EDQ have released a new version of their ‘Street and Movement Network’ guideline. The new guideline can be accessed here.
There are some significant changes included in the latest revision which may adversely affect development yield and cost. Some more notable changes include:
- Road reserve widths and pavement widths have changed for all road types, except laneways;
- Access street reserve widths have increased from 15m to 16m for 7.5m pavements For 6m pavements reserves are now 15.5m (min.) with a requirement for indented parking;
- Trunk Connectors now have a requirement for off road cycle tracks on both sides compared to on road cycle lanes previously;
- Connector street reserve width has increased by 2.5m, from 19.5m previously to 22m now;
- Connector streets now have a requirement for a 3m shared path on one side, previously no requirement; and
- Access streets are now classified with having 3,000 vpd, previously up to 5,000 vpd was acceptable.
We’ve also prepared a quick cross section comparison for your convenience, please click here.
We are currently working on several projects potentially impacted by these changes. It is unclear how the changes will be applied to existing projects or change applications but it is considered prudent to review the changes to determine any impacts.
In the past we have found that a practical approach to determining cross sections based on movement or placemaking function works the best. We hope that this new guideline and the Authorities interpretation of it, will still provide the opportunity to address key aspects such as direct access, parking requirements and provision for active transport networks based on good urban design principles specific for each project.