Transport study revs up

Some 18,000 Docklands workers were last month invited to respond online about their travelling habits as part of a precinct transport study.

The VicUrban study is designed to produce a transport model and sustainable transport strategy for Docklands and is being conducted by consultants UrbanTrans.

During June, UrbanTrans will conduct hundreds of on-the-ground surveys with residents, visitors and people attending events at Etihad Stadium, to understand their travelling habits to and from the area.

VicUrban says the transport model will provide traffic predictions, forecasts of public transport usage and an analysis of pedestrian and cycling patterns at key stages of Docklands’ future development.

The City of Melbourne has endorsed the study and has allocated $100,000 towards its cost in its draft 2011/12 budget.

VicUrban says that traffic improvements continue to be made to the Docklands local road network.

In recent weeks, it says VicRoads and the City of Melbourne have made the following improvements:

The signal time for the right-hand turning lane from Collins St into Batman’s Hill Drive has been lengthened to ensure cars can exit onto Wurundjeri Way as quickly as possible;

Some traffic signals along Batman’s Hill Drive have been changed to ensure a greater number of cars can exit onto Wurundjeri Way during one traffic sequence; and

The traffic lights between Bourke St and Wurundjeri Way have been synchronised to allow traffic to flow from Victoria Harbour through to Wurundjeri Way in one movement where possible.