Charles St Bus Bridge Construction

NewStew
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Charles St Bus Bridge Construction

Postby NewStew » Fri May 20, 2016 10:00 am

On the Arena bus bridge thread discussion started about interruptions to the PSP near Bunning lake during the construction of the Charles St bus bridge which is due to start in earnest soon. I fired an email off to Main Roads and the contractor called me back yesterday (after needing a second email to Main Roads PR person) and we had an informative chat. While she did say that the construction guys would love to ignore the path and close it for the duration as it would make their life easier apparently Main Roads has put a condition on them that they must have it open at least between 6am to 7pm during the week. Now that is good new however I am also interested in the bigger picture as there is open and there is "open" if you know what I mean.

Anyway she also asked if I would be happy to participate in their stakeholder consultation, which apparently Westcycle is also taking part, so if that happens I will try and keep the cycling community as informed as I can. If I get invited along I will let the forum know so people can pass on any comments or concerns.

wellington_street
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Re: Charles St Bus Bridge Construction

Postby wellington_street » Fri May 20, 2016 11:20 am

Great, please keep us update Stew. Was there any discussion about the link to Newcastle Street being kept open too? I suppose there is a relatively easy detour via Bunning Lake then up the Fitzgerald Street footpath but ideally the direct route would stay open.

A 7pm closure gives me a good excuse not to work late I suppose...

Sinner
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Re: Charles St Bus Bridge Construction

Postby Sinner » Mon May 23, 2016 9:56 am

NewStew wrote:On the Arena bus bridge thread discussion started about interruptions to the PSP near Bunning lake during the construction of the Charles St bus bridge which is due to start in earnest soon. I fired an email off to Main Roads and the contractor called me back yesterday (after needing a second email to Main Roads PR person) and we had an informative chat. While she did say that the construction guys would love to ignore the path and close it for the duration as it would make their life easier apparently Main Roads has put a condition on them that they must have it open at least between 6am to 7pm during the week. Now that is good new however I am also interested in the bigger picture as there is open and there is "open" if you know what I mean.

Anyway she also asked if I would be happy to participate in their stakeholder consultation, which apparently Westcycle is also taking part, so if that happens I will try and keep the cycling community as informed as I can. If I get invited along I will let the forum know so people can pass on any comments or concerns.

viewtopic.php?f=18&t=27710&p=1348315#p1348054[url][/url]

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Bunged Knee
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Re: Charles St Bus Bridge Construction

Postby Bunged Knee » Mon May 23, 2016 5:03 pm

Link no good as it got last triple urls in it. Remove the last 2 urls for it to work. Preview it to check it out before posting links. :)

viewtopic.php?f=18&t=27710&p=1348315#p1348054
ID please? What ID? My seat tube ID is 27.2mm or 31.6mm depending on what bikes I ride today.thanks...

NewStew
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Re: Charles St Bus Bridge Construction

Postby NewStew » Fri Jun 17, 2016 12:11 pm

So last night there was a consultation meeting with York Civil (contractor) and Main Roads which was attended by representatives from West Cycle and the Over 55's Cycling Group - oh and me.

There was a lot of discussion into their current plans for some changes to the operation of the path past Bunning lake which included chicanes and rumble strips to slow bike traffic, some temporary closures during truck movements and a temporary (I think up to 6 months) re-alignment of the path where is passes under the current bridge from Charles St. Without writing a long essay the unanimous opinion of the cyclists was that this will be a mess since their re-alignment would have sections of gradient up to 11% which would cause all sorts of issues with less able cyclists having difficulty negotiating such a slope especially with chicanes and oncoming traffic (also negotiating chicanes). Pretty much the advice was that the plans they had there would be close to unworkable.

The other option that was discussed was closing the path by Bunning lake for the period of the intensive work and diverting all cyclists and pedestrian traffic through the other "northern" option that exits from the northern PSP onto Newcastle St. This was walked by the group and the conclusion was that up to Newcastle St this was a great option however the width of the footpath with road furniture (a lot of which would be moved but some like a parking ticket machine and the control box for the traffic lights cannot) along with pedestrians entering the footpath from dwellings and shops would make that unworkable along Newcastle St. The plan from York was to utilise the footpath on the Eastern side of Fitzgerald St to link back to Aberdeen St and this was inspected and other than past the single bus shelter found to be a pretty reasonable solution. The suggestion was made by the group about utilising one traffic lane on Newcastle St adjacent to the footpath to create a temporary two way bike lane on the road up to the intersection of Fitzgerald and this was felt to be a perfect solution to a difficult problem - the only issue with this is the City of Perth which would need to approve such a measure. York/MRD are going to engage with the CoP with West Cycle and see what, if anything, can be done along that stretch.

Overall it was good to see MRD putting in their contracts consideration for cyclists and also for a contractor to be looking for workable solutions. Not sure what the outcome will be but if I hear anything I will post it here.

Big downside for the meeting is that the guy from the over 55's club (sorry I dont have names here at the moment) had his bike stolen from out the front of the office while we were walking to project site. High praise for York Civil though who offered to pay for a taxi home and also ensure he isnt out of pocket with insurance excess.

nachoman
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Re: Charles St Bus Bridge Construction

Postby nachoman » Fri Jun 17, 2016 4:00 pm

Thanks for the update. I haven't come across any disruptions in the last month since work started. However I noticed a new sign went up at both ends overnight:

Image

NewStew
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Re: Charles St Bus Bridge Construction

Postby NewStew » Mon Jun 20, 2016 9:51 am

nachoman wrote:Thanks for the update. I haven't come across any disruptions in the last month since work started. However I noticed a new sign went up at both ends overnight:
We did point out to them that not many cyclists would be able to read, digest and understand such a long winded sign that was so small.... while riding at any speed that is (because all cyclists are intelligent and well read)

방구 똥
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Re: Charles St Bus Bridge Construction

Postby 방구 똥 » Mon Jun 20, 2016 4:05 pm

NewStew wrote:
nachoman wrote:Thanks for the update. I haven't come across any disruptions in the last month since work started. However I noticed a new sign went up at both ends overnight:
We did point out to them that not many cyclists would be able to read, digest and understand such a long winded sign that was so small.... while riding at any speed that is (because all cyclists are intelligent and well read)

Each line on that sign should be on it's own sign, with each sign spaced 20m apart.

wellington_street
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Re: Charles St Bus Bridge Construction

Postby wellington_street » Tue Jun 21, 2016 11:43 am

Thanks for the update NewStew and thanks for taking an active role in this

NewStew
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Re: Charles St Bus Bridge Construction

Postby NewStew » Tue Jul 26, 2016 8:45 pm

Hi All - Just got an update through from the construction company about the closure of the path bast Bunning Lake for eight weeks commencing this Saturday. They are sending the traffic around the north side along Newcastle St footpath (with some changes to the signs so it is easier to navigate), past the back of the bus shelters on Fitzgerald and then back to Aberdeen St.

Hopefully this link works otherwise I have no idea (also hope I didn't just open up my dropbox to the whole world)!

https://www.dropbox.com/s/o6h63urawkfp7 ... L.pdf?dl=0

Seems like an OK compromise but we shall see - if anyone has any feedback once the diversion goes into place then I am sure York Civil will welcome that - I will certainly pass on the comments in this thread to them.

wellington_street
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Re: Charles St Bus Bridge Construction

Postby wellington_street » Wed Jul 27, 2016 11:29 am

NewStew wrote:Hi All - Just got an update through from the construction company about the closure of the path bast Bunning Lake for eight weeks commencing this Saturday. They are sending the traffic around the north side along Newcastle St footpath (with some changes to the signs so it is easier to navigate), past the back of the bus shelters on Fitzgerald and then back to Aberdeen St.

Hopefully this link works otherwise I have no idea (also hope I didn't just open up my dropbox to the whole world)!

https://www.dropbox.com/s/o6h63urawkfp7 ... L.pdf?dl=0

Seems like an OK compromise but we shall see - if anyone has any feedback once the diversion goes into place then I am sure York Civil will welcome that - I will certainly pass on the comments in this thread to them.
Thanks for the update NewStew
I guess the temporary on-road bicycle path was too much inconvenience for the 1.5hrs a day that it's a clearway and it's better to push all the hazards onto pedestrians and cyclists on the footpath.

NewStew
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Re: Charles St Bus Bridge Construction

Postby NewStew » Wed Jul 27, 2016 3:56 pm

There was an earlier response regarding the temporary on road path that I forgot to post. Here is the relevant section of that email:

"A key request, which has proved unfeasible, is the proposal to put on-road cycling lanes on Newcastle Street. City of Perth did undertake some modelling of this option and the results showed there would be significant additional queuing of vehicles and the overall performance of the Newcastle Street and Fitzgerald Street intersection would be reduced to an unacceptable level."

Who knows how seriously CoP looked at it or if they did the analysis to come up with a predetermined result. Still it will be interesting to see how it all goes over the coming weeks... I suspect at peak times it will be a bit chaotic but most the time it should be fine. I just hope they do the signage well or it will be a mess of people not knowing where to go.

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rolandp
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Re: Charles St Bus Bridge Construction

Postby rolandp » Thu Jul 28, 2016 12:24 am

My question to WestCyle via Facebook:
What amazes me is there is a new exit from the freeway to Roe St to replace the James St exit, whilst the PSP will remain the same at the end of the project. How hard would it be to continue the PSP along the new Roe St freeway exit and take us all the way onto Roe St, rather than the current route through Northbridge. Zero traffic lights/road crossings, rather than current non-direct light/road crossing route. Are you sure WestCyle you are working to provide better cycling infrastructure in Perth CBD?

wellington_street
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Re: Charles St Bus Bridge Construction

Postby wellington_street » Thu Jul 28, 2016 11:44 am

Agree there should have been a PSP connection on the new bus bridge to provide that traffic-free connection. Not even considered by those developing and designing the project.

NewStew
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Re: Charles St Bus Bridge Construction

Postby NewStew » Thu Jul 28, 2016 1:53 pm

The bus bridge itself could never be used for bikes as it will come from the middle of Charles St as I understand it. The idea of hooking the PSP up to Roe St parallel to the FWY however may have some merit.

wellington_street
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Re: Charles St Bus Bridge Construction

Postby wellington_street » Thu Jul 28, 2016 2:38 pm

NewStew wrote:The bus bridge itself could never be used for bikes as it will come from the middle of Charles St as I understand it. The idea of hooking the PSP up to Roe St parallel to the FWY however may have some merit.
It would be easy enough to hook the PSP into a path on the western side of the bridge which then follows the old bus bridge to the Perth Arena. The old bridge would need to be widened now but if the path was included originally it could have been incorporated at little extra cost.

Hooking the PSP into Roe St would bring you out into a very bad signalised crossing either next to the freeway ramp or at Fitzgerald Street. There's no easy way to get to the southern verge of Roe Street from the freeway.

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rolandp
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Re: Charles St Bus Bridge Construction

Postby rolandp » Sun Jul 31, 2016 11:51 am

From the Public Transport section of the 2016 Transport Plan
12.2.2 Green bridges are links that cater exclusively for public and active transport modes, such as buses, rail, pedestrians, and cyclists. As such, a green bridge that spans a significant barrier and brings two communities together can act as a major catalyst for increased public transport mode share, as well as encourage active transport. By creating a strong link where public transport does not have to mix with general vehicular traffic, significant travel time savings can be reaped, and reinvested in the network. Several such bridges have been committed to in the near future, namely the Charles Street Bus Bridge, and the Swan River Pedestrian Bridge (refer to chapter 6 for further details)

Does this mean Charles Street Bus Bridge could be dual use?

nachoman
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Re: Charles St Bus Bridge Construction

Postby nachoman » Wed Aug 03, 2016 11:19 pm

A few days into the detour, it seems bin day on Monday and Tuesday presents the most obstacles so far:

Image

Image

Plus it is always a surprise what will happen at the Traffic Light box at the blind corner:

Image

citywomble
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Re: Charles St Bus Bridge Construction

Postby citywomble » Fri Aug 05, 2016 10:19 pm

Plus it is always a surprise what will happen at the Traffic Light box at the blind corner:
That is criminal.
Given the building was probably in place before traffic signals were invented, how on earth do Main Roads think that was acceptable or be allowed to get away with that.

nachoman
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Re: Charles St Bus Bridge Construction

Postby nachoman » Wed Aug 10, 2016 11:41 am

To his credit, last Friday the traffic controller was waving people down if someone was coming in the opposite direction at the blind corner. But his tenure was only the first week I believe, haven't seen him this week.

It also looks like they are detouring the detour, with what looks like a new straight section of path being dug out through the park this morning.

https://goo.gl/maps/PnsHKsxA1Uk

nachoman
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Re: Charles St Bus Bridge Construction

Postby nachoman » Wed Sep 28, 2016 5:51 pm

The detour has now been extended from 1st October to 13th November

nachoman
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Re: Charles St Bus Bridge Construction

Postby nachoman » Tue Nov 08, 2016 10:30 pm

The detour is scheduled to end this weekend, or will it be extended again ?

NewStew
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Re: Charles St Bus Bridge Construction

Postby NewStew » Mon Nov 14, 2016 10:49 am

Path by Bunning Lake is now open (was open from yesterday). York Civil liaison person rang me on Friday and it should remain open for the duration (other than short interruptions for equipment movement) from now on. They plan to close off the other path section by the construction at the northern end of the new bridge in about a week.

Mentioned to her that one major hazard is the York Civil workforce walking to and from the work site over the bridge by the church and suggested that they enforce a single file rule for their workforce to reduce the risk of incident. She was going to take this up at their next safety meeting.

NewStew
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Re: Charles St Bus Bridge Construction

Postby NewStew » Thu Nov 24, 2016 10:55 am

Email through from York Civil this morning that the northern shared path will be closed from now until late February. I believe it is still open through to the back of the car yard from the underpass and onto Old Aberdeen Place but closed for the section underneath the freeway underpasses where they are constructing the support pier for the bridge through to Newcastle St (but don't quote me).

The southern path past Bunning Lake, over the footbridge and onto Aberdeen St will remain open from now on.

Let me know if there are any issues on that path (especially with York Civil people or activities) and I will happily email their Safety Officer and liaison person.... and no I don't work for them!

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Re: Charles St Bus Bridge Construction

Postby Scott_C » Mon Mar 13, 2017 10:31 pm

NewStew wrote:Email through from York Civil this morning that the northern shared path will be closed from now until late February.
MainRoads updated their webpage for this Project last week and late February has now become late May, doubling the closure duration from 3 months to 6 months.

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