WalkSydney is pleased to make a submission on the ​Clovelly Road Masterplan.

WalkSydney is a community group working to make it easier, safer and more pleasant to walk in Sydney. With a growing population we need to ensure people can easily walk to public transport, local shops and services, and shared transport options.

Clovelly Rd is a key place in Sydney’s East, linking several shopping villages and key destinations, such as Centennial Park and Clovelly Beach. Many people walk to and within these precincts.

We support the key objectives, in particular:

• Make it safe and pedestrian friendly
• Make it accessible and equitable for all
• Make it attractive and welcoming to residents and visitors alike
• Make it easy to find your way round

The Masterplan has a good number of features that help achieve the objective of a safer environment for pedestrians, where walking is enjoyable. Community bonds are built by regular chance interactions of acquaintances meeting on foot, not by people driving past each other in cars. More walking infrastructure therefore builds community, as well as making walking safer and more inviting, and reducing the demand other transport modes.

These positive features in the Masterplan include:

• raised pedestrian crossings, as shown at Earl St, Mount St.
• raised threshold treatment, as at Fern St and Arden St
• a 40 km/h zone for traffic as at Arden St and between Darley Rd and Avoca St – anecessary step as it makes crossing the road both appear safer and be safer. Car impacts above 40 km/h ​kill people far more often​.
• proposed pocket parks at St Marks Rd, Carrington Rd and Burnie St
• the kerb build outs that encourage slower driving and safer crossings for people walking, as near Fern St, Arden St, and Burnie St
• the paving upgrades
• new seating and trees, for amenity and shade
• the new open passive area along Clovelly Beach headland, adjacent to the footpath, with trees, grass and seating

Our submission urges the following additional improvements:

1. No relocation of existing parking along Victory St, near Clovelly Beach.The Clovelly headland has hundreds of car spaces, in what is prime coastal public land. Car transport is heavily catered for and subsidised at this beach. This public land has a value of tens of millions of dollars, yet it is used to temporarily store cars. It is inconceivable that Coogee Beach or Bronte Beach or Tamarama Beach would convert a headland into 250+ parking spaces, yet Clovelly Beach continues to have a large concrete space which could be transformed into parkland or other productive public uses.Visitors to these other neighbouring beaches manage to park their cars on nearby streets, or choose one of the many other transport modes; this is completely feasible for the same people who visit Clovelly Beach. Parking should be reduced, while retaining spots that are reserved for the Clovelly Surf Lifesaving Club.
2. Discourage cars eastbound on Clovelly Rd turning at high speed into Keith St, by building a kerb build out. Clovelly Rd is wide here, and at the bottom of a hill, so cars approach the intersection at speed. The eastbound bus stop may need to be removed, but it is only 140 metres east of the existing bus stop near Mundarrah St.
3. Install raised threshold pedestrian crossings near Arden St, in the raised threshold area. This is proposed for the Fern St crossing and should be used near Arden St.
4. Widen the footpath of Donnellan Cct (the northern part of Clovelly Rd, that is east of Keith St). The footpath is approximately one metre wide, and in summer it regularly has high foot traffic including many people with prams, who struggle to pass each other, as well as people loading or unloading cars.The roadway is currently wide enough for a lane of parked cars and for traffic including buses to travel through. Some of the roadway can be reclaimed for the footpath, and if necessary at the narrower points, a few car parking spots can be removed, in order to make the footpath consistently wide enough.
5. The Bundock Park playground needs a ramp just to the west of the play equipment. To go through Bundock Park, many people with prams regularly have to drag their prams up the 3 steps. The alternative is a 400 metre detour via Seasalt Cafe to reach Clovelly Rd or the laneway parking on the south side of 11-23 Surfside Ave. The route through Bundock Park is a strong desire line as seen by the wear on the grass. A paved path across the grass would also be valuable.

Thank you for taking the time to read our feedback.