Traffic Impact Assessment

2.2     Surrounding Area

        The site is bounded to the north by the Bruce Highway, to the east by Cooroy Belli Creek Road and
        to the south and west by bushland. The surrounding area is primarily residential in nature.

2.3     Transport Infrastructure
        2.3.1 Parking Facilities

        The parking requirement of the existing school has been calculated based on the student enrolment
        capacity, FTE staff numbers and the parking rates outlined in Noosa Shire Council’s (Council)
        Driveways and Parking Code. The drop-off / pick-up parking requirement of the school has been
        determined based on the rates provided in the Department of Transport and Main Roads’ (TMR)
        Planning for Safe Transport Infrastructure at Schools (PSTIS). Table 2.1 indicates a requirement of
        44 parking spaces, of which 32 should be designated for long-term parking, 10 for short-term
        parking and two spaces for student drop-off / pick-up.

        Table 2.1:            CAR PARKING REQUIREMENT

          USER                            SCALE                PARKING RATE               SOURCE    REQUIRED

          Long-term                    32 FTE staff             1 per staff member        Council       32
          Short-term                   299 students              1 per 30 students        Council       10
          Drop-off / Pick-up           299 students         20% of short-term supply       TMR          2

          Total                                                                                      44 spaces


        The existing on-site parking provision is shown in Figure 2.1 and consists of:

                  informal long-term staff parking with capacity for at least 40 cars
                  56 formal short-term visitor parking spaces
                  a drop-off / pick-up area with capacity for four cars (with additional queuing space for
                  approximately 14 cars)

        The total existing on-site parking provision of 100 spaces represents a surplus of eight long-term
        spaces, 46 short-term spaces and two drop-off / pick-up bays compared to Council’s Driveways
        and Parking Code and TMR’s PSTIS requirements.

        2.3.2 Parking Operations

        Class finish times are staggered over a 20 to 30 minute period in the afternoon, to reduce the peak
        parking demand which occurs during the afternoon pick-up period. On-site observations during
        the afternoon peak pick-up period indicate that the existing parking facilities operate efficiently at
        this time.

        A maximum queue of 12 vehicles was observed on approach to the drop-off / pick-up area.
        Moderate queueing (ie more than two or three vehicles) was observed for a period of approximately
        15 minutes. Although not observed on the day of the site inspection, school management advised
        that queuing on approach to the drop-off / pick-up area occasionally extends into the channelised
        right-turn lane on Cooroy Belli Creek Road but typically does not interrupt through traffic
        movements on the road.


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