FAQs
There is poor pedestrian and cycling connectivity
A high number of crashes occur at the Nelson Road/Thames Street and Nelson Road/Whitehorse Road intersections
Pedestrian and cyclist crashes are a concern along Nelson Road
Most of the issues that need to be addressed are pedestrian related
A lack of safe cycling infrastructure may be contributing to cyclist crashes
Reducing the posted speed limit to 40km/h
Narrowing the width of traffic lanes
Installing new pedestrian ‘zebra’ crossings
Building a roundabout at the intersection of Nelson Road and Arnold Street
Creating dedicated, separated bicycle lanes
range of walking abilities, needs and demographics
range of cyclist’s skill and confidence levels
growing pedestrian and cyclist volumes with future growth and development
range of walking or riding trips to key destinations
residents and local employees to public transport stops (train, tram, bus)
residents and local employees to Box Hill city centre (shops, restaurants, etc.)
hospital staff, patients and visitors to hospitals and medical suites
other employers and commuters
students and staff to Box Hill Institute
parks / recreation.
89% support prioritised walking infrastructure
74% support a decrease in the speed limit to 40km/h where there is a mix of pedestrians and cyclists
75% support increasing footpath widths and public space, even if it means removing some on-street car parking.
Improvements for Nelson Road should focus on:
Ease of walking around (including crossing the street, moving between destinations)
Maintenance of public spaces and street furniture
Interesting things to look at (people, shops, views etc.)
crash data
traffic speed and volume data
observations of the study corridor focussing on issues, consideration of major destinations and pedestrian and cyclist desire lines.
- Early phases would occur within 2-3 years
- Later phases would occur in 5-10+ years
What are the safety issues at Nelson Road, Box Hill?
Nelson Road is a busy area with high volumes of pedestrian, bike and motorist traffic. Major destinations along the road include two hospitals, medical suites, Box Hill Institute, Box Hill Gardens, the RSL, hotels, apartments, and workplaces.
Over a five-year period from 2015-2019, 17 crashes occurred on Nelson Road where people were injured, many of which involved pedestrians and cyclists.
What features are proposed in the draft concept plan?
Proposed works in the draft concept plan include:
The proposed works would occur over several phases, with the final phase to take place once the Suburban Rail Loop works are complete.
Please refer to the summary report to see the concept plan.
Does Council propose to remove any trees?
We do not propose to remove any trees. We will always aim to avoid or minimise tree loss. More detailed design work will need to happen in future on some of the proposed projects.
Overall, the project would result in an increase in trees along Nelson Road as part of the proposal involves planting trees in a new median strip.
What consultation has been undertaken up to this point?
Two workshops were held recently with key stakeholders and community representatives about issues along Nelson Road and considerations for potential designs. We heard that that proposed improvement works need to consider:
In 2019 and 2020, we held a wide community consultation on the Box Hill Metropolitan Activity Centre Integrated Transport Strategy 2020. Feedback from this strategy indicated that:
As part of this project, we have also collected and reviewed data including:
What is the timeframe for this project?
If supported, the proposed works would be staged over a number of years:
See the phases in the Summary Report.