In 2018, Darebin City Council launched Streets for People, an exciting project to transform local street networks in Darebin into more people-friendly places.

Darebin Council has worked extensively with the community to develop and design the Croxton West Place-making Project Concept Design as part of the Streets for People and Local Area Place Making program of works.

Many people have let Council know what they think about draft plans for the Croxton West area including what they liked, what they would like changed, ideas and concerns. This process has helped us adjust and refine the plans to meet local needs.

At its Council Meeting on Monday 27 April 2020, Council endorsed the Croxton West Place-making Project Concept Design.

The endorsed concept design has changed from what was consulted on in response to what the community told us. The design will improve the experience of walking, wheeling and riding in the local area and will include urban design and landscape elements.

Concept Design – what’s changed

Some of the possible changes that we proposed won’t go ahead, because there wasn’t strong community support for them. The two most significant of these that we don’t plan to go ahead with are:

• We don’t plan to close the north end of Woolhouse street to traffic;
• Nor will we go ahead with the ‘left out only’ change at Beavers Road/ St Georges Road and Elm St/Woolhouse St.

The key improvements that Council is planning to proceed with in the area are listed below and there is more detail in the concept plans. We expect these to make getting around locally safer, in particular for people accessing Mayer Park and the school.

• A new wombat crossing (raised zebra crossing) on Woolhouse Street near Croxton School.
• A new wombat crossing on Leinster Grove to provide a safe crossing point to Mayer Park.
• A new footpath on the northern side of Gadd Street between Leinster Grove and number 72.

Other changes that have been made based on community feedback include:

• We’ve added an additional zebra crossing on the proposed raised threshold on Woolhouse Street at Arthurton Road. This will create a gateway feature to the area, reduce vehicle speeds and provide a safer crossing for those walking or wheeling.
• We’re keeping several of the existing speed humps along Woolhouse Street and Leinster Grove, instead of replacing them with pinch point treatments.
• We’ll improve and add new No Stopping signage at intersections with key side roads and both Leinster Grove and St Georges Road to improve safety when exiting these streets.

The concept design is shown in the image below, and can also be viewed as a PDF in the document library.

Engagement Summary – what’s happened so far

The concept designs were developed through two rounds of community engagement which included:

• Public survey on issues and opportunities (October 2019)
• Public drop-in session on issues and opportunities (October 2019)
• Community survey on the draft concept designs (February 2020)
• Public drop-in session on the draft concept designs (February 2020)
• Street champion workshop on the draft concept designs (February 2020)

You can view the outcomes from each round of engagement in the Round 1 Engagement Summary and Round 2 Survey Results.

What’s happening now

Some of our programs are being disrupted by COVID-19. Where possible, and where it is safe and appropriate to do so, we are continuing with projects in order to safeguard jobs and meet community needs.

The next step for the project, pending Council’s general budget process, will be the design and construction of three priority treatments:

·A wombat (raised zebra crossing) on Leinster Grove near Woolton Avenue

·A wombat (raised zebra crossing) on Woolhouse Street north of Beavers Road

·A wombat (raised zebra crossing) on Woolhouse Street at Arthurton Road

These treatments have been identified as priorities because they are effective in creating a safer environment for people of all ages and abilities to walk, wheel and cycle.

We will also be looking at ways to implement changes to the road user information recommendations, including ‘sharrow’ line-marking (bicycle symbols on the road surface), safety at intersections and improved signage.

In addition, Council will continue its advocacy to the Department of Transport for improvement to the intersection of St Georges Road and Arthurton Road, and recommencement of their project to improve safety of trams, motorists and people walking, wheeling and riding along and across the St Georges Road median. Stay tuned for more updates on this.

Project Background

As our city continues to grow, the role and function of our local streets is changing. Darebin City Council is committed to working with our community to help define what our streets will look and feel like in the future.

In October 2018, the Streets for People Feasibility Study was endorsed by Council, and two of the eight corridors were selected for investigation in 2019 as part of a wider Local Area Place Making (LAPM) project – the Croxton West Place-making Project. The focus of this study is the streets between Normanby Avenue and Arthurton Road, and Merri Creek and St Georges Road. It also includes parts of the Northcote Green Link and theGreat Western Shimmy Streets for People corridors. To read the full Feasibility Study Report, download it from the Document Library (on the right).

The corridor is affected by its proximity to major roads. It has high levels of local walking and cycling activity by people of all ages and abilities moving between homes, train stations and tram stops, creek trails and schools.

The Northcote Green Link route is also being considered for designation as a primary transport cycling route as part of the State Government's Strategic Cycling network. These various transport considerations must be balanced with the need to provide safe and attractive streets for the local community to not only use, but also enjoy and be proud of.

Our vision for the Croxton West Place-making Project is:

“The Croxton West Local Area will become an inviting and safe place for pedestrians and cyclists, where vehicle volumes and speed are reduced, where improved street tree planting provides amenity value and where spaces are created for passive recreation."

Future Mayer Park - Community Feedback Welcomed

Future Mayer Park is a master plan collaboratively prepared by Darebin Council and a community group consisting of local Thornbury residents.

For more information on the Future Mayer Park master plan and opportunities to contribute, please visit www.yoursaydarebin.com.au/mayerpark.