Sturt Precinct Traffic Study

The Sturt Precinct is an area bounded by Diagonal Road, the Southern Expressway, Marion Road and Sturt Road. In early 2023 local residents raised concerns about congestion, access and difficulty with exiting the precinct during peak times. A community meeting was held in October 2023 with representatives from the Department for Infrastructure and Transport (The Department) and local community members to discuss safety and access concerns in the local area.

The Department has undertaken a traffic study for the Sturt Precinct area to better understand local community issues and concerns regarding safety and access. The study reviewed the existing conditions of the area, including collecting and evaluating data such as:

Traffic volumes, movements and vehicle delays;
Public transport use and routes;
Pedestrian and cycling movement surveys;
Vehicle crash analysis.

Community Engagement

Thank you to all community members who attended community drop-in sessions and provided feedback throughout our consultation in August and September 2024.

Traffic Study - Key findings

Traffic volumes on Sturt Road and Diagonal Road have only changed marginally over the past ten years, whilst Marion Road traffic volumes have increased by approximately 2.5% per year over this period.
Key generators of traffic activity in the study area include:
- The North South Corridor (Southern Expressway), with Marion Road providing a key access to and from the Corridor.
- Marion Shopping Centre and nearby facilities which serve as a regional hub.
- The Marion Centre Bus Interchange (located at the Marion Shopping Centre).
- Flinders University and Flinders Medical Centre.
- Various primary and secondary schools in the area.
The Study area has a high level of access to sustainable transport facilities, including public transport (bus and rail) as well as off-road walking trails and on and off-road cycling facilities.
Analysis of the traffic survey data identified there are periods of delay for drivers turning right out from side roads, particularly along Sturt Road during peak periods. These delays observed generally do not exceed an average of two minutes. It is noted that delays experienced by traffic accessing the side roads during the peak hour periods are not unusual on the arterial network. For example, during peak periods a vehicle can wait two to three traffic signal cycles to get through an intersection which equates to about five to six minutes of delay.
During peak periods, queuing of northbound traffic on Marion Road, south of Sturt Road, and queuing on Sturt Road in both directions, between Diagonal Road and Marion Road, can result in vehicles queuing through and blocking the local road junctions.
Queuing along Marion Road and Sturt Road is observed to influence the operation at the minor road junctions, particularly if traffic queues through a junction prevent vehicles from entering during peak periods.
The operation and congestion at these major intersections (Marion Road and Sturt Road as well as Sturt Road and Diagonal Road) needs to be considered in the context of broader network operations and travel demands. As such, the Study does not investigate these specific intersections.

Further information

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