Punt Rd’s P-turn squeeze banks up Swan St traffic back to Church St

Residents and businesses in Richmond fear Swan St will become Melbourne’s next traffic trap as motorists grapple with the changes made to improve Punt Rd.

Residents and businesses in Richmond fear Swan Street could become Melbourne’s next choke point as drivers grapple with changes made to improve traffic in Punt Rd.

Motorists driving along Swan St and Olympic Boulevard have reported longer peak-hour journey times this week as east- and west-bound cars have been squeezed into single lanes.

The changes are the result of a new continuous flow intersection to improve traffic flow for the thousands of people who use the busy Hoddle Street corridor.

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Locals said on Tuesday that reducing the lanes along Swan St had made it difficult to cross the busy intersection.

Signs indicate the new P-turn on Punt Rd. Picture: Jason Edwards

Roger Beamish, of Yarra Valley Farmers Richmond, said the snarl was catching out drivers who were coming into the city from Hawthorn and surrounding suburbs.

“I’ve been doing fruit and vegetables in Richmond for years and I’ve never seen the traffic so bad (along Swan St),” Mr Beamish said.

“The traffic is backed up from Punt Rd to Church St and it’s never, ever been like that.

“The right turn from Punt Rd into Olympic Boulevard is genius but coming back the other way is a different story,” Mr Beamish said.

But VicRoads spokesman Chris Miller said peak-hour traffic on Tuesday morning had been significantly better than on the day before.

Motorists are slow getting used to the new P-turns on Punt Rd and Swan St. Picture: Jason Edwards

“We expect travel times to continue to improve as motorists become accustomed to the changes,” he said.

University of Melbourne planning and transport expert Dr Crystal Legacy said it was now up to the local council and state government to manage driver behaviour.

“We should never accept anything as normal and should always try to do things better,” she said.

“Time and effort could be put into … (getting) people walking, cycling and using public transport. One of the key problems we have in Victoria is that we don’t do integrated transport planning as well as other places.

New P turn on Punt Road and Swan Street Richmond. Picture: Jason Edwards

A government spokeswoman said the changes to Punt Rd were improving travel times on Victoria’s busiest arterial road.

“Melburnians are responding well to Victoria’s first continuous flow intersection and traffic flow will continue to ­improve as motorists adjust to the new conditions,” she said.

The Royal Automobile Club Victoria’s general manager of public policy, Bryce Prosser, said it would take time for motorists to adjust to the “P-turn” changes.

“These changes are designed to improve traffic through one of Melbourne’s busiest and often most congested intersections,” he said.

“We really hope the changes mean people will spend less time sitting in traffic and more time doing the things they love.”

Yarra City Council declined to comment when contacted by the Herald Sun.

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