It’s not hard to argue that the Illawarra is one of the most beautiful regions in Australia. It is an exemplar of natural beauty, coastal delights, and harmonious community spirit. Until that is, you mention the words "Lawrence Hargrave Drive". At the sound of those three words our community seems to magically divide into those that love it and those that hate it.
I experienced first-hand the love hate relationship our community has with LHD. It’s no secret that traffic numbers dropped significantly during the recent COVID-19 lockdown. In conversations with neighbours and friends who live in the catchment, they commented on how quiet it had become. The villages were almost idyllic. Except they said for noisy motorcycles. This got me thinking about urban noise more broadly and the impact traffic noise has on our health and wellbeing, including the urban design of our towns and villages.
In our region, LHD is the only route in and out. It plays a significant movement role for all of us. It also connects historical villages that are home to thousands of residents. It is unusual in the sense that Transport for NSW has jurisdiction over the road corridor and classify it as a main road for the purpose of traffic ‘movement’. However, it performs the role of a ‘street’ for all the residents who live within the catchment. It is relatively slow moving, constrained by circuitous topography and property ownership. There are dozens of chicane corners carved from topography and landform. Almost 1,000 homes have direct driveway access on to it. This suggests that considering it as a ‘movement only’ corridor is not entirely appropriate given so many people live on it within easily defined villages.
Acknowledging that traffic movement and noise go hand in hand, the community voiced concerns to me over excessively noisy vehicles. It’s important to discount the argument that was put to me by some people who suggested that living on or near LHD means that excessive noise must be tolerated. In short people said to me that if people choose to live on LHD, then noise is what they must expect. This doesn’t stack up given that traffic noise is regulated and the NSW Environment Protection Authority sets acceptable noise to be at 60dB(A) during the day and 55dB(A) during the night for roads such as LHD.
This is important, as houses can be soundproofed to deal with these levels. However excessively noisy vehicles become problematic if the sound they emit penetrates building fabric creating invasive sound issues for residents and businesses. And given the amphitheatre effect of the escarpment, unwanted sounds echo throughout the area, broadening the noise impact to people who live much further than 200 metres from LHD. The feedback so far suggests that the offending mufflers are so loud they exceed all regulations in flagrant disregard for people’s wellbeing. And it’s not just the occasional muffler – its thousands per day in peak season. Try having a conversation at Austi Beach Café, Cucina, Loaf, Earth Walker or any of the amazing cafes along LHD on the weekend and you’ll soon understand the impact.
To test the level of community angst about noisy vehicles, a group of concerned residents created an online survey to gather evidence. After just two weeks A Better Coal Coast Community Group received well over 250 survey responses, and the number is growing daily.
We used geographic information systems (GIS) to map and examine the extent of the problem. Our data indicates there are over 2,450 dwellings within a 200-metre catchment of LHD. This equates to some 6,000 residents living within the noise catchment of LHD. Not an insignificant number. Considering the amphitheatre effect described earlier, the potential impact extends to over 12,000 residents living in the noise amphitheatre.
The feedback to date has been eye opening. For some residents it is a major issue and for others an invasion of their rights to drive vehicles with noisy mufflers. Here is a small sample from the survey results.
They…” intentionally ride to be as disruptive as possible. It can be terrifying for pets, kids and the aged, not to mention our abundance of native species...”
“There is major noise from hoons, racing and enjoying the noise. I used to think they were young people not from this area, but I think there is an element of locals making noise as well...”
“Grow the f*** up and buy some ear plugs you baby...”
“Noise abatement program rejected our application. Yet noise is extremely intrusive...”
Our aim is to gather solid evidence from residents and businesses on their experience with noise to present a logical and cohesive community view to our elected members to implement positive change. And to perhaps help answer why it is that authorities choose to turn a blind eye to such blatant and offensive law breaking?
Feedback we’ve had from transport and mobility experts suggests that the following solutions are all possible and easily implemented. They are;
1. Stronger regulatory enforcement
This is about good old-fashioned policing. A bigger stationary presence in known impact areas to issue fines would be a great start. Other solutions gaining traction throughout the world include noise cameras – perhaps in each of the villages to catch offenders. This may also extend to speed monitoring, so our village centres are safe for families and children.
2. Physical improvements to the street
This is about modifying the road conditions to change driver behaviour. Things like the introduction of proper footpaths capable of taking kids on bikes sends a clear message that walking, and cycling are viable and safe options for families. How many footpaths have you seen that have a light pole bang in the middle of it? Walking along LHD is a third class and dangerous activity, and as a result many people choose to drive rather than cycle, adding more trips to the road network than would otherwise be necessary.
Other interventions may include variable speed signs that change the street speed on certain conditions. This may include summer weekends, when the speed in each village drops from 50 to 40km/hr. Speed and noise are known to go hand in hand so dropping speed helps reduce noise impacts.
Additional physical changes may include formalised roadside parking bays, bicycle lanes, traffic calming devices, and streetscape beautification programs including street trees and alfresco dining. All of these are well known methods employed to create a driving experience in which speed drops to navigate safely through the village. The upside for the community is that each of the villages becomes much more attractive and vibrant as a result. If you don’t believe it think about Parramatta Road and the many businesses that failed because it became a traffic sewer. More traffic moving faster ultimately destroys street-based retail. Do we honestly want that for our villages?
Our community has the power to speak up about issues that affect the amenity of our towns and villages. With a collective voice we can set the agenda for government and establish a clear vision on what we want our place to look and feel like. We do not have to accept what government agencies force upon us. Our elected members are our agents, and we must be clear on what we want them to achieve for us.
Help us gather 2,000 plus responses so Ministers Lee Evans and Ryan Park are compelled to action.
Sign the petition and take the survey.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Andy Sharp is an urban strategist and landscape architect. He works with communities to solve transport, planning, urban design and sustainability issues. He is a member of A Better Coal Coast Community Group, which wants to enhance the natural beauty and economic potential of our coastal villages – not see them destroyed by poor traffic and development decisions by government agencies with no local interest. The group is actively recruiting members.