TRAFFIC LIGHT CHANGES ON PINJARRA ROAD

Acting Chief Executive Officer Allan Claydon said the traffic lights at the intersection of Pinjarra Road/Sholl and Leslie Streets were altered to enable the synchronisation of the lights at this intersection with those at Sutton Street and Pinjarra Road and help reduce traffic congestion on Pinjarra Road.

“From all reports so far, this is working well.  Traffic congestion along that stretch of Pinjarra Road has reduced especially in peak hours, which is when Main Roads WA control the lights remotely to ensure optimum east-west traffic flow,” Mr Claydon said.

Mr Claydon said the pedestrian lights had to be changed from an exclusive phase for pedestrians to what is known as a ‘time-separated parallel walk phase’, where pedestrians could still cross under the ‘Walk/Don’t Walk’ signal control but no longer had exclusive movement across the intersection.

“Pedestrians can only cross Pinjarra Road or Sholl or Leslie Streets parallel to moving traffic, but they do have priority over turning vehicles which have to give way to pedestrians,” he said.

“This adjustment to the traffic lights is similar to most traffic light operations elsewhere in the State, and is one of the recommendations put forward to the City at a public meeting to improve the operating efficiency of the intersections, which has been crucial to improving east-west traffic flow on Pinjarra Road.”

Caution signs worded ‘Caution: Pedestrian Signals Modified’ and ‘Turning Traffic: Give Way to Pedestrians’ have been posted on the traffic signal poles at the intersection and will remain in place until December.

These changes were introduced by the City of Mandurah, in conjunction with Main Roads WA, as part of a number of traffic management modifications in the City Centre to improve traffic circulation and facilitate future development in the CBD area.

RELEASE ENDS

3 October 2008