Bondi Road Corridor

Bondi Road Corridor Transport Strategy

Waverley Council commissioned Parsons Brinckerhoff to prepare the Bondi Road Corridor Transport Strategy to identify options and make recommendations on public transport between Bondi Beach and Bondi Junction. The report, published in March 2017, identified a wide range of options including bus priority, bus rapid transport, light rail, monorail, heavy rail and Metro.

The report recommended that a staged implementation be adopted, which responds to levels of demand supported by changes to land use over the longer term, in the following order of implementation:

  1. Rapid route bus corridor - which would incorporate bus priority improvements such as jump starts at traffic signals, bus priority lanes and bus stop consolidation; and a major upgrade to the Bondi Junction Interchange to improve bus operations, pedestrian access and safety

  2. New corridor land use vision

  3. Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) or Light Rail (LRT) along a dedicated lane where possible.

The Bondi Road corridor connects Bondi Beach to Bondi Junction. It is currently serviced by the 333, 380, 381 and 382 buses. These run at a high level of frequency, particularly the 333 which provides express services on large capacity buses. However, the current system is operating beyond capacity. Buses are delayed by general traffic, and overcrowding means they are sometimes unable to pick up passengers.

Waverley Council commissioned Parsons Brinckerhoff to undertake the Bondi Road Corridor Transport Study to demonstrate to the State Government the potential transport solutions for the movement of people along the corridor. Council sought to identify the nature and extent of transport problems; compare the full range of rapid mass transit options which takes into consideration the high level costs and benefits; demonstrate how the proposal connects to and completes the broader Sydney metropolitan transit network (including linking to the heavy rail at Bondi Junction); and broadly demonstrate how the project could be funded.

The Parsons Brinckerhoff report investigated a wide range of transport options, which were short-listed to six concepts: bus priority (shared traffic lane), bus priority (shared transit lane), bus rapid transit (dedicated transit lane), light rail, monorail and Metro Rail.

The short-listed options were further assessed against a range of criteria including indicative construction costs (ranging between $10 million and $2.9 billion), peak carrying capacity (ranging between 1,600 passengers/ hour to 36,000 passengers/ hour), and difficulty of construction (e.g. intersections, traffic flow, provision of bus stops/stations, steep incline).

The report concluded that patronage on the existing bus system is at its maximum carrying capacity (1,360 passengers/hour at peak times in the peak direction). Anticipated patronage would increase this number to 2,100-2,300 passengers/hour, based on current land use, by the year 2036. The anticipated patronage could potentially be serviced without light rail. However, it would require a significant investment in rapid bus services along the corridor.

In the longer term, justifying a light rail system would require increased patronage above the current trajectory of demand. This would necessitate an increase in land use intensity along the Bondi Road corridor.

Council will continue to engage with major stakeholders to advocate for, plan and deliver increased public transport priority along the Bondi Road corridor. Council will also consider a range of other options as set out in the Waverley’s People, Movement and Places study which is due for public consultation in the coming months.

 

Waverley Light Rail Study

In 2013, Waverley Council commissioned AECOM to undertake the Waverley Light Rail Study. The purpose was to investigate the potential feasibility and route for light rail between Bondi Beach and Bondi Junction. The study recommended that light rail be further considered as a medium to long term transport option (10-15 years).

The AECOM report was restricted in its scope to only investigate light rail and did not assess whether other public transport options could be more effective. Waverley Council subsequently commissioned a further study by Parsons Brinckerhoff on the Bondi Road Corridor Transport Strategy, published in March 2017.

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