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25 Feb 2021
Councillors endorsed the recommendations in the consultation report at the 21 February Council meeting.
The motion was endorsed as Council:
- Receives and notes the summary of community feedback
- Endorses the recommended changes to the concept design proposal set out in the report, including:
- Investigating options and the design of existing speed bumps to allow a gap to improve cyclist accessibility along Calga Place.
- Undertaking tube counts to monitor speed along Calga Place to determine if additional traffic calming treatments are required to slow traffic.
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Investigating and determining whether a pedestrian crossing at the steps from Bronte Road is warranted.
- Not proceeding with any lighting along Calga Place.
3. Proceeds to detailed design of the footpath, with a report to be considered by the Waverley Traffic Committee before proceeding to procurement for the construction phase.
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14 Dec 2020
The proposed lighting is to enhance the pedestrian experience by improving public health and safety in the early morning and late afternoon. For more information please see the proposed lighting fact sheet.
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23 Nov 2020
- There is a portion of the Bronte to Bondi coastal walk at Calga Place, commonly known as Bronte Cutting, without a footpath. The missing link in the footpath and existing narrow footpaths result in pedestrians forced to walk along the road creating conflict between pedestrians and vehicles.
- Over one million people use the Coastal Walk from Bronte to Bondi every year, and during peak times as many as 500 pedestrians per hour use this section of the coastal walk.
- Whilst there have been no recorded crashes between vehicles and pedestrians in the last five years, it is important to reach beyond crash statistics to understand the related issues of pedestrian comfort and convenience. Some examples of the pedestrian discomfort and inconveniences that are likely to occur at Bronte Cutting include: moving aside for traffic, waiting for a car to parallel park, and car door/s opening in their ‘path’.
- To improve pedestrian and vehicle safety and experience, Council is finalising plans to install a permanent footpath through Bronte Cutting, all the way from the park entrance at Calga Place, through the Cutting and up to Macpherson Street.
- This decision has come after a two year pilot footpath and the completion of options analysis and feasibility studies.
- Each option considered the following impacts – heritage, environment, costs, maintenance, existing infrastructure and parking.
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Option 1 Footpath : widened footpath replacing existing footpath to the north of the cutting and extends to Macpherson Street
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Option 2 Shared Zone: shared zone for both pedestrian and vehicle usage.
- Seven options of slight variations of both Option 1 and Option 2 were considered as part of the options analysis.
- The footpath is the preferred design solution as it reduces the risks of pedestrians walking on road by providing a wider footpath. This option will improve both pedestrian and vehicle safety through the cutting and on Calga place.
- Currently, there is no lighting along Calga Place, reducing the experience of the coastal walkway for pedestrians. Therefore another objective of this project is to provide sympathetic lighting to improve safety in the late afternoon to evening.
- A Review of Environmental Factors (REF), Project Feasibility Summary and concept design can be referred to for more detail.
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Timeline of Bronte Cutting project.
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23 Nov 2020
Over one million people use the Coastal Walk from Bronte to Bondi every year. There is a portion of the walk at Calga Place, commonly known as Bronte Cutting, without a footpath. The missing link in the footpath means that during peak times, as many as 500 pedestrians per hour are forced to walk along the road creating conflict between pedestrians and vehicles.
This conflict is referenced in several Waverley Council strategic documents and studies, such as the Bronte Park and Beach Plan of Management (Bronte PoM) and Waverley’s People Movement and Places strategy. These documents identify the need to investigate options to provide a dedicated pathway linking the Coastal Walk. Based on community consultation held for the Bronte PoM, 74% of respondents showed support for a trial pedestrian footpath in the Cutting.
Trial project to complete the missing pedestrian link in the Coastal Walk
To improve pedestrian safety at this location while we work on a permanent solution, Council has installed a trial pedestrian walkway linking Calga Reserve and the Coastal Walk through Bronte Cutting. The walkway has temporarily replaced 21 car parking spaces and some parking meters on one side of the Cutting.
Council commissioned the installation of an artwork that interprets the history of the area, featuring illustrations of the tram and other interesting stories. Designer Ellie Nuss and illustrator James Gulliver Hancock collaborated with Council on the project.
The trial will be in place until a permanent solution has been decided.
Consultation Report
Please see the community consultation report, compiled by Micromex, here.
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Online Survey - 16 November 2018 to 14 January 2019
Complete the online survey to tell us your thoughts on how we should complete the missing link in the coastal walk and improve pedestrian safety.
Intercept Surveys - Multiple days in November 2018
Council engaged consultants, Micromex Research, to undertake intercept surveys at the Cutting to capture feedback from pedestrians, motorists and cyclists at the location.
Community Workshop - Wednesday 12 December 2018
A community workshop was held to explore potential permanent solutions in more detail. Thank you to everyone who participated.
Have Your Say Day - Friday 14 December 2018
We were at Calga Reserve, Bronte, to answer any questions you had about the project and to capture your thoughts. Thank you to everyone who stopped by.
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Background
In developing the Plan of Management (PoM), we undertook a range of consultation activities to gain community feedback and suggestions for the future management of Bronte Park and Beach. These activities took place in July and August 2016, and April and May 2017. Thank you to everyone who provided feedback and comment throughout this process.
You can view a summary of the consultation findings from over 250 community members in the User Survey Summary Report and Bronte PoM Community Consultation Report. In addition, multiple technical studies of the site were carried out focusing on universal access, physical site features, and user survey. The feedback from this consultation has informed the direction of the Final Plan of Management for Bronte Park and Beach, which was formally adopted by Council in July 2017.
What is a
Plan of Management and Master Plan?
The Plan of
Management is a ten year strategy created through public consultation and
research to identify the future use of the site and management of the varied
and changing needs of the area.
In
conjunction with the Plan of Management, a comprehensive long term plan
illustrating the design direction for the site (a Master Plan) has been
developed. Together the Plan of Management and the Master Plan will provide
strategic and operational direction for the design and management of the park
over the coming decade.
What is
in the Plan of Management?
The Plan of
Management provides an overview of the park and beach, analysis of existing
conditions, and vision and directions guided by the culmination of multiple
stages of community feedback, site specific studies, and industry best
practice.
The vision
and direction distils down to specific action and themes, a summary of these
are outlined below.
Design
and Setting
People love
the open nature of the park and beach and the relaxing atmosphere. In order to
maintain the setting and character of Bronte, the plan proposes to:
- Maintain the natural and casual feel
- Reinforce the variety of different
landscape characters across Bronte Gully, park, beach and headlands in
future design and planning
- Ensure the landscape and
architectural design reflects best practice and design excellence and
integrates within the landscape
- Provide a memorable experience for
all users by celebrating the sites unique character and scenic qualities
- Ensure materials and finishes are of
a high quality, are robust and designed to befit the setting
- Reinforce the sense of arrival to
the site
Getting
to and around the park
Many people
loved that the park and beach was close and convenient to get to, however some
issues were identified as to how accessible some areas and facilities in the
park are. Key suggested improvements consider:
- Provide easily identified, distinct
arrival points into the park and designated pedestrian pathways that allow
safe and continuous movement
- Provide a hierarchy of pathway
networks that link to destination points and facilities
- Implement a wayfinding strategy for
the park. Consider an audience of a range of abilities, literacy levels
and languages. Encompass the physical environment, signage, customer
service, information, brochures, guides and website
- Provide an adequate proportion and
distribution of universally accessible facilities connected by accissible
paths of travel
- Provide a universally accessible
beach access point and improve the safety and amenity of the existing
stairs to the beach and Bronte Baths
Playing
and Relaxing
The park and
beach sees a variety of passive recreation uses including use by many community
organisations, the plan proposes to continue to support current uses by:
- Providing adaptable and flexible
spaces to accommodate a variety of interest groups
- Provide high-quality amenities and
facilities that support Bronte's recreational values and uses
- Prioritise activities that are
intrinsic to the place, its cultural values and that draw value from being
in a beachside location.
Enhancing
the Environment
People love
the natural setting, unspoiled beaches and underdeveloped feel. People also
appreciated the environment in the gully and work done to maintain this. The
plan proposes to:
- Enhance and conserve the natural
heritage of the site such as vegetation, land form and hydrology
- Monitor and adapt to the effects of
climate change
- Promote environmentally sustainable
practices in the management and maintenance of the place
- Consider whole of life-cycle cost in
the selection of materials and construction techniques
- Educate the community about the
value of the sites unique environment
Community,
Culture and Heritage
People like
the sense of community, local feel and ambiance of Bronte. To maintain the
sense of community, culture and heritage the plan proposes to:
- Interpret and tell the story of the
place, including the Aboriginal themes and storylines
- Strengthen and express the cultural
values of the site through supporting community groups and activities
- Ensure the cultural landscape is
expressed in the design and management of the site
- Conserve and maintain the heritage
fabric of the park
Management
and Maintenance
Visitors are
generally satisfied with the cleanliness and maintenance of the beach and park.
In continuing to improve management and maintenance of Bronte, the plan
proposes to:
- Ensure that the park and beach
environments are safer for users at all times
- Ensure facilities are well
maintained and appropriately services
- Review and reinforce compliance and
regulations that enable a range of users to enjoy the park and beach
safely
- Manage vehicle access in the park