New platforms make Orange more pedestrian-friendly

The new structures have been built at four intersections, and will be installed at another six street corners across Orange this month.

City of Orange Traffic Committee Chair Russell Turner said the platforms are designed to reduce the distance between each footpath making it easier for people, such as the elderly and those with prams to cross the road safely.

“Many of Orange’s older streets were built with a width that would allow bullock drays to turn around.

These streets are now up to eight metres wider than what’s needed for modern traffic,” Cr Turner said.

“After these structures, which are a blend of platforms and islands, are installed, drivers will tend to travel through the intersections more slowly and they can’t cut corners, so it makes the roads safer for everyone.”

The concrete platforms :

• are an extension of the footpath from both sides into the road way.
• are a place of safety where pedestrians can decide when to walk across the road safely.
• shorten the time when pedestrians are exposed to traffic.

The structures are being installed at intersections across Orange that were identified by Orange City Council’s Pedestrian and Mobility Plan and are funded partly by the NSW Government by Roads and Maritime Services.

The platforms include sloping ramps to make it easier for elderly pedestrians or people in wheelchairs to access the road.

‘Give Way’ signs are also being installed on the platforms and pedestrian islands on cross streets, Cr Turner said, in a major safety boost for drivers.

“Because the Give Way signs are positioned further out into the road-way than the corner, this improves the visibility of the drivers to see past trees and parked cars.

"Reducing the time a turning car is in a lane that’s potentially competing with oncoming traffic is a key benefit which will reduce collisions at intersections,” he said.

So far the pedestrian platforms have been installed at the corners of :

• Moulder Street and Sale Street  Kite Street and Woodward Street
• Kite Street and Sampson Street  Byng Street and Sampson Street.

The cost of these projects has been shared between Orange City Council and the NSW Government through Road and Maritime Services grants and the Safety Around Schools program. Work is under way on six new intersections , chosen because of crash history data and funded through the Federal Government’s National Blackspot Program.

These sites include :

• March Street and Sale Street  Prince Street and Clinton Street
• Warrendine Street and Sale Street
• Dalton Street and Spring Street
• Coronation Drive and Frost Street
• Moulder Street and Sale Street (adding to existing traffic measures on site)

These projects are funded 100% by the Blackspot program.

The total value of the work on these nine intersections is around $750,000.