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TRAVELSMART
By Sophie Fitzgerald
TRAVELSMART, is a project addressing traffic congestion in the Talaskia Road area, improving the safety of school children and road users in Upper Ferntree Gully.
The ‘Talaskia Road Precinct Travel Plan', jointly funded by Knox City Council and the State Government, will over three years, reduce dependency on cars and encourage sustainable modes of travel.
Knox City Council's TravelSmart officer Tracy Vervoort said extensive community consultation is now underway.
"We're hoping that the community will provide lots of practical and creative ideas during the next three years," she said.
Preliminary traffic counts and surveys identified the location of parked cars as a safety issue. Two hour parking restrictions were enforced along some streets, in early 2007, to ease congestion.
‘But more needs to be done' added Vervoort. ‘The next step will be to develop a precinct travel plan in partnership with leading community groups, major employers, schools and transport providers.
Upper Ferntree Gully Primary School, Eastern Health's Angliss Hospital and other local organisations are supporting the project.
Upper Ferntree Gully Primary School published in the Upper Gully Update, "travel planning has been shown to have significant benefits for school communities... We hope to see the whole school...getting involved."
Parents and local residents hope the Knox Council's Talaskia Road Precinct Travel Plan will improve long-standing inconvenience and safety concerns with Talaskia Road.
"I am very worried about the children's safety," said Kim Hill, parent and former member of the Upper Gully Children's Service Network.
Kim Hill said the Upper Ferntree Gully Primary School has been involved in some great community initiatives to encourage alternative modes of travel although problems still persist.
"When picking up children from primary school parents are often forced to circle the area due to no parking...as a result some parents drive erratically."
Traffic congestion during primary school pickup hours often leads to illegal parking and "local residents are...occasionally blocked in their own driveways by parked cars," said Kim Hill.
Local resident Sarah McKenzie is a learner driver with concerns about road safety. "Talaskia Road is crowded and dangerous," she said. "The build up of cars often impairs visibility.
"There are several streets off Talaskia Road, especially Old Belgrave Road and Edward Street, where turning in and out is difficult...due to parked cars in close proximity to the street entrance."
Parents, residents and local organisations welcome the new initiative to develop a planned solution to the long-standing traffic congestion.
TravelSmart projects statewide have been very successful in dealing with local traffic problems. "We're [Knox City Council] hopeful travel plans will address the traffic issues," said Tracy Vervoort.