.

Council is continuing to talk with residents and business in relation to this project. Consultation undertaken to date has included:

• A letterbox drop to residents in the Prince and Menangle Street area in March, 2019
• A meeting at a resident’s house in April, 2019 attended by approximately 20 local residents and businesses
• Council staff and engagement consultant met with representatives of the STOP Group in April 2022
• A Your Say page for the project was established on Council’s website
• A series of three workshop sessions attended by 25 residents were conducted during May 2022
• An additional meeting was held with residents as a follow up to the workshops to specifically discuss details of the traffic modelling
• Various correspondence has occurred between Council staff and residents regarding questions and requests for information
• An Interim Consultation Outcomes Report was prepared, distributed to residents for comment, revised and made available on the Your Say page
• A further workshop or workshops will be held in October/November 2022 on completion of the new traffic modelling and options analysis.

Traffic management is about whole of network planning and needs to consider a range of issues and impacts. This includes the need to consider interests in addition to those property owners in the immediate vicinity of a proposed project.

Traffic management is about safety, health and wellbeing, business viability, pedestrian access and amenity. It needs to consider solutions that minimise the impact on private property as much as possible. Resident feedback from the recent 2022 workshops emphasised the importance of a range of issues including heritage, lifestyle and amenity. These will all be considered in the identification of a preferred design solution.

The Review of Environmental Factors undertaken for this project in 2021 included a heritage assessment. Council is also seeking further heritage advice to inform any future design solutions. While the Prince and Menangle Street intersection is located in the Picton Urban Conservation Area it is also a major gateway into Picton and as such does operate as a thoroughfare in many respects. The intent of this project is to find a way for the intersection to continue to operate in a safe and functional way, while respecting the heritage setting and the needs and interests of residents and motorists.

Sydney Water is addressing their capacity issues and the lack of sewer capacity is thought to be a short term disruption. Existing zonings and development applications are on hold until the servicing issue is resolved.

The Cardno study included all the land use assumptions known at that time. Due to a range of circumstances some of those projects have either been delayed or withdrawn. The current modelling will use updated land use assumptions based on the best available information currently available.

Council staff endeavour to provide information as quickly as possible for all projects where requests for information have been made by community members. For the Prince Street project all information that has been asked for has been provided. One of the reasons why Council has established the Your Say page is that requested information can be uploaded so it is readily available for all interested community members.

It will not be known exactly which landowners will be affected and to what degree until a final design solution is agreed. However, preliminary discussions have commenced with some landowners.

Council has met with Google during June 2022 to discuss the possibility of the Google apps rerouting traffic away from Prince Street. It is noted that Google does not have a different product for light vehicles and heavy vehicles.

The Review of Environmental Factors undertaken for this project in 2021 included a heritage assessment. Council is also seeking further heritage advice to inform any future design solutions