4Case studies#

Provision of parking within the verge has occurred in a number of locations. The following case studies illustrate some practical examples of implementation.

Nyanza Street, Woodridge#

Nyanza Street, Woodridge in the Logan City Council area is a residential street which has been retrofitted with indented parking bays on one side to allow dedicated bicycle lanes. Nyanza Street is a collector street with a posted speed limit of 60km/hr. It has unregulated parallel parking, used for local residential purposes, with kerbside parking northbound and retrofitted indented parking in the verge southbound. The bicycle lanes form part of a dedicated cycle route between Compton Road and Kingston Road providing a north / south cycle route in the Logan City Council area, providing access to many adjacent rail stations, local and district shops, as well as the Logan Central Activity Centre, which includes the Council Administration building. Surveyed volumes at the site were 2585 vehicle per day, 15 people riding bikes per day and 29 parking movements per day, representing low parking demand (approximately 15% in peaks) and primary long stay in nature (8-hour dwell times). Although the traffic volumes do not require specific provision for people riding bikes as a result of traffic volumes, the location formed an important cycle network link and, therefore, Council considered it important to provide dedicated bicycle facilities. The result was the provision of a high level of service for people riding bikes and motor vehicles and provision of adequate car parking to meet the adjacent land use demands.

The road reserve width was typical of many Logan City Council streets with an approximate 12m carriageway within a 20.0m road reserve, making it impossible to provide for bicycle lanes unless space was reallocated. The solution still allows for car parking by adjacent residents as well as provision of a dedicated bicycle lane in both directions for people riding bikes.

The verge width where the parking was provided was 4.6m, as shown in Figure 4(a).

In Figure 4(a), indented verge parking is provided on one side to achieve on-road bicycle lanes. Parking in the other direction remains kerbside. Room for people walking, landscaping and services is still available within the verge, meeting minimum requirements.

Photos from Transport and Main Roads aerial photography and traffic cameras

In Figure 4(b), verge parking is provided between driveways and street furniture such as power poles. A footpath is still able to be provided to enable unobstructed movement for people walking.

Jacaranda Avenue, Logan Central#

Further south along the Nyanza Street bicycle route between Compton Road and Kingston Road is Jacaranda Avenue where this treatment type has been continued. Jacaranda Avenue, Logan Central in Logan City Council is also a collector residential street with a posted speed limit of 60 km/hr. The unregulated parallel parking has been provided as parallel kerbside parking in the southbound direction and indented parking in the verge in the northbound direction. Surveyed volumes for this street are 3773 vehicles per day, 12 people riding bikes per day and 84 car parking movements per day, representing low parking demand (10% in peaks) and shorter stay parking with average dwell time of 23 minutes.

The road reserve on Jacaranda Avenue was slightly wider compared to Nyanza Street with a 14.6 m carriageway width within a 24.7 m road reserve width. Despite the low number of people riding bikes, the car parking facilities at this location appear to be functioning well by providing adequate space for all road activities. The verge width where the parking has been indented is 5.8 m. The cross-section for Jacaranda Street is illustrated in Figure 4(c).

In Figure 4(c), indented verge parking is provided on one side to achieve on-road bicycle lanes. Parking in the other direction remains kerbside. Room for people walking, landscaping and services is still available within the verge.

In Figure 4(d), verge parking is provided between driveways and street furniture such as light poles and landscaping. A footpath is still able to be provided to enable unobstructed movement for people walking.

Minto Crescent, Arana Hills#

The last example of retrofitted verge parking is at Minto Crescent, Arana Hills in Moreton Bay Regional Council. The location consists of a residential local access street with no footpath and a posted speed limit of 50 km/hr. The street is steep with limited sight distances. Unregulated parallel parking is provided kerbside in the westbound direction and on verge parking bays in the eastbound direction. Surveyed volumes are 118 vehicle per day, three people riding bikes per day and 32 parking movements per day, representing low demand (approximately 20% occupancy) with short stay parking (average dwell time of 60 minutes). There have been reported and observed incidents of parking manoeuvring conflicts between people parking motor vehicles and people riding bikes at this location. Dedicated bicycle facilities are not required to be provided at this location; however, due to the steep grades and limited sight distances in both directions, reducing interactions between people riding bikes and parked cars was a desirable solution. It also reduced the risk for crashes by motorists and people riding bikes into parked cars by removing these obstacles from the on-road carriageway. The road reserve width of Minto Crescent is 15 m with a 7.0 m carriageway width. The verge width where parking on the verge was provided is 4.0 m. The cross-section for Minto Crescent is shown in Figure4(e).

In Figure 4(e), indented verge parking is provided on one side to remove obstacles to movement in the through lanes and improve sight lines. Parking in the other direction remains kerbside. Room for people walking, landscaping and services is still available within the verge width; although the width is narrow, it is appropriate for a local access street.

In Figure 4(f), verge parking is provided between driveways and street furniture. The grassed part of the verge provides for unobstructed movement for people walking.

A summary of the key details of these case study projects can be found in Table 4.

Drawings from the original pages

p. 16p. 20