Why no pedestrian crossing on the corner of Officer Cres and Ebden St?

Just need heaps of speed bumps to slow down the Gungahlin rats. Happy to drive slowly around the inner north burbs and deal with slowing devices if it will keep them out.

It doesnt need a pedestrian crossing (although the local shops do). It does need traffic calming though with real pedestrian refuges (not token i.nslands with no signs or any real width)

Pedestrian refuges and islands are required In particular the intersection of Wakefield Gardens and Ebden and where ever there is a bus stop.

The existing roundabouts are not designed for vehicles to have to slow down (e.g enter and exit speeds) thereby actually creating a bigger risk to pedestrians and cyclists.

Its not only collector roads that are affected by this rat running. Additonally popular “cutting routes” need to be reviewed . For example the right turn into Leslie Street.

I wonder how the residents feel about the amount of traffic that speed down this local street in the morning to avoid 3-4 cars at the Chisholm and Ebden intersection.

Sorry to hijack a comment thread.

Tony Gill of Roads ACT could probably explain whether pedestrian volumes at any points along these streets are sufficient to ‘warrant’ a pedestrian crossing.
This can be a self-reinforcing policy, if the danger of crossing is so great that it encourages people to drive rather than walk.
If you strike out with Roads ACT, you could approach Shane Rattenbury (Minister for Territory and Municipal Services) or failing that the North Canberra Community Council (http://www.northcanberra.org.au/).

Because it’s not a main arterial .. it’s just treated by one during rush hour by people hoping to escape traffic on Limestone Ave.

Rest of the day/weekends it’s a relatively quiet suburban street.

And there is a round-about at that intersection; haven’t seen too many crossings coming up to/from roundabouts.

CanberraMan said :

Heavs said :

Sandman said :

It’s not that busy a road and a pedestrian crossing wouldn’t get much use. You can’t put the crossing right at the intersection, and no one is going to walk halfway up the block to cross the street. It would simply serve as another way for our local cyclists to try and kill themselves as they ride flat out onto the “pedestrian” crossing expecting the cars to give way to them.

Judging by the number of times the speed van is there I would reckon it gets a pretty good hit rate on picking up drivers going through at 53-54kmh. Crossings would reduce the speed and therefore revenue.

I have the figures, the average speeds along these two roads is 56.5kmph. The hit rate on the mobile speed van (for which I also have figures) is surprisingly low given those averages.

The speed and traffic count was undertaken over two week period which included public holiday and school hoilday. This was reported to TAMS who undertook further counting on the queens birthday period.

The average speed is skewed because:

(1) in the morning traffic speeds are slowed due to amount of traffic (and slowing down due to buses and locals deliberatley travelling below the limit)

(2) The fast traffic is excluded (as is the slowest) but should be a factor

Officer and Ebden are also not arterial roads but collector roads which are supposed to service only local traffic (this is a big joke).

The speed van is also visible before you hit the detection zone. At the average speed of 10-15km over the limit, you would be able to slow.

TAMS have known about the issue since the 90’s but have not installed much in the way of calming etc. Go to any other street with the same level of traffic and this is not the case.

The Greens sent an enquiry about it before the election. Wonder if anything will happen now Shane Rattenbury has the opportunity to do something about it…..

Heavs said :

Sandman said :

It’s not that busy a road and a pedestrian crossing wouldn’t get much use. You can’t put the crossing right at the intersection, and no one is going to walk halfway up the block to cross the street. It would simply serve as another way for our local cyclists to try and kill themselves as they ride flat out onto the “pedestrian” crossing expecting the cars to give way to them.

Judging by the number of times the speed van is there I would reckon it gets a pretty good hit rate on picking up drivers going through at 53-54kmh. Crossings would reduce the speed and therefore revenue.

I have the figures, the average speeds along these two roads is 56.5kmph. The hit rate on the mobile speed van (for which I also have figures) is surprisingly low given those averages.

m@ said :

I guess the question is about the entire street, not just the intersection with Tyson St where the name changes.

The answer is probably that when the suburb was planned the pedestrian islands at the three roundabouts (Foveaux, Tyson and Hawdon streets) were sufficient. Maybe with much higher traffic volumes that’s no longer the case, especially given the relatively high speed limits on some of these streets. I’ve always found it a bit odd that there’s no crossing or at least 40Kmph zone on Cowper St between the retirement village and bus stops, Ainslie shops etc.

Now that I think about it, I can’t name a single pedestrian crossing in Ainslie between Limestone and Majura Avenues…

No neither can I – most other inner northern suburbs have a crossing across their main road to access shops and such. Not Ainslie. If I didn’t just become a farther of twin girls last night I’d attend the North Canberra community council meeting tonight at 7:30PM at 100 Maitland St Hackett.

Or perhaps I should bring them as a publicity gimic.

I guess the question is about the entire street, not just the intersection with Tyson St where the name changes.

The answer is probably that when the suburb was planned the pedestrian islands at the three roundabouts (Foveaux, Tyson and Hawdon streets) were sufficient. Maybe with much higher traffic volumes that’s no longer the case, especially given the relatively high speed limits on some of these streets. I’ve always found it a bit odd that there’s no crossing or at least 40Kmph zone on Cowper St between the retirement village and bus stops, Ainslie shops etc.

Now that I think about it, I can’t name a single pedestrian crossing in Ainslie between Limestone and Majura Avenues…

Sandman said :

It’s not that busy a road and a pedestrian crossing wouldn’t get much use. You can’t put the crossing right at the intersection, and no one is going to walk halfway up the block to cross the street. It would simply serve as another way for our local cyclists to try and kill themselves as they ride flat out onto the “pedestrian” crossing expecting the cars to give way to them.

Judging by the number of times the speed van is there I would reckon it gets a pretty good hit rate on picking up drivers going through at 53-54kmh. Crossings would reduce the speed and therefore revenue.

It’s not that busy a road and a pedestrian crossing wouldn’t get much use. You can’t put the crossing right at the intersection, and no one is going to walk halfway up the block to cross the street. It would simply serve as another way for our local cyclists to try and kill themselves as they ride flat out onto the “pedestrian” crossing expecting the cars to give way to them.