FAQs
- There will be no vehicle access to the area during the pedestrian trial period.
- During the shared space trial vehicles will enter the space slowly from Beaufort Street. There will be no access to Beaufort Street via Grosvenor Road during the Shared Street period.
- Access to surrounding area for residents, businesses, visitors and services will remain through Chelmsford Road and Raglan Road during the trial.
- Is the space suitable for events/community activities?
- Is the space actively used by people without events or activities?
- Could it be a permanent public plaza or flexible pedestrian space that is open on occasions?
- What affect does the trial have on the surrounding area and vehicle movement?
- Could it be shared by all users with vehicles moving slowly through and pedestrians being able to walk comfortably on the road?
- Do people feel comfortable and safe using the space?
- Suitability of the space
- Impacts for access and loss of street parking
- Vehicle volume and speed
- Current and future surrounding uses
- Pedestrian use
- Adjacent business impacts
- There would be a loss of 10 on-street parking bays during the trial;
- The space is often windy and in shade;
- Access to Kaata Lane would be impacted;
- It is unlikely to be supported as a pedestrian space in the longer-term; and
- There is less pedestrian activity and night-time uses that would support a lively public space.
Where will the trial be?
The trial area is located on Grosvenor Road, adjacent Beaufort Street, and is approximately 318 square metres, which is slightly larger than Mary Street Piazza.
What will the trial involve?
The trial is planned to take place between 1 October and 14 November 2022. It will be delivered in two phases.
Trial Pedestrian Street
The first phase will trial the space as a pedestrian only area and will last for 16 days from Saturday 1 October 2022 to Sunday 16 October 2022. It will test if the space could function as a public plaza or as a flexible pedestrian space that is open on occasions (similar to how Leederville Village Square functions for events).
The temporary space will include seating, picnic tables, shade, lighting, greenery and playful elements. The space will host a program of all-ages free activities and small-scale events delivered by local groups in partnership with the City.
The trial area on Grosvenor Road will be closed to vehicles during this phase.
Trial Shared Street
The second phase will trial the space as a shared street and will last for four weeks from Monday 17 October 2022 to Monday 14 November. It will test if the space could be shared by all users with vehicles moving slowly through and pedestrians being able to walk comfortably throughout.
The area will include a ‘comfort zone’ for people with picnic tables, shade and other items such as greenery and lighting will remain in place.
Vehicles may access the road via Beaufort Street and move slowly through the space within the ‘shared zone’. Three 15-minute street parking bays will remain available and help test what impacts this may have on the usability of the space.
To provide space for pedestrian amenities, the northern lane will be closed and vehicles would not be permitted to access the space from the west-end of Grosvenor Road to turn left onto Beaufort Street.
Why do a pedestrian trial?
The idea for more pedestrian space for Beaufort Street Town Centre has come from the community and was highlighted during the Barlee Street Car Park Options for Future Use consultation.
Rather than immediately investing in significant changes, the City would like to test the functionality of the space and understand if residents, businesses and visitors would support the road being transformed on a more permanent basis and if this is feasible, safe and convenient.
While we cannot test all aspects of a shared space or full pedestrianised plaza, there are parts we can test with removable materials in a short-term and low-cost installation on the road.
What is a shared street?
A ‘shared street or shared space’ takes a holistic approach to how we use the public realm between buildings. They emphasise the social elements of streets as much as the mobility function, with a goal of creating a vibrant and safe space for people to move and gather.
Shared spaces are not just streets to move through, they are destinations to go to. Typically shared spaces employ minimal to no traffic control devises.
An example of a permanent shared street in Perth is Hay Street in the City of Perth’s East End or Geoffrey Bolton Avenue at Elizabeth Quay. An international example of a shared street would be New Road in Brighton, United Kingdom.
How will vehicle movement be impacted?
As the trial will take place on the road reserve there will be disruption to the usual access through the trial area on Grosvenor Road.
A Main Roads WA endorsed Traffic Management Plan will be developed to manage vehicle movement in the surrounding area.
The City is investigating the possibility of temporarily relocating the loading zone and 15-minute parking bays nearby, which are currently located in the trial area.
What will the trial consider?
The City will be asking some key questions from the trial:
Why Grosvenor Road and not Barlee Street?
The corner of Barlee Street, adjacent to Beaufort Street was also considered as a possible pedestrian trial location. The following elements were assessed for each location:
Barlee Street was not selected as a preferred location because:
Where elsewhere has this been achieved?
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, cities across the world are trialling the transformation of roads and carparks into places for people. A well-known trial example is Times Square in New York City, where temporary spaces and moveable seating were installed. It became very popular and now the whole area is fully pedestrianised permanently. Similar activities have also been delivered in New South Wales with the Government’s Streets as Shared Spaces Program, and cities across Europe such as Paris. Here are some examples of pedestrian spaces (pop-up plaza and shared street) being trialled in Vancouver, Canada.(Source: https://shapeyourcity.ca/pop-up-plazas)
Is the Grosvenor Road continuous footpath part of the trial?
An upgraded and paved continuous footpath across Grosvenor Road (adjacent to Beaufort Street) is also planned to be delivered in partnership with RAC through its Reconnect WA initiative this year.
Although we will seek community feedback on the footpath, it is not part of the trial and will be a permanent pedestrian improvement within the Town Centre. At this stage, timing of construction works are to be determined.
The aim of the continuous footpath is to improve the pedestrian experience and safety of walking along Beaufort Street and crossing Grosvenor Road. It is an initiative delivering on Action 2.2 in the Beaufort Street Town Centre Place Plan.