Circulation strategies
Overview
From a mobility perspective, the University of the Sunshine Coast (USC) is one of the most important developments on the Sunshine Coast. It provides a previously unavailable tertiary learning institution, saving many trips to other centres, but also an opportunity to provide an example of quality urban design with genuine strategic planning and integration of land use and transport strategies.
There are many examples of quality urban villages throughout Australia, but very few that incorporate tertiary institutions. There are many overseas examples that do incorporate universities, and they are not uncommon.
Urban villages
Urban villages, towns and cities that are economically successful almost always turn out to be relatively sustainable on social and environmental levels as well. This circulation and access strategy is aimed at providing a world class campus facility and an opportunity for the Sunshine Coast to have a reference village with a working sustainable (economic, social and environmental) land use/transport planning strategy in place.
Common to successful urban villages throughout the world is a typical modal split, sharing trips evenly between walking, public transport and private vehicles. This works because it is simply the most efficient use of resources. This efficiency allows the private sector to make more money and the public sector to spend less money. Presently the Sunshine Coast in general does not have a modal split anything like this, and in fact will be prevented from attaining this type of modal split through the current land use and mobility policies of the coast's three shires/cities.
It is proposed that this learning institution will demonstrate that sustainable transport can be obtained on the coast with appropriate policies and strategies - just as it has done with other environmentally sustainable development (ESD) principles since its inception.
Sub-topics
Pedestrian circulation
Cycle pathways
Vehicular circulation
Parking
Public transport
Service vehicles
Pedestrian circulation
Overview
How the walking campus patrons access the campus and move around it will be an important element in the University's long term economic, environmental and social sustainability. Walkers provide one of the economically efficient accesses to the University as well as providing casual surveillance and increased opportunities for interaction. Such opportunities which will promote the economic viability of non-core or non-education land uses which might include retail or other commercial uses.
Strategy
The grid pattern of the layout provides excellent pedestrian permeability which negates the need to make the campus permeable by vehicles. Externally, the opportunities to interact with the Sippy Downs 'Town Centre' are limited by the traffic function of Sippy Downs Drive and the roundabout control of the University's access to Sippy Downs Drive. It is proposed this situation be improved by the introduction of a signalised access to the campus at the existing roundabout entrance.
The current layout is intended to provide:
- improved pedestrian access to the new Town Centre
- pedestrian permeability to allow pedestrian movement throughout the campus including for students at adjacent public and private schools, and
- improved pedestrian access to surrounding residential land uses
It is expected that by 2020 up to 4,500 trips per day will be made to/from the campus by students alone.
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Cycle pathways
Overview
Cycling throughout the western world is not as prominent as transport planners have always thought it should be. Of all the private vehicle modes it is generally the least popular. That is not to say however that it will not have a significant role to play in the future of the University, and the adjacent land uses. It is certainly true that the use of cycling as a mode of transport (rather than a mode of recreation) is on the increase in Australia.
Strategy
The University will provide a link for cyclists coming from Sippy Downs / Chancellor Park to join with the cycleway connection to Mooloolaba. Based on even the most optimistic assumptions it is unlikely that any more that 10 percent of trips to and from the University will be made by bicycle. It should be encouraged and provided for but not relied upon to move a significant amount of people in the overall scheme of mobility to and from the campus.
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Vehicular circulation
Overview
The Sippy Downs / Chancellor Park area has some endemic car traffic circulation problems. Its structure, land use mix, provision for parking and road space as well as some design issues, have made it difficult to make any trips by walking, cycling or by public transport.
As a result almost all students, visitors and faculty who do not live within walking distance (which is almost all in each of those 3 groups) travel by car. This is unsustainable, not only in the sense that all that private vehicle use is unsustainable as far as the planet is concerned, but also in the sense that the University cannot provide the infrastructure necessary to accommodate the 20,000 vehicles that will attempt to enter the campus when the University has achieved its target of 15,000 students.
Strategy
The Master Plan proposes an alternative to supplying parking and road infrastructure for this amount of vehicles, and to modify travel behaviour to and from the university, more in keeping with some of Australia's most vibrant villages (St Kilda, Fortitude Valley, Kings Cross, Carlton etc.). These villages only have enough infrastructure to carry about 30 percent of the peak hour traffic demand, and as a result other modes have higher patronage. Typically, these areas will have a modal split of about 30 percent car traffic, 30 percent bus, train or tram and 30 percent walking. The remainder travel by bicycle, taxi and other modes.
If this policy can be successfully implemented, it will only be necessary to provide for a fraction of the vehicle trips that would otherwise be required by the time the University reaches 10,000 EFTSU (approximately double its current size). The proposed new traffic infrastructure provision is shown in the diagram below
This approach will be realised through several factors:
- less road infrastructure on campus
- less vehicle activity on campus and improved on site amenity
- less road infrastructure and congestion on the local Sippy Downs / Chancellor Park network
- creation of more of a market for public transport
- encouragement of more appropriate residential choices for students, near more accessible areas (for walking, cycling, public transport)
- increased environmental sustainability, and
- increased economic sustainability (less infrastructure investment required)
While this strategy will significantly reduce traffic on campus, there is still a significant amount of vehicular traffic that will come to the site. The on-site circulation system aims to limit vehicular penetration into the site by pushing parking events to the north and requiring further penetration into the site to be a walking trip. This maintains the amenity of the site while allowing the significant growth that is anticipated.
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Parking
Overview
Parking is a billion dollar (plus) industry in Australia due to our unusually high dependence on car trips as opposed to public transport, walking or cycling. If we are driving to the majority of our destinations, we obviously have to have a parking space at these origins and destinations.
Conversely, parking is considered to be one of the most effective travel demand management tools. If there are no parking spaces, there can be no driving trips. Urban villages with fewer parking spaces are more economically sustainable as they, by necessity, develop more efficient land use patterns that require less vehicle travel. More land can be dedicated to productive uses. They become denser and have more walking and public transport trips. Patrons invest more time per trip and hence invest more money.
The University is in a competitive market and would obviously be sensitive to any strategy that would limit the propensity of students or faculty to choose USC over its competitors. However, the University has displayed its intentions to the market place regarding the level of importance it places on environmental sustainability. Managing private vehicle travel demand not only delivers an economic and social benefit, but an obvious environmental benefit, consistent with the market position the University has already adopted. Furthermore, it would be in stark contrast to the University's highly public position to proceed further with a “parking provision for demand” strategy.
Strategy
Currently the University has 1000 spaces on campus, and progressively more and more of these will be reserved for staff. Surveys have identified a propensity for students and perhaps staff to park on the unmarked and unpaved vacant land instead of in the marked and sealed bays At peak times up to 200 cars are parked in 'unofficial spaces'. This does indicate some demand in excess of supply, although there are some who park in these informal spaces when there are sealed and marked spaces available.
The current rate of parking is approximately one space per 45m2 of floor area or one space per 3.5 equivalent full time students. Providing parking at the same rate will mean that by 2025 the requirement will be 5000 parking spaces or an additional 4000 over and above the existing supply. If this number of spaces was provided on-grade, the campus would be reduced to the central spine of buildings and the remainder car park.
If, however, the even modal splits discussed under Vehicular Circulation were achieved, then it would be possible to reduce the rate at which parking was supplied gradually over the timeframe of the Master Plan, as shown in table 1 below.
Table 1 – Future Rates of Parking Supply
| Year |
Rate of supply (1 space per x msq) |
Approx number of spaces on campus |
Number at current rate
|
| 2008 |
45 |
|
|
| 2009 |
45 |
1400 |
1550 |
| 2010 |
75 |
|
|
| 2011 |
75 |
|
|
| 2012 |
75 |
1800 |
2225 |
| 2013 |
100 |
|
|
| 2014 |
100 |
|
|
| 2015 |
100 |
2100 |
2600 |
| 2016 |
125 |
|
|
| 2017 |
125 |
2260 |
3150 |
| 2018 |
150 |
|
|
| 2019 |
150 |
|
|
| 2020 |
150 |
2460 |
3925 |
| 2021 |
175 |
|
|
| 2022 |
175 |
|
|
| 2023 |
175 |
2650 |
4700 |
| 2024 |
200 |
|
|
| 2025 |
200 |
2750 |
5000 |
The lowest rate described here (one space per 200m2 ) is typical of high density mixed use centres such as CBD's or other mixed use urban villages such as Fortitude Valley, Carlton, St Kilda, Paddington etc. The highest rate (the current rate) of one space per 45m2 is typical of regional CBD parking rates (Townsville, Rockhampton etc) where there is no significant public transport.
It is by no means unrealistic to assume that the University as part of the Sippy Downs Town Centre will become part of a vibrant urban village with a sustainable modal split as described above. Limiting the amount of parking provided on the site will be a crucial element in this transformation. It will be an advantage if Maroochy Shire also has a responsible parking policy covering the Town Centre.
Another advantage will be that there will be a saving in capital (in the order of A$30 million) as well as better land use opportunity by not constructing as many car parks. This saving could obviously be reinvested in many projects but affordable housing or public transport could be a way to make the University more sustainable and more accessible.
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Public transport
Overview
Public transport will be a key element in a sustainable active university now and into the future. The University currently has a low public transport use rate, due to a number of factors, but mainly due to the attraction of alternative options and the lack of available public transport services. These elements are related.
One of the elements identified by the University as preventing efficient bus patronage to and from the site was the diverse geographical origin/destination area. That is, the students (and staff) come from everywhere, and aren't concentrated in one area such that it makes bus travel efficient. This is considered to be a short term problem created by the availability of road space and, more so, parking space. This makes private car travel to/from the site such a viable alternative. If there were no parking spaces on the site for example, students would congregate their residential arrangements, probably firstly within walking distance and secondly on a bus route to the University. This in turn would enable the bus provider to provide a more efficient service on these routes.
Strategy
The reduction in parking space and implementation of the strategies above will mean that the public transport will have to move more people. Based on the current traffic generation and the required travel mode splits, the bus system will need to significantly increase the number of bus journeys, as well as potentially diversifying the bus fleet The diagram below shows the proposed bus movement strategy through the site. What is beyond the control of this Master Plan is what Bus Priority measures may take place outside the site in order to aid this level of bus service. If or when bus lanes are placed on the Sunshine Motorway is at this stage unknown, but would benefit the Master Plan strategy.
The mechanisms to achieve this outcome may vary, and perhaps it will take the market considerable time, even when prompted by an on-site travel demand management policy to adjust student housing needs in this manner. It may be that the University will partner with Translink, Council and perhaps a private sector investor to manipulate the market into creating some high density affordable housing in a location that could be readily serviced by an efficient public transport system. There would be many candidates for this facility and there would be a case to say that not all the affordable or student housing should be located in the Sippy Downs and Chancellor Park area. There is already an example of a private sector party providing public transport off-site to entertainment facilities. There are many places throughout the Shire of Maroochy or City of Caloundra where some housing diversification would be of high environmental, economic and social benefit when combined with a high frequency public transport route to the University. These might include the Maroochydore CBD, Cotton Tree, Kawana, Buderim or even Mooloolaba.
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Service vehicles
Overview
Since inception the Master Plan has contained provision for service vehicles to use the cross links. This provision is intended to cater for two types of vehicle: ordinary maintenance vehicles (primarily electric golf carts), and emergency vehicles (the cross links are sized to accommodate fire appliances).
Strategy
As the campus develops, more cross links will become available and, in some cases, these may need to be extended beyond the ring road to provide access to more remote sites, particularly those at the Town Centre boundary. However, the fundamental strategy of allowing service vehicles free access to the ring road and the cross links should not need to be revised in the foreseeable future.
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