A new Hoddle Street residential subdivision development has prompted residents to call upon the Yarra Ranges Council to upgrade the road.
It came after the new Yarra Junction planning permit would see a two-block property redeveloped to accommodate 24 residences, adding 240 trips daily to the road.
Hoddle Street resident Leigh Hardy said he wasn’t opposed to the new development, but the council needed to ensure the infrastructure could keep up with the pressure.
“The roads need to be updated and the continuing development of residences on the other street are making it more urgent to fix the road,” Mr Hardy said.
He said the road was narrow near the development and it also had poor visibility.
“That’s the section that needs to be repaired. It’s narrow, it’s got a crest in it, the roads narrow, it’s overhung by trees on both sides.”
But, a traffic engineering assessment prepared by Traffix Group for the permit stated Hoddle Street would be widened to six metres to match the existing width north of the site.
The council also regarded Hoddle Street as a higher order collector road designed to service high levels of residential traffic.
“As the development is only expected to generate 240 daily vehicle trips, we [Traffix Group] consider that the internal road network can readily accommodate the subdivision traffic, and that the road will operate well within its environmental capacity,” the traffic assessment stated.
“This level of traffic is low, and is not expected to have any significant impact on the surrounding road network.”
But, Mr Hardy said a number of developments had taken place on Hoddle Street and the council can’t keep approving new ones before it upgrades the road.
“But the point is that they keep allowing new developments of buildings,” he said.
A council spokesperson said each planning application is assessed for potential traffic impacts.
“If required, conditions/restrictions may be applied to mitigate identified impacts.”
