Fraser Coast Regional Council will reduce the traffic speed on a section of Main Street in a bid to make it safer for pedestrians as part of its Hervey Bay City Centre revitalisation plan.
Council engaged engineering consultants GHD to carry out traffic modelling as part of the delivery of the 20-year Hervey Bay City Centre Master Plan and ahead of the development of a new Hervey Bay Library and Council Administration Building.
The modelling examined four scenarios to reduce traffic speed and volume through the city centre to make it more pedestrian friendly.
“The scenarios covered a range of options from reducing speed limits to 10km/hr on Main Street and lowering speeds to 20, 30 or 40km/hr along Main Street and Torquay Road,” Councillor Denis Chapman said.
“The modelling, using 2021 traffic figures, also looked at how changes to city centre speed limits would redistribute traffic across other roads and intersections.
“The modelling determined where the traffic would reroute through the network and looked at how the changes to traffic volumes under each scenario would impact other roads and intersections.”
It found that reducing the speed to 30km/hr along Main Street and Torquay Road would be the best outcome to support the Hervey Bay City Centre Master Plan 2021-2041.
“This scenario balanced diverting some traffic from Main Street and Torquay Road while maintaining key access routes through the Hervey Bay City Centre,” said Cr Chapman.
“Additionally, it would make it safer for pedestrians and provide opportunities to ensure the city centre is a pedestrian-friendly destination rather than a thoroughfare.”
He said Council will now start further investigations into what would be needed to upgrade intersections to ensure smooth traffic flow and minimise traffic congestion across the Hervey Bay network as the city centre is revitalised.
The investigation will focus on intersections at:
- Beach Road/Old Maryborough Road;
- Main Street/Old Maryborough Road;
- Torquay Road/Taylor Street;
- Taylor Street/Esplanade and;
- Main Street/Torquay Road;
- as well as improvements to Tooth Street and Torquay Road.
“The investigation will also examine ways to divert traffic from Beach Road to Tooth Street as an alternative north-south route, including reducing speeds on the Esplanade,” Cr Chapman said.
“Options include reprioritising the traffic signals at the Main Street-Old Maryborough Road intersection to favour vehicles on Old Maryborough Road and changing the Taylor Street-Esplanade T-intersection to provide priority for cars in and out of Taylor Street.”
Council will use intersection software to develop concept options that will help plan for intersection upgrades to ensure smooth traffic flow as the Hervey Bay City Centre is revitalised, Cr Chapman said.
Council also recently released the ‘Hervey Bay Placemaking and Public Realm Vision’ document, which builds on the 20-year master plan for the city centre and outlines how the streetscape could be reshaped.
