Byron Shire council to improve pedestrian safety in busy CBD carpark
Motorists will need to adjust to a major change in access to this Byron CBD carpark from Monday.
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Byron Shire Council is set to begin work to improve pedestrian safety in part of Byron Bay from Monday.
The work, at South Lawson Street Carpark, will begin with construction of a new traffic island.
This will permanently block vehicle entry into the laneway beside Byron Bay Hot Bread Kitchen from Jonson Street.
“These works are part of council’s rail corridor upgrade and the objective is to stop this carpark’s current use as a rat run to get to Lawson Street and to create slower traffic movements and a safer experience for pedestrians by making the space into a shared zone for cars and people,” he council’s director of infrastructure services, Phil Holloway said.
“Once the works are complete, this carpark will connect directly with a new boardwalk we are building across the rail corridor so that people can move safely between the town centre and the western side of town.
“Changing traffic movements in and out of this car park and blocking the laneway to traffic turning in from Jonson Street will put an end to the car park being used as a shortcut and being a danger to those on foot,” Mr Holloway said.
He said water barriers would be used on Jonson Street and traffic control signage would also be in place.
The works are expected to run for about three weeks.
“While the traffic island is being built, there may be short periods that the laneway off Jonson St needs to be shut completely but we will update the surrounding signage to alert motorists to this,” Mr Holloway said.
“Otherwise, what we need people to remember is that entry to the South Lawson Street car park is from Lawson Street from now on.”
Entry to the carpark will be from Lawson Street only from Monday.
Motorists will still be able to exit the carpark via the laneway onto Jonson Street.
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