Built, not filed
Every project here started the same way: a council with a problem and a budget that didn’t match the textbook answer. This is what we did about each one, and what happened next.
A life lost, and a roundabout nobody could afford
Ninth Street and Pine Avenue, Mildura (2013)
In 2012 a crash between a car and a mobility scooter at this stop-sign crossroad in Mildura’s CBD cost a life. A conventional roundabout meant moving kerbs, relocating services and closing the road for weeks, at a price the budget would never reach.
We asked what would slow vehicles down fastest and most affordably, then built it: the first Low-Cost Implanted Compact Roundabout, fixed into the existing intersection over two nights. No kerbs moved. No services relocated.
$56,000. Benefit-cost ratio of 34:1. No fatal or serious injury crashes since 2013.
The same risk, on a bus route that couldn’t close
Eighth Street and Pine Avenue, Mildura (2017)
A second CBD intersection with the same risk, and buses that had to keep running. We used what the first roundabout taught us: a concrete centre island poured in place, speed cushions across the full lane width and no kerb changes. Built in five days under traffic.
$37,500. 99.97% of vehicles enter below 30 km/h, measured on site. No crashes of any kind since 2017.
This work received the 2020 Australasian College of Road Safety 3M Diamond Road Safety Award. VicRoads, WALGA, Main Roads, CASR, RAA, NZTA and the Victorian Local Government Road Safety Network have all requested the design.
A busy township, tight sites and a tight budget
Port Noarlunga, City of Onkaparinga, SA (2024)
The City of Onkaparinga needed treatments for a busy township that were affordable as well as effective, on sites with little room to work in. Chris’s concept designs use compact roundabouts to create a Safe System environment, and add parking, tree canopy and open space.
Delivered on time and within budget. Now guiding a suite of works across the township.
“We were impressed with the quality of work provided by Chris and the team that was delivered on time and within budget. The concept designs were also received favourably by our local ward elected members, and they are now being used to further our planning for a suite of works to improve the Port Noarlunga township for pedestrians, cyclists and the traffic moving through this area.”
Brett Williams, Senior Traffic and Transport Coordinator, City of Onkaparinga
A school precinct, and a design council could fund
Bayview Street, Williamstown, Hobsons Bay City Council (2023)
Hobsons Bay had safety concerns for children and families around the school precinct on Bayview Street. We delivered a safety improvement design and a cost estimate set out so council could see what each element costs.
A design and an estimate ready for budget approval.
“The design not only addressed the key safety concerns but also incorporated innovative solutions to enhance pedestrian and vehicular safety in the area. The cost estimate was comprehensive and well-structured, ensuring transparency and alignment with our budgetary goals.”
Sujan Batakari, Team Leader, Civil Design, Hobsons Bay City Council
A fast-growing town with no transport plan
Ballan Integrated Transport Strategy, Moorabool Shire Council (2026)
Ballan was growing quickly with nothing tying its roads, walking, cycling, public transport and rail crossings together. We wrote the township’s first Integrated Transport Strategy, covering all of them along with climate and funding.
Adopted by Council in 2026.
A speed limit change, backed by the data
Mildura Speed Management Plan (co-author)
Safety data was collected on every sealed road in Mildura, added to a road condition survey already underway for an extra $30,000. ANRAM and AusRAP analysis of that data projected a 34% fall in fatalities.
40 km/h on every residential street in Mildura. Best presentation, 2018 Australasian Road Safety Conference.
What was stopping councils building Safe System treatments
All 79 Victorian councils, Transport Accident Commission (2018 to 2019)
The TAC needed to know what was stopping councils from delivering Safe System treatments. As TAC LGA Safe System Lead, Chris visited every one of Victoria’s 79 councils in person.
The report informed the Safe Local Roads and Streets Program: $210 million from the Victorian Government and TAC, with up to $2 million for every council.
Also
Mildura Road Safety Strategic Plan, Safe Routes to School and traffic impact assessments for Mildura Rural City Council.