Carnes Hill is a suburb located 38km south-west of the City of Sydney, in the City of Liverpool local government area. It is part of Western Parkland City, one of the three cities in Greater Sydney.

This case study is a retrospective review of the transport network around Carnes Hill centre. It aims to investigate options to improve this brownfield precinct’s network using the principles outlined in this guide.

Figure 19 Carnes Hill

Principle 1: Identify the desired outcomes for the precinct

The heart of the Carnes Hill precinct is defined by a commercial hub (Carnes Hill Marketplace), a community and recreation centre and two schools (Hoxton Park Public School and Holy Spirit Catholic Primary School). It is surrounded by residential and significant open space along Cabramatta Creek, Greenway Park and Carnes Hill community and recreation centre. Industrial land in Prestons is located to the east, separated from the residential area by the creek.

While this has not been documented in any plans, the desired outcome for Carnes Hill could be to develop a walkable precinct with efficient public transport connections to neighbouring precincts (Hoxton Park and Horningsea Park), local centres (Green Valley, Leppington and Casula) and a strategic centre (Liverpool). There is also potential to integrate the precinct with surrounding green spaces, some of which offer continuous walking and cycling paths for recreational purposes. In addition, the network can facilitate goods movements to the neighbouring Prestons industrial land without sacrificing people movements.

Figure 20 Carnes Hill context

Principles 2 and 3: Develop an urban structure that supports successful places and encourages walking, cycling, and public transport journeys, and co-locate key land uses

To meet the desired outcomes, priority walking and cycling corridors could be developed beyond recreational areas to enable walking and cycling for most trips, while also supporting longer precinct-to-precinct trips by public transport. Carnes Hill is currently served by main roads such as Cowpasture Road and Kurrajong Road but does not have a network of main streets with priority walking, cycling and public transport corridors that directly connect it to other precincts, separated from a high volume of freight and private vehicle movements. These main streets would form the urban structure for Carnes Hill.

Sarah Holland Drive, Margaret Dawson Drive, Wingham Road and William Buckley Drive could serve as the north–south main streets as they directly connect community space, open space, the commercial centre and two schools. They also connect the precinct with neighbouring precincts of Hoxton Park and Horningsea Park, which will encourage people travelling between these precincts to walk, cycle or take public transport. The Kurrajong Road section near Carnes Hill centre and Greenway Park could serve a similar main street function before turning into a main road function near Prestons industrial land.

As walking, cycling and public transport are prioritised on these main streets, more intense land uses could be clustered along them through infill redevelopment. The overall gross density could be increased to reach the recommended 30 dwellings/ha. The commercial centre could be reorientated on these corridors to activate the area, making walking, cycling and public transport the more convenient way to reach destinations for most trips. Some parking spaces could also be converted into public spaces to further reduce the demand for driving and enhance public amenity.

Figure 21 Potential urban structure for Carnes Hill

Principle 4: Create a permeable network with a grid-like structure, short block length and high intersection density

To complement the urban structure of Carnes Hill, the precinct’s transport network could be further refined to make it more permeable and connected.

For example, mid-block access and crossings can split blocks that are longer than 220m, such as at the Carnes Hill Marketplace. More streets (e.g. Graziers Way, Merchant Way, Pioneer Drive, Macksville Street, Landholder Road, etc.) should be connected to Kurrajong Road as it transitions into a main street with a lower speed limit, priority for walking, cycling and public transport and other amenities. This provides more access points to the precinct and increases intersection density.

The resulting grid-like network will make the precinct more permeable and legible, as well as better integrated into the wider transport network.

Figure 22 Potential options to make the Carnes Hill network more permeable

Principle 5: Enable connected, direct and comfortable walking and cycling movements

Walking and cycling should be prioritised on the desired main streets of Carnes Hill, supported by low-speed zones. Connections could be safely separated from conflicting uses and supported by adequate crossings. This will expand the existing shared paths on the green spaces to create a comfortable atmosphere, complete with amenities and appropriate facilities.

On local streets with limited space, the speed limit could be reduced to below 30km/h to make walking and cycling safer and more attractive options in this flat area. This reduces the need for dedicated walking and cycling facilities, although they are still the preferred solution where the space allows them.

Principle 6: Plan public transport infrastructure, services and technology concurrently

Public transport infrastructure could be provided on the main streets with higher frequency public transport services to other precincts and strategic centres.

A north–south bus service on Sarah Holland Drive and Margaret Dawson Drive can directly connect Carnes Hill centre with nearby precincts such as Hoxton Park (and the Miller T-way stop that further connects to Liverpool and Parramatta) and Horningsea Park. Integrated bus stops at the entrances of Carnes Hill Marketplace and Carnes Hill Community and Recreation Precinct will reduce people’s walk time and improve their experience. Some level of filtered permeability, such as a bus-only section, could be introduced to avoid private vehicle through-movements on the main street.

Similarly, the east–west bus service on Kurrajong Road can directly connect Carnes Hill with West Hoxton, Prestons and Casula. Carnes Hill residents can easily walk to Kurrajong Road as more access points become available on streets such as Graziers Way and Merchant Way. A lower speed limit on some sections of Kurrajong Road would provide a better environment for people walking, waiting for and taking the bus. Trafficable corridors in Carnes Hill are wide enough to support buses if the services need to be improved in the future.

Principle 7: Accommodate the movement of goods, freight and urban services based on the desired place outcomes

Freight and urban services movement should be encouraged on the main road and motorway network with separate access away from the main streets. They should also avoid sensitive land uses where possible.

In Carnes Hill, Cowpasture Road could continue to serve as a main road that connects freight from the wider motorway network via the M7 and Camden Valley Way. Loading facilities for Carnes Hill Marketplace and the schools should face Cowpasture Road for easy access.

The main road should avoid travelling through the residential precinct. On corridors where the freight task is minimal, or dedicated freight routes are nearby, the road environment should deter through-freight movement. For example, the section of Kurrajong Road that will become a main street could have limited access for large freight vehicles from Prestons. This will encourage smaller freight vehicles for last-mile freight tasks and direct large freight vehicles moving east–west to continue travelling on the M7 instead.

On-street loading zones are mostly sufficient due to the precinct’s low density; however, if the density increases in some areas, off-street loading zones should be considered to avoid conflict with people's movements.

Figure 23 Potential long-distance and last-mile freight routes for Carnes Hill

Principle 8: Design self-explaining street environments following the NSW Movement and Place Framework

As the movement and place functions for the corridors are identified, they need to be translated into self-explaining street environments that reinforce the desired users and behaviour for each corridor or corridor segment. The main streets in Carnes Hill may look different to main streets in older parts of Sydney; however, they should serve both the key users (people who walk, cycle and take public transport) as well as the key land uses in the precinct.

To encourage walking, cycling and public transport use, speed limits on the main streets of Sarah Holland Drive, Margaret Dawson Drive and Kurrajong Road will need to be reduced. The road space should be reallocated to provide a wider footpath, separated cycleway, bus priority infrastructure, and, if the space is available, a general traffic lane for those who are willing to drive slowly. This ensures people will be able to confidently choose the more efficient and sustainable modes over driving because they are faster, healthier, safer and more convenient for most trips. Other streetscaping elements such as tree canopy and outdoor dining spaces can reinforce the main streets’ role as public spaces.

If conflict is observed in some sections, the road user space needs should be considered following the order outlined in the TfNSW RUSA Policy.