There is no denying that Spit Junction is a major and important traffic junction connecting the Lower North Shore with the Northern Beaches and providing access to one of Sydney’s most iconic destinations – Taronga Zoo.
The dominance of the major road network is both an opportunity and a threat to revitalising the Junction. Ideas to build a tunnel or a bypass to divert traffic from street level are not realistic and unfeasible as without hundreds of millions of dollars in funding they could not be realised. As such, the master plan has to plan around the traffic.
In some senses the high volume of traffic driving through the area and passing all the shop fronts, is a real opportunity to attract more people to stop and shop or visit. If trouble-free parking options can be provided to make it easy for motorists to stop then they may be attracted to the idea of shopping or dining in the Junction.
There are also real opportunities to reduce the dominance of cars on the amenity of the area and make it a more accessible and pleasant place for pedestrians and cyclists. The existing laneways provide the opportunity to focus activity away from the traffic noise and create spaces that are more people focused rather than vehicle focused.
How could the pedestrian environment be improved along Military and Spit Roads? (e.g. landscaping, street furniture, public art etc)
Should the master plan look at sites to possibly provide additional public parking spaces within the Junction? If more parking was provided, which sites would provide easily accessible parking to encourage passing motorists to stop? Would more bicycle parking be a viable alternative to more car parking?
