Quay Street traffic: Council to decide if it should be opened for two way traffic

Rockhampton’s riverbank thoroughfare was always intended to be two-way, but has been reduced to a single lane for years. Here’s the latest.

Two-way traffic for Quay Street is back on the table as Rockhampton Regional Council councillors and officers go back and forth on what to do about the ongoing drama.

While the riverfront thoroughfare has been an ongoing issue since the riverbank redevelopment in 2017 due to cracked pavers, the topic of traffic flow has been discussed frequently again over the past few months.

Council officers conducted a door-knock of businesses and property owners in mid-September and the comments were highly in favour of resuming two-way traffic.

Traffic congestion backed up to turn into Quay Lane as two trucks are unloading.

In the conversation, concerns were raised about the current speed limit and congestion in Quay Lane, particularly when trucks are unloading at businesses, as the lane is now used as a general traffic thoroughfare.

A vehicle count determined the laneway had a volume in excess of 400 vehicles per day travelling southbound.

The bus only lane from Quay Street to Fitzroy Street.

It was suggested the bus zone in Fitzroy Street should be a shared zone for public vehicles as well to minimise the Quay Lane thoroughfare.

As parking is a major issue in the CBD, particularly after the closure of the Kern Arcade carpark in 2020, it is noted that if Quay Street was to return to two-way traffic, there would be no loss of carparks.

The council report published in the October 2022 meeting agenda notes two-way flow was always the design intent in the riverbank redevelopment.

The one-way configuration from South to North streets between William and Fitzroy streets was undertaken to allow construction space for riverbank works.

One way traffic along Quay Street outside the Criterion Hotel.

Analysing the one-way versus two-way configuration, the council report notes one-way allows for vehicles to easily parallel park as the six metre carriageway allows for wider vehicle swept paths, and it is safer for pedestrians to cross the road.

The area is supposed to be limited to 20km/h, however traffic speeds recorded in 2018 identified an average speed of 38 km/h with 2,671 vehicles per day on average.

Quay Street, looking down from the Denham Street intersection.

A more recent survey in 2022 concluded this figure hadn’t changed much.

As for the two way configuration, the report states Quay Street was designed to be “specifically based around two way flow with the intent to provide the same level of access to businesses on Quay Street as before the reconstruction works and to increase the legibility of the CBD and riverfront space.”

A two way configuration is expected to “significantly slow down vehicles due to the narrow six metre wide, two way carriageway making drivers drive closer to the line of parked cars to avoid oncoming vehicles”.

The splitter island on the Denham Street intersection, implemented for the one way traffic.

To facilitate the two way configuration, the splitter island on Denham Street will need to be removed and a new splitter installed at the Quay and William streets roundabout (near the Heritage Hotel and riverbank playground), along with road signage.

The Quay and William Street roundabout.

The council report states the “cost of the works to take Quay Street back to two way traffic” is estimated to be $40,000.

At the last Infrastructure Committee meeting on November 1, it was passed that the matter lay on the table “pending further information on the shared zone within the current configuration and speed environment”.

Councillor Donna Kirkland and Councillor Grant Mathers recorded their vote against the motion.