Consideration of the needs of cyclists should be an integral part of the design of all traffic management treatments.

1. A cycle lane should be indicated, with lane markings, on-road cycle logos and signage, on the uphill side of Birriga Road from O’Sullivan to Victoria Road.
2. The cycle lane should comply with Austroads Guide to Traffic Engineering Practice; Part 14: Bicycles . In particular, it should have a width of no less than 1.5m.
3. It appears from the plan that the kerb is to be widened where angled parking is proposed. This is an unnecessary expense, and may occupy the space required for a cycle lane. The proposed kerb extensions, landscaping, angled parking, etc, should be reduced in width wherever needed to achieve the required width for the cycle lane. Some locations where this may be necessary have been highlighted in green and labelled 3 on the plan.
4. The cycle lane surface should be maintained smooth and free of debris. A rough or littered cycle lane merely forces cyclists out into the path of faster moving motor traffic.
5. All angled parking must be sign-posted rear-to-kerb only. This is important for the safety of all road users, but especially for cyclists riding uphill because they travel very close to the parked cars. These parking areas will probably need to be patrolled from time to time to ensure compliance.
6. The intersection of Birriga and Victoria Roads is the most dangerous point for cyclists in this area. Cyclists turning right into Birriga Road must cross to the road centre where they are exposed to motor traffic on both sides. Cyclists should be allowed to avoid this blackspot by travelling in both directions along the road section in front of Bellevue Hill Public School. The uphill end of this section is currently restricted to westbound bus use only. Lane marking, on-road cycle logos and signage are required. Additionally, a road-centre crossing refuge should be constructed for cyclists to turn right into the road section in question, from Victoria Road immediately before the existing median strip at Cooper Park.

1. Provision should be made for pedestrians to cross Birriga Road at two locations along the proposed safety barrier, such as those I have marked with 7 on the Plan, outside house numbers 52 and 56. This is particularly important because the reduced parking space along this stretch frequently forces residents to park opposite their dwellings, and to rely more on taxis. Provision of crossing points would reduce the need for these resident vehicles and taxis to execute illegal U-turns near Bundarra Road (an accident blackspot identified in the Bellevue Hill Draft Traffic Management Study in July 1995.)
2. The largest number of pedestrian crossings of Birriga Road near Benelong Crescent are due to passengers alighting buses in the evening. About fifty people cross the road from the bus stop here every night - in poor light conditions, with traffic speeding down the hill. Traffic is not so heavy, however, that pedestrians would go out of their way to use a marked crossing - they will cross directly from the bus stop. Therefore a pedestrian crossing should be located at this bus stop, west of Benelong Crescent, as I have marked it on the Plan.
3. A roundabout is not appropriate at the Benelong Crescent intersection. Presumably, the intention is to slow through traffic on Birriga Road, as traffic on Benelong is already very light. The Draft Study in July 1995 proposed a very different and more appropriate treatment (attached). A roundabout at this location, if constructed as shown on the Plan, will significantly inconvenience westbound bus passengers. The bus shelter opposite Benelong, with its neighbouring garden bed, is a very attractive and popular feature of this streetscape. If the bus stop is shifted 20m downhill as proposed on the Plan, this shelter will become useless. Where are bus passengers - many of them less mobile elderly women - expected to wait? Either the bus shelter should be moved to the new bus stop location, and landscaping provided to match the quality of the shelter’s existing surroundings, or the roundabout proposal should be replaced with alternative traffic calming treatments in order to keep the bus stop in its current location.