South Gippsland Shire Council

27 Korumburra Town Centre Framework Plan | Context Report
12.2 Road network
Commercial Street/South Gippsland Highway is a dual carriageway with median
strip and a parallel parking lane on each side. The carriageway consists of two
traffic lanes in each direction and a centre median space which is used for right
turn and U-turn lanes. Vehicle counts were taken in February 2013.
Approximately one in every 10 vehicles on Commercial Street is defined as a
heavy vehicle. Commercial Street has one signalised pedestrian crossing point at
the western end of the main retail centre.
Radovick Street comprises a single lane carriageway with angled parking on each
side.
Other arterial roads such as Station Street generally consist of one traffic lane in
each direction, with parallel parking, informal parking and provision of footpaths on
the residential side of the road.
Local roads within Korumburra town centre generally consist of sealed
carriageways. A number of roads have been updated to include kerb, channel and
provision of a footpath on at least one side of the carriage way. Parking tends to
be lined parallel or angled through the main centre, with informal kerbside or off
road (verge) parking on connector streets.
Freight and service vehicles
The presence and volume of heavy vehicle traffic through the Town Centre is
predominantly a result of the South Gippsland Highway freight route. Local freight and
small truck access is still required for deliveries and this occurs through the existing
network of local and arterial roads.
The following roads through the town are approved freight routes, based on VicRoads’
Heavy Vehicle Access Map:
Commercial Street / South Gippsland Highway
Radovick Street / Korumburra-Wonthaggi Road.
The existing industrial land uses to the north-east of the town centre are outside the
study area and attract a relatively small amount of freight traffic. This traffic travels has
the potential to travel through sensitive residential areas. Current freight volumes in this
area are relatively low, however future land use change in the surrounding region has
the potential to increase the amount of heavy vehicles moving through the town centre
to Melbourne.
Accident history
VicRoads’ Crashstats database has been reviewed for all casualty accidents in
Korumburra over the period 2007-2011. Analysis of this data indicates that:
The majority of accidents occurring in Korumburra were located in outlying rural
areas and involved vehicles.
Four out of the 27 accidents involved pedestrians or cyclists (three pedestrians/
one cyclist). One pedestrian accident occurred outside the study area to the
immediate south on Mine Road. A sole cyclist accident occurred between
Radovick Street and King Street, and involved no other vehicles.
Despite some clustering of accidents towards the town centre, no distinct pattern
was observed.
One pedestrian fatality was recorded for the period, however it falls outside the
town centre/ study area.
12.3 Car parking
There are approximately 831 car parking spaces in Korumburra Town Centre, with
a mix of parking restrictions and types for a variety of
users. The majority of car
parking in the Town Centre is located on Commercial Street and behind the retail
centre to the east on Little Commercial Street and around the station area.
Access from the car park areas to the main shopping centre can present some
barriers to safe and convenient access for users, particularly
those who are
elderly, with children in strollers and on mobility scooters. Elements that contribute
to these access issues include an undulating topography, lack of pedestrian
infrastructure and treatments tments such as footpaths, steps and rails, lighting and good
visibility. As a result, connectivity from
these areas to Commercial Street presents
challenges for equity and access to carparking areas and the town centre.
Car parking surveys were undertaken of
the study area by GTA Consultants on
Friday 14 February 2013. In this respect Table 1 below outlines the observed
parking demands during the day and indicates that there is ample capacity in the
overall parking network to cater
for peak demands.
Draft
Table 8: Car parking demand
Time Supply Demand Occupancy
9:00am 831 333 40%
11:00am 831 422 51%
1:00pm 831 413 50%
3:00pm* 831 433 52%
5:00pm 831 203 24%
*Peak demand of study area
Notwithstanding this, some perceptions exist of a lack of parking and minor congestion
due to circulating traffic in Commercial Street.
The key car parking issues for Korumburra can be summarised as follows:
There is a lack of clear directional signage to the main car parking facility located
to the south of the retail centre accessed via Little Commercial Street
Currently, during peak tourist times, there are some issues associated with
caravans and larger vehicles circulating to find car parking spaces in the town
centre. Suitable parking is available within Little Commercial Street car park and
informally on Station Street near the public toilets. However, there is a lack of clear
directional signage to these areas.
There are connectivity issues for pedestrians moving from the major car parking
areas to the retail functions of Commercial Street.
Given the overall surplus of car parking in the centre, consideration should be
given to dispensation for car parking requirements for new developments, in line
with the decision guidelines contained within the planning scheme.