Feedback from local residents and stakeholders has informed the final design for the new pedestrian pathway on Nepean Avenue. The final design also responds to recommendations in the Road Safety Audit (February 2023) and relevant Transport for NSW guidelines and practices.

During consultation of the concept design, Council received formal objections citing the planting of new trees obstructing views of pedestrians and the placement of bollards restricting driveway access as the primary concerns. We also heard concerns about the width of the travel lanes on Nepean Avenue.

The below outlines how these concerns have been addressed.

Concern: Bollards will create more issues with access and egress from driveways.

The introduction of bollards is in response to the independent Road Safety Audit, which revealed pedestrians are at high risk and physical separation is required to reduce the risk. In determining the spacing between bollards Council has balanced the need to minimise impacts on residents, enable flexibility in the use of the street and provide a safe separation for pedestrians.

Concern: Planting new trees will restrict the visibility of pedestrians for residents entering and exiting driveways.

The number, type and placement of trees planted has been adjusted in response to community feedback. There will be 26 trees planted on the western side of Nepean Avenue. The type of trees being planted are Pyrus Calleryana 'Capital' - a cultivar of the Ornamental Pear which has a narrow growth and form. These trees will be spaced 30-40 metres apart, in alignment with a bollard, to ensure visibility for residents won’t be restricted.

Concern: Buses, cars, and cyclists will have trouble passing each other, causing accidents.

Following discussions with Council’s traffic team and CDC busses, the proposed dimensions have been revised to the dimensions below:

• Car parking – 2m
• Travel lane (south) – 3m
• Travel lane (north) – 3m
• Path Buffer – 0.5m
• Walking Path – 2.5m

These dimensions are similar to the traffic lane widths on Victoria Bridge which has a much higher speed limit, and higher volumes of traffic in both directions. Revised dimensions are also consistent with the traffic lane widths proposed in the road safety audit.

Construction will commence in September 2024 and is expected to be complete by late 2024. Dates are subject to change due to weather constraints.

Construction will be delivered in stages, starting at the southern end of Nepean Avenue (near Tench Reserve). The street will mostly remain open to two-way traffic and pedestrians during construction, with temporary diversions in place as required.

Pedestrian activity within the Nepean River Precinct has steadily increased since the opening of the Yandhai Nepean Bridge in 2018 and as a result of ongoing investment in improvements around the Nepean River, stimulated by the Our River Masterplan (2013).

Nepean Avenue, located between Memorial Avenue and Tench Reserve, is the critical ‘missing link’ to complete the Bridge-to-Bridge loop as it currently has no footpath infrastructure and only limited room on the road verge.

Temporary safety measures were implemented by Council in 2020, while a more permanent solution was investigated. The interim measures included reducing the speed limit to 40km/h, changes to parking zones, and new signage and road markings.

A survey conducted in November 2022 indicated, across a 5-hour window between 8 am and 1 pm (Saturday), that patronage of Nepean Avenue remains very high and above pre-COVID movements with 379 cars, 1025 pedestrians and 67 cyclists recorded.

An independent road safety audit concluded that despite the existing temporary measures, pedestrians are at high risk along Nepean Avenue. The report recommended a clear separation between pedestrians and traffic to prevent accidents and serious injuries.