Strathfeldsaye Road

Development Project
Engagement Report July 2019

regionalroads.vic.gov.au
Contents

Message from Regional

Director – Northern 1
About the project 2
Why we engaged 3
How we engaged 3
How we communicated 4
How people responded 4
Who talked to us 6
Themes and insights 7
Accessibility 7

Safety 8

Trafc fow 9

Cyclists 9

Pedestrians 9

Additional lanes 9

Speed zone 10

Local road network 10

Environment 11

Noise and cultural heritage 11

Development project overview 12

Next steps 13
Contact us 13

Disclaimer: every efort has been made to accurately record and report on all feedback collected throughout the engagement process.
Some comments detailed in the report have been edited in the interests of clarity and brevity.
Message from Regional Director – Northern

It’s important our communities are involved in helping
shape the future of their roads. At Regional Roads Victoria
we’re all about listening to you and hearing about your
experiences so we know what you need and where you
need it most.
The Bendigo-Redesdale Road, known locally as
Strathfieldsaye Road, is the main connection between
Bendigo and the outlying suburb of Strathfieldsaye,
the neighbouring rural areas of Mandurang to Axe
Creek, Longlea to Eppalock and beyond.
Between Reservoir Road and Longlea Lane, the road
is a vital link to jobs, schools, shops, sporting and
community infrastructure and hundreds of new homes.
This report explains who we talked to, what we asked
them and what they told us. We will continue to hear
from you throughout the planning stages of this
development project.
As history shows, Strathfieldsaye Road will need to
continue to be a pivotal connection to support strong,
vibrant and healthy communities. Let’s keep working
together to make sure our regional road network is fit
for us today and our future generations.
Brian Westley
Regional Director – Northern

Pedestrian and cycling options and public transport

are valued by the diverse population of Strathfieldsaye
with a growing number of young families. With several
new residential developments planned, the population
is expected to double to 12,600 by 2036.

Our transport planners are acutely aware of the need

to balance a variety of requirements and wishes. They
love a challenge and are always working on ways to
better integrate all modes of transport including
catching public transport, walking and cycling.

What’s also important is that we keep you informed

and involved throughout the planning stages of
a project. We had an unprecedented response
to our first round of engagement and I’m delighted
to provide the Strathfieldsaye Road Development
Project Engagement Report, so you can get a feel
for what people have told us.

Strathfieldsaye Road Development Project Engagement Report July 2019 1

About the project
In 2018 the Victorian Government invested The City of Greater Bendigo’s Urban Design Framework
$3.5 million to explore ways to improve trafc will be considered as we investigate ways to improve
fow, safety and active transport on Strathfeldsaye trafc fow, safety and active transport along this corridor.
Road (Bendigo-Redesdale Road) from Strathdale
to Longlea (Reservoir Road to Longlea Lane). This development project will identify the best safety
and capacity options for this road including:
The aim of this development project is to ensure all
who use this road experience a safe and efcient drive, ∞ improved capacity to cater for population
ride or walk and provide a better connection to nearby and transport growth
towns and infrastructure.
∞ safer intersections, overtaking options and private
property access points
Strathfeldsaye Road is a major connection between
Bendigo and Strathfeldsaye and further toward the ∞ on and of-road infrastructure solutions to make
tourist destination of Lake Eppalock. The road currently it safer for cyclists and pedestrians
carries approximately 15,000 vehicles per day and is
∞ improved freight efciency.
a secondary freight route into Bendigo. There has
been signifcant growth in Strathfeldsaye over the
past 10 years and it sits within Bendigo’s Urban
Growth Boundary.

Community session

2 Strathfieldsaye Road Development Project Engagement Report July 2019

Why we engaged
Regional Roads Victoria (RRV) recognises the benefts
of consulting with our communities and key stakeholders
from the early stages of planning a project right through
to the construction phase.
Our team started the conversation early with the
community and key stakeholders to better understand
how people use Strathfeldsaye Road and help identify
any problems they experience along the route.
This feedback will complement ongoing technical
investigations and ensure that our plans address
a mix of issues and patterns of use.
This engagement report outlines our frst round
of consultation held from January to February 2019.
The report focuses on who we spoke to and general
themes.
Uxbridge Street
Strathfeldsaye Road Development Project Engagement Report July 2019
How we engaged
This was the frst round of consultation and we adopted
a ‘blank page’ approach to hear a range of experiences
from as many relevant community groups as possible.
We wanted an in-depth understanding of how people
use Strathfeldsaye Road and what habits have been
formed to move around safely and/or efciently due
to issues people face. Engagement was conducted
in conjunction with a similar study of nearby McIvor
Highway, Strathdale to Longlea (Reservoir Road to
Longlea Lane).
We specifcally targeted user groups and individuals
including:
∞ residents
∞ businesses
∞ cycling and freight groups
∞ special interest groups
∞ local government and state government agencies
∞ tourists.
We used two main methods to gain feedback:
∞ in person via our public engagement sessions
and meetings
∞ via our online interactive map, available on the
RRV website.
At the public sessions we displayed large aerial photos
for both McIvor Highway and Strathfeldsaye Road to
assist participants in locating the site of their comment
or issue.
We hosted two engagement sessions at the Club Court
Reserve, Strathfeldsaye on Tuesday 12 February 2019,
3pm to 5pm and 6pm to 8pm. We also held two
sessions in Junortoun at the Baptist Church on
Thursday 31 January 2019, 3pm to 5pm and 6pm
to 8pm. We had technical staf on hand to answer
any questions, talk about experiences and help
enter feedback into our online interactive map.
Social media comments and email submissions
received during this consultative period have also
been considered.
3
How we communicated
A variety of communication approaches were used to
reach as many people as possible and ensure a good
balance of opinions and thoughts were received.
∞ RRV website: with an overview of the development
project, details for our public engagement sessions
and a link to our online interactive map.
∞ Online interactive map: enabled participants to leave
How people responded
Most visits to the RRV website and the interactive map
were generated by the Facebook posts and our mail out
to those that live in the area also generated a lot of the
responses.
In total we received:

1200+
comments, view comments and join conversations
about various issues.
∞ Direct mail: mailed invitations to our community webpage views
information sessions directly to households within
the scope of the project and to communities directly
impacted, between Reservoir Road and Longlea Lane.
∞ Newspaper advertisements: placed in the Bendigo
619
Advertiser and Bendigo Weekly promoting our
comments on McIvor Highway
community information sessions. on our interactive map
∞ Billboard: a vibrant billboard on Strathfeldsaye Road
to create awareness and encourage people to fnd
out more via the RRV website. 475
∞ Facebook posts: ran three posts to raise awareness comments on Strathfeldsaye
and encourage feedback either in person at one of Road on our interactive map
the community information sessions or via our online

200+
interactive map. There were over 1000 clicks to either
our webpage or the interactive maps, generated from
the posts.
people attending our
∞ Media: issued release to local media outlets
highlighting the commencement of the
sessions (90 in Junortoun
development project and details of the and 125 at Strathfeldsaye)
community information sessions.

Billboard

4 Strathfieldsaye Road Development Project Engagement Report July 2019

 McIvor Highway & Strathfeldsaye Road
Development Projects
Community Information Sessions

Join the discussion and Session 2

share your experiences When:

of driving, walking
and cycling along
McIvor Highway and
Strathfeldsaye Road.
Your local knowledge will help us
plan for improvements to safety, trafc
fow and walking and cycling options,
along these increasingly busy roads.
Session 1
When:
Thursday, 31 January 2019
Time:
Drop-in any time between
3pm – 5pm or 6pm – 8pm
Where:
Baptist Church NOVO Centre
757 McIvor Highway, Junortoun
Tuesday, 12 February 2019
Time:
Drop-in any time between
3pm – 5pm or 6pm – 8pm
Where:
Strathfeldsaye Club Court Reserve
42 Club Court, Strathfeldsaye
Register:
Please register your attendance
strathfeldsaye.eventbrite.com.au
For more information
Visit:
www.regionalroads.vic.gov.au
and search “McIvor Highway”
or “Strathfeldsaye Road”
Email:
NRengagement@roads.vic.gov.au

Register:
Please register your attendance
mcivor.eventbrite.com.au

Newspaper advertisement

Facebook posts

Strathfieldsaye Road Development Project Engagement Report July 2019 5

Who talked to us
Most people we heard from were locals, who live on
or near the road and use it a few times a day. We also
heard from local business owners, regular commuters
and visitors. Motorists, bike riders and pedestrians
shared their experiences as well.
At our community drop-in sessions, 90 people came
to talk to us in Junortoun and 125 at Strathfeldsaye,
including 40 Cub Scouts! In total we heard from
350 people resulting in 475 comments about
Strathfeldsaye Road.

21%
Interactive map comment type

1% Motorists
Environment
Pedestrians
15%
Freight
Cyclists
4%

59%

22% Type of road user

I’m a local resident My family or friends

4% live nearby
I’m a local business
owner Other
6%
I’m a non-local Blank
commuter travelling
10% through the area
I visit the area often
3% to spend time there
2% or nearby
53%

27%
How often do you travel on Strathfeldsaye Road?

A few times per day

Once a day
1%
1%
A few times per week
Once a week
Less than once per week
14%
Blank
6%
51%

6 Strathfieldsaye Road Development Project Engagement Report July 2019

Themes and insights Accessibility
The aim of this frst round of engagement was to hear We defned accessibility as the desire to move to
about the experience of locals and travellers to better or from a location regardless of mode of transport.
understand their issues and travel choices. We asked Key sub-themes were:
people to share what they thought was good, what
concerned them and what could make their journey ∞ access to/from schools and businesses, local streets
better, be it in a vehicle, on foot or bicycle. and private property
∞ ability to access and/or utilise public transport.
Comments were themed into main topics before being
divided further into sub-themes to help tell the story
The most signifcant area of concern for Strathfeldsaye
of how and why people travel the way they do.
residents is the ability to access or leave Strathfeldsaye
Road from local streets with 168 out of 237 comments
Comments were tagged with up to 11 themes and
relating to that sub-theme.
the biggest issues raised by participants were about
accessibility, safety and traffic flow. The chart below
shows the number of comments received for each
theme.

Themes

250

200
Number of comments

150

100

50

0
Accessibility

Safety

Trafc fow

Cyclists

Pedestrians

Additional lanes

Speed zone

Local road network

Environment

Noise

Heritage

Strathfieldsaye Road Development Project Engagement Report July 2019 7

Safety
Another major theme that was raised in our initial
engagement was about safety for all who use the road. “Sightlines from Ryalls Lane when travelling from
We themed comments as safety issues whether it was the east are poor, especially noting 80km/h
a real or perceived safety impact. A total of 159 signposted road.”
comments specifcally stated that an intersection,
access point or piece of infrastructure felt unsafe to
the participant. Many provided examples of near misses
or crashes they were either involved in or witnessed.
We also themed comments under safety if they
mentioned visibility issues or road conditions.

Number of comments per intersection

Blucher Street
Guys Hill Road
Saxby Drive
Erniold Road
Longlea Lane
Uxbridge Street
Kairn Road
Reservoir Road
Emu Creek Road
Ryalls Lane
Watson Drive
Tannery Lane
Swanson Boulevard
Axe Creek Road
Woodlea Close
Club Court
Thornton Court
Somerset Park Road
Cooper Grove
Landale Drive
Harley Street
Barwon Drive
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45
Number of comments

“Blucher Street intersection is becoming increasingly congested. With further future residential developments,
it will only get increasingly more difcult and more dangerous for vehicles attempting to turn right into
Strathfeldsaye Rd from Blucher Street (a hugely-used road given schools, GP and shopping centre
located there). This intersection needs action.”
“It would make more sense for Junortoun Road to connect to Club Court as it would give a more direct
route to Strathfeldsaye, sports facilities, maternal health centre and Strathfeldsaye Primary.”

8 Strathfieldsaye Road Development Project Engagement Report July 2019

Trafc fow
The third major theme identifed by participants on
Strathfeldsaye Road was defned as real or perceived
impacts to the fow of trafc. Most of the comments
described congestion and high numbers of trafc,
especially at peak travel times. Three intersections
received the most comments about trafc fow:
∞ Blucher Street
∞ Guys Hill Road
∞ Uxbridge Street.
“Strathfeldsaye Road should be two lanes each way
from Strathdale all the way to at least Axe Creek
Road to improve trafc fow.”
“There is no safe way to enter or exit Erniold street
in mornings and evening congestion. Trafc fow
is continuous on Strathfeldsaye Road which
means taking a risk every time.”
Cyclists
Comments we received regarding cyclists were
sub-themed into four categories:
∞ road condition (debris or potholes)
∞ available space for cyclists to use the existing road
∞ desire for of-road cycling facilities
∞ crossing points.
The majority of these 189 comments were about
of-road facilities (74) and existing road paths (68).
“Connections are needed from the O’Keefe Trail
to the north, down the Harcourt Park reserve
to Strathdale Park (including connecting
with McIvor Highway bikeway), through to
Kennington Reservoir (including connecting with
Strathfeldsaye Road bikeway), via Strath Village
to La Trobe Uni and ultimately all the way into the
central Bendigo.”
“An of-road concrete bike track (like the creek trail)
would be great for encouraging people to ride their
bikes into work/school from the Imagine Estate to
the city centre.”
Strathfieldsaye Road Development Project Engagement Report July 2019
Pedestrians
Comments we received regarding pedestrians were
sub-themed into four categories:
∞ provision of paths near Strathfeldsaye Road
∞ crossing points
∞ supervised school crossings
∞ provision of of-road paths and their connections.
“This is a crossing point for the residents living
south of Strathfeldsaye Road. The recent lights at
Tannery Lane cause trafc pulses which facilitate
pedestrians crossing but the aged and slow still
have trouble! Needs pedestrian-controlled crossing
lights.” (at Strathloddon Drive)
“Highly underused area – needs better parking and
signage for people to walk/mountain bike – great
link through the bush to McIvor Highway.”
(Bendigo Bushland Trail)
Additional lanes
There were three sub-themes involving additional lanes:
dedicated turning lanes, duplication of Strathfeldsaye
Road and overtaking lanes. We received the most
comments about additional lanes at the intersections
of Strathfeldsaye Road and:
∞ Longlea Lane/Axe Creek Road
∞ Blucher Street
∞ Guys Hill Road
∞ Uxbridge Street and
∞ Saxby Drive.
“To cater for future growth (housing expansion,
trafc and freight) and encourage active transport,
the whole of the study area requires double lanes
each direction and a segregated bicycle lane in
each direction. Children and families should not
have to rely upon a car for all transport.”
“A left turning slip lane in to Saxby for vehicles
travelling from Strathfeldsaye would be great.
When people don’t slow or indicate until the
last second, and you’re behind them travelling
at 80km/h (even at a safe distance), it gets a bit
dangerous.”
9
Speed zone Local road network
Speed is a concern for many users of Strathfeldsaye We also received many comments that discussed
Road. Of the 54 comments we received relating to speed, how local roads afect Strathfeldsaye Road. Many
39 (72%) requested the existing speed limit to be reduced of these issues will have to be addressed with the City
by at least 10km/h. of Greater Bendigo, but all need to be considered when
planning for future road improvements. Most comments
referred to the Strathfeldsaye town centre as shown on
“Please reduce the speed limit to a maximum of the map below.
80 km/h as cyclists also use this road many times
per day and the shoulder is far too narrow on
a single lane each way road where cars, trucks, “Apsley Street/Blucher Street roundabout is terribly
buses and tandem semis are doing 100 km. Ideally congested at school drop of and pick up times
this road should have double lanes each way with as cars sit in the roundabout to enter St. Francis
a segregated bicycle lane each way.” blocking all other trafc. Turning lanes on all
streets would be helpful but would need to be very
“I think the speed limit from Strathdale to
long due to number of cars waiting to enter the
Strathfeldsaye should be 70kmph. The volume of
roundabout. St Francis needs more car parking
trafc and the population along this stretch of road
or an alternative entrance to relieve congestion.”
is huge and 80kmph is too fast and often unsafe.”

Strathfeldsaye town centre – comment numbers

d
Roa
Wellesley Street

ille
erv
Som

2
4 7
Aspley Street

1
2
Uxbridge Street

Blucher Street

Aspley Lane

Strathfieldsaye Road 6
Strathloddon Drive

10 Strathfieldsaye Road Development Project Engagement Report July 2019

Strathfeldsaye Road

Environment Noise and cultural heritage

We categorised comments under this theme if they
related to natural features including trees, vegetation,
waterways, water, fora and fauna. We received
40 comments discussing this theme and many expressed
a desire to retain existing trees and our works to allow
Strathfeldsaye to beautify their town centre as set out
in the Urban Design Framework.
We received only three comments relating to
noise issues, Indigenous heritage and European
heritage. While these themes may not have been
identifed by the community as being of high
interest, we will keep these themes in mind for
the duration of our planning investigations.

“The urban environment through this section can

be hostile in summer. There is limited tree cover
shading footpaths and the separation of the path
from the road is poor. Road works through this
section should have strong urban design that is
in keeping with the strategic direction contained
within the recent township Urban Design
Framework.”
“I would like VicRoads to be sensitive to and
consider retention of signifcant vegetation,
and biodiversity values along length of the
road as we live here because of the aesthetic
values of the area.”

Strathfieldsaye Road Development Project Engagement Report July 2019 11

Development project overview
Developing projects for funding consideration and future construction involves several steps. Planning involves
comprehensive research, a variety of technical studies, community consultation and, in most cases, other legislative
requirements such as planning scheme amendments. The diagram below shows a basic overview of main phases
of this process and identifes the phase we are at with this project.

Development project timeline

Funding Announcement
3-year development project funded by
Victorian Government.

Community Engagement Report Ongoing Community

Consultation Summary report Community Consultation
Session #1 released April and and Stakeholder Session #2
Experiences, full report detailing Engagement Viewing of concepts
thoughts and ideas all feedback Kept updated via with explanations
collected from the published and our newsletters for options
community and distributed in July. and website. chosen. Concepts
key stakeholders at will form the
multiple information foundation for the
sessions and Planning Scheme
via an online Amendments and
interactive map. project proposals.
We are here

Jul 2018 – Apr 2019 Apr – Jul 2019 Jul – Dec 2019 Jan – Feb 2020 Mar – Nov 2020

Planning Options Assessment of Final concepts Next steps

Desktop studies explorations options designed Project proposals
including hydrology, Project team Narrow down are submitted for
heritage, fora and designs potential options based on future funding
fauna. solutions that align feedback, potential opportunities.
with feedback benefts, costs and
and economic, other impacts.
environmental,
social and transport
objectives. Conduct detailed
technical studies
∞ Land use
∞ Social beneft
∞ Economic impact
∞ Cultural heritage.

Planning Scheme Amendments prepared (can take up to 18 months)

Legal documents prepared for the Minister detailing land use and development requirements for this project.

Community and Stakeholder Engagement

RRV activity

12 Strathfieldsaye Road Development Project Engagement Report July 2019

Next steps Contact us
Our project team is continuing to undertake technical Email: NRengagement@roads.vic.gov.au
studies and will use feedback from this engagement
to explore potential solutions. Visit: www.regionalroads.vic.gov.au and
search Strathfeldsaye Road
We will return to the community early next year
to discuss ways to address the issues we’ve heard
throughout the frst round of engagement.

We’ll be seeking your thoughts and feedback

in a second round of community consultation.
Details will be forthcoming on how you can get
involved and have a say.

Emu Creek Road

Strathfieldsaye Road Development Project Engagement Report July 2019 13

regionalroads.vic.gov.au
DJPR 11126/776_STU 02486_06.19
DJPR 11126/776_STU_02486 0719
.