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Providing a safer road network for students, staff, and bus travellers.

The construction of the new Greater Shepparton Secondary College in Hawdon Street will see an increase in traffic, parking, cycling and pedestrian activity during school terms. The College can accommodate up to 2,700 and more than 300 staff.

Greater Shepparton City Council is working on a number of projects to provide for safe access for all modes of transport accessing the College and travelling through the area. These projects include:

  1. reconfiguration of Hawdon Street to accommodate bus bays on both sides of the road;
  2. a suite of traffic management changes to local streets and intersections surrounding the College contained within a draft Local Area Traffic Management Plan; and
  3. streamlining traffic flow at the Knight Street roundabout.

These works are jointly funded by the Australian and Victorian Governments’ road safety program.

Prior to any works commencing for these projects, Council will consult with residents in the area on parking and traffic flow to reduce congestion and maintain the amenity of the area.

Hawdon Street Reconfiguration

Council has worked closely with the Department of Transport, the Department of Education and Training, Regional Roads Victoria and the Victorian School Building Authority to best design Hawdon Street to accommodate the expected increase in pedestrian, cyclist, vehicular and bus movements along Hawdon Street.

The works to reconfigure Hawdon Street were given the highest priority to ensure on-road bus bays and shared paths were operational before the 2022 school year commences.

Hawdon Street Reconfiguration - Works

PDF, 3.5 MB

Local Area Traffic Management Plan

Council prepared a Local Area Traffic Management Plan (LATM) that provides a series of proposed traffic management measures to ensure the efficient movement of pedestrians, cyclists, cars and buses within the local areas surrounding the College.

Council undertook draft consultation with properties within the LATM study area to ensure community input to the final LATM. Council undertook consultation with the community between 6 September 2021 and 4 October 2021. A total of 53 submissions were received as part of this consultation. A Conversation Report, which summarises the key themes in the submissions received and responses from Council officers can be found below.

Works included in the final LATM were implemented in preparation for the opening of the College in Term 1 2022. This involved marking for all new parking bays in local streets and new signage with associated parking restrictions and turning-bans.

Council is now undertaking further work to review and monitor traffic movements around the GSSC to ensure that the recommendations implemented under the LATM are operating as intended. Council is inviting students, parents, staff and residents surrounding the GSSC site to provide first-hand feedback about how traffic is operating around the school site.

The results of this review and feedback received from the community will inform the preparation of a future draft Shepparton Inner North Local Area Traffic Management Plan (Shepparton Inner North LATM), which will recommend further changes to the traffic management and parking regime around the GSSC. 

Knight Street Intersection Upgrades

Minor works will also be performed at the Knight Street roundabout, before school commencement, to improve southbound traffic flow between the College and the roundabout.

A larger and more permanent upgrade of the Knight Street roundabout will commence in 2022 to increase the capacity of the intersection. Council is investigating the feasibility of adding a second southbound lane through the roundabout as part of this upgrade.

Frequently asked questions

Why are these works being undertaken?

To ensure the local road network can effectively manage the increase in traffic associated with the Greater Shepparton Secondary Collage. 

Where will traffic be affected and at what times of the day?

Hawdon Street Reconfiguration Works and Local Area Traffic Management Plan to be delivered by school commencement in January 2022. Permanent upgrade to Knight Street roundabout is planned for 2022.

What impact will this construction work have on local residents/businesses in the area?

Traffic management measures will be in place on Hawdon Street between October 2021 and January 2022 while the Hawdon Street Reconfiguration Works are undertaken.

Construction of the bus bays along Hawdon Street is expected to have minimal impact on local residents in the area as the works will almost exclusively be completed along the school frontage on the Eastern side of the road.

Council will consult with residents and businesses to raise awareness of these planned works and minimise any impacts.

Upon school opening, the increased traffic will have some impact on local residents, particularly as the local roads will need to support vehicle drop-off and pick-up. Council will be implementing changes to parking and will consult with residents regarding these changes. Council will monitor how effective these arrangements are once school opens and further works or changes may be needed.

Can local residents still park on the street outside their homes?

There will be some changes required to on-road parking to support vehicle drop-off/pick-up for the school.

Parking changes are outlined in the Local Area Traffic Management Plan.

Council has consulted with local residents about these changes and this information will inform the final plans to be implemented.

How are you going to prevent congestion in this area around school pick-up and drop-off times?

Some level of congestion is unavoidable given the increase in traffic volume. The works are intended to increase the capacity of the road network to manage these increased volumes. Council is also investigating longer term solutions to divert some of the school traffic away from Hawdon Street via alternate routes.

Where can parents park to pick up their children from school?

Drop-off/pick-up will occur on the local streets surrounding the GSSC site.

The proposed parking changes are outlined in the Local Area Traffic Management Plan.

How many buses will the new bus bays be able to accommodate?

Council has worked closely with the Department of Transport (DOT) and Public Transport Victoria (PTV) to determine likely bus numbers and routes needed to support the increased student numbers.

Current advice is that the on-road bus stops are needed to accommodate an estimated 30 bus services per morning and afternoon.

There will be eight bus bays within the site reserved for country buses. The Hawdon Street bus bays will be available for town buses.

Why does the Greater Shepparton Secondary College have to be at that site?

The Department of Education and Training, and the Victorian School Building Authority undertook a feasibility and site selection analysis as part of the preparation of the Shepparton Education Plan. This work determined that the former Shepparton High School site was the preferred location for the construction of the Greater Shepparton Secondary College.

Why are you proposing to construct a new roundabout instead of creating an intersection with traffic lights?

Traffic modelling clearly demonstrated that a roundabout was far superior at reducing congestion compared to traffic lights. Modelling showed traffic lights created wait times and queue lengths sufficiently long that road users would seek alternate routes through residential streets to avoid the congestion. Council considered this an unacceptable outcome for the local community.

Where can we get further information/talk to someone about the works?

For more information please contact our Projects Team on 03 5832 9700 or email projects@shepparton.vic.gov.au.

On This Page

Timeline

  • 6 September – 4 October 2021Consultation with local residents regarding the Local Area Traffic Management Plan:
    • Focused on parking, pedestrians, and vehicle movements.
    • Consultation will allow Council to finalise the plans and organise the works.
  • October 2021 – January 2022
    • Hawdon Street Reconfiguration
      • Construction of new bus bays and shared user path from Feshti Street to the Southern boundary of the school.
      • Construction will require traffic management to be in place along Hawdon Street.
      • Works planned to be delivered prior to school opening.
    • Local Area Traffic Management – Works Implementation
      • Proposed works include line-marking and signage only.
      • Works planned to be delivered prior to school opening.
  • Ongoing works Knight Street roundabout upgrade
    • Detailed design of roundabout upgrade has commenced.
    • Modelling shows two southbound lanes significantly decreases intersection congestion. Council is investigating the feasibility of adding a second lane as part of detailed design.

 

For further information

Please contact our Projects Team on 03 5832 9700 or email projects@shepparton.vic.gov.au.

 

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