Services
Transport and traffic
Traffic impact assessments, parking and swept path analysis, and access layouts that get planning permits through council.
What Method delivers
The traffic case the permit depends on
Method prepares traffic impact assessments, car parking assessments and swept path analysis for planning permits and development applications across Australia. Every state sets its own parking rates and traffic report requirements, so each assessment is written to the controls the council will test it against: Clause 52.06 of the planning scheme in Victoria, the local planning scheme and its transport, access, parking and servicing code in Queensland, the council DCP in New South Wales, or the Planning and Design Code in South Australia. The access and intersection layout is coordinated with the civil design so nothing has to be redrawn later, and for the construction phase the construction traffic management plan covers haul routes, site access and pedestrian protection.
- Traffic impact assessments
- Transport planning
- Car parking and swept path analysis
- Access and intersection layouts
- Construction traffic management plans
Client questions
What clients ask first
Do I need a traffic impact assessment for a townhouse or apartment development?
Often, yes. The type of report depends on the size of the development and on your council. A small townhouse development usually needs only a traffic and parking assessment. A larger apartment building, or a site on a main road or with tight access, generally needs a full traffic impact assessment (TIA).
A TIA estimates the traffic the development will generate and checks parking supply against the planning controls. It also assesses vehicle access, sight distance, car park layout, swept paths and the effect on the surrounding road network. Requirements vary between Australian states, territories and councils, so confirm the scope against the local planning scheme or development control plan before lodging.
How do you justify a car parking reduction?
Each state sets minimum parking rates: Clause 52.06 in Victoria, council DCPs in NSW, the Planning and Design Code in South Australia, and local planning schemes in Queensland and Western Australia. Providing fewer spaces than the rate requires needs a car parking demand assessment showing that real demand at the site is lower.
The assessment covers:
- likely demand for the use and location
- access to public transport, walking and cycling
- on-street parking supply and occupancy, measured by a parking survey
- shared use between tenancies at different times
It must also show that the shortfall won’t push parking onto surrounding streets. Councils accept well-evidenced reductions in activity centres and near train stations more readily than in suburban streets.
What design vehicle should swept path analysis use?
Use the largest vehicle that will use the site regularly, then check the largest that will visit occasionally.
For residential car parks, AS/NZS 2890.1 sets the design cars. The B85 is used for manoeuvring into parking spaces. The B99 is used for driveways, ramps and circulation aisles. Where bins are collected on site, the council’s waste collection vehicle is checked as well.
For commercial and industrial sites, the design vehicle is the delivery truck the operator expects. That is usually a medium or heavy rigid vehicle, and sometimes an articulated vehicle, checked using AS 2890.2 and Austroads templates.
Got a traffic or parking condition you are not sure about? Send it over. Method will tell you what the council is actually asking for and what it would take, no obligation.
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