Frequently asked questions about driveways, parking and traffic.
A Driveway and Gutter Crossing Application form must be completed and approved prior to any works being undertaken on a driveway.
There is a $50 fee associated with this application.
The driveway criteria are as follows (unless approved otherwise):
- Driveway width should not exceed 4.5 m across the council verge and 5.5 m at the kerb.
(This is for all single dwelling properties. Having a Double Garage doesn’t mean a resident will get approval for a wider driveway).
- A Shared Driveway width should not exceed 6 m across the council verge and 7 m at the kerb. (Shared Driveway means two or more properties using the same driveway).
- Driveway MINIMUM width is 3 m (we may consider less in some special circumstances)
- Driveway must be at least 1.5 m from face of any Council Street Trees.
- Driveway must be at least 1 m from face of any Stobie Pole.
- Driveway must be at least 10 m from an intersection.
- The resident is responsible for the full cost of the modification, tree removal/replacement and installation/maintenance of their driveway.
- If the property already has a driveway that is being made redundant, then it must be reinstated to match the kerb at the resident’s expense (unless the property qualifies for a second driveway – see 4. Can I add a second driveway to my property? )
- Residents may organise their own contractor/builder to undertake the works.
- Council can only quote on Asphalt and Block Paved driveways.
- Specifications, Conditions and Drawings are available as part of the driveway application form.
A Driveway and Gutter Crossing Application form must be completed and approved prior to any works being undertaken on a driveway.
There is a $50 fee associated with this application.
The driveway criteria are as follows (unless approved otherwise):
- Driveway width should not exceed 4.5 m across the council verge and 5.5 m at the kerb.
(This is for all single dwelling properties. Having a Double Garage doesn’t mean a resident will get approval for a wider driveway).
- A Shared Driveway width should not exceed 6m across the council verge and 7 m at the kerb. (Shared Driveway means two or more properties using the same driveway).
- Driveway MINIMUM width is 3 m (we may consider less in some special circumstances)
- Driveway must be at least 1.5 m from face of any Council street trees.
- Driveway must be at least 1 m from face of any Stobie Pole.
- Driveway must be at least 10 m from an intersection.
- The resident is responsible for the full cost of the modification, tree removal/replacement and installation/maintenance of their driveway.
- Residents may organise their own contractor/builder to undertake the works.
- Council can only quote on asphalt and block paved driveways.
- Specifications, Conditions and Drawings are available as part of the driveway application form.
A Driveway and Gutter Grossing Application form must be completed and approved prior to any works being undertaken on a driveway.
Multiple driveways are generally discouraged, however, they may be considered in the following circumstances:
- On properties with a frontage greater than 30 metres.
- On corner properties (one access per street frontage).
- On arterial roads where the second driveway will allow vehicles to enter and exit the property in a forward direction, if this cannot be practically achieved by other means (eg it is not practical to have a turning area on-site).
- The second or additional driveway does not conflict with Local or State Heritage requirements and Development Plan.
Modifying the material of a driveway (ie from Asphalt to Concrete) does not require Section 221 approval from Council as long as it is not in an heritage zone or any widening is to occur. If widening is to occur see 2. What are the criteria for widening an existing Driveway?
Modification of a driveway within your own property boundary does not require Section 221 approval from Council.
Driveway and Gutter Crossing Application
Council does not ban parking opposite a resident’s driveway unless there are exceptional circumstances (eg a very narrow street, driveway hard against a stobie pole, etc.) as this practice is unsustainable and would result in a significant loss of on-street parking around Burnside if widely adopted.
Exceptions to this rule are very narrow streets, less than 5.8 m wide, and where access cannot be improved by other means (driveway widening or No Stopping lines adjacent to driveway).
The installation of yellow lines next to a resident’s driveway will only be considered when one of the following criteria exist:
- a demonstrated high parking demand exists;
- investigation shows vehicles frequently park immediately abutting or across part of a driveway; or
- other vehicles are impeding resident access into their property or creating sight line hazards.
Yellow lines next to a driveway will generally not be considered under the following circumstances:
- Resident lives on a wide street (eg 8 m wide street).
- Resident already has a wide driveway (eg 4.5 m wide).
- Resident’s driveway is adjacent (shared driveways) or opposite to another property’s driveway.
Even though a neighbour may have yellow lines alongside their driveway, it doesn’t necessarily mean a resident will have their request for yellow lines approved. The Traffic Engineers will review all yellow line marking when they are up for renewal.
Although yellow lines may be considered, No Parking signs will not be installed for residential driveways.
If you are having issues with vehicles parking across your driveway entrance and they are restricting access to your driveway, please don’t hesitate to contact Council Inspectors on 8366 4200 at any time who can be sent to enforce the relevant Australian Road Rules.
No, Council does not support the banning of parking for the purposes of providing room for bins. It is suggested that if vehicles are constantly parking in front of your bins, that you place them within your driveway opening as this is a natural no parking area and will ensure that your bins are picked up.
No, you must not park your vehicle on or across a driveway (even partially). Even if this driveway is to your own property.
You are allowed to stop across a driveway only if you are dropping off, or picking up passengers and do not leave the vehicle unattended and complete the dropping off, or picking up within 2 minutes of stopping.
No, for the safety of, and as a courtesy to, pedestrians, and for the better maintenance of your environment, you must not park (even partially) on footpaths or the nature strip.
Expiation notices will be given to vehicles that park on the Council verge.
Narrow roads are a frequent occurrence within the City of Burnside, with approximately 30 per cent of Councils roads considered narrow, which can cause parking issues when vehicles park opposite each other.
When vehicles park opposite each other on narrow roads, the remaining width is typically insufficient for many cars and may not allow access for larger vehicles including Emergency Service vehicles such as fire trucks and ambulances as well as waste collection trucks.
When parking on a narrow road, you must position your vehicle so that there is at least 3 metres of the road alongside your vehicle enabling other vehicles to pass. You must also position your vehicle so your vehicle does not unreasonably obstruct the path of other vehicles or pedestrians.
Expiation notices may be given to vehicles that park to close to another vehicle.
You must not stop within 10 metres from the nearest point of an intersecting road or at an intersection without traffic lights, unless parking is permitted by a traffic control sign.
This also includes laneways, which are classed as a road in the Australian Road Rules.
Expiation notices will be given to vehicles that park too close to an intersection.
No Stopping
To 'stop' a vehicle means to stop and remain stationary for even a short period of time. You must not stop or park your vehicle in any area where a 'No Stopping' sign or a continuous yellow edge line applies, even to pick up or set down passengers or goods.
No Parking
You must not park your vehicle in an area where a 'No Parking' sign applies, unless:
- you are dropping off or picking up passengers or goods; and
- you do not leave the vehicle unattended - that is, move more than 3 metres away; and
- you complete the dropping off or picking up as soon as possible - in any case, within two minutes.
A GIVE WAY sign and a STOP Sign fundamentally act the same way in that a vehicle that approaches an intersection with either a GIVE WAY sign or STOP sign must give way to other vehicles.
STOP signs will only be used if there is poor sight distance at the intersection in accordance with the requirements set out in Australian Standards.
Generally, the non-compliance of the GIVE WAY signs is due to driver complacency or being unable to see the signage as they approach the intersection. Therefore, replacing a GIVE WAY sign with a STOP sign may yield minimal benefit in the resolution of the issue.
If an intersection has a higher occurrence of crashes, Council will inspect the intersection to see if the signage is clear enough. To make an intersection clearer, Council may prune overhanging trees or install pavement median bars (yellow humps/rumble bars) to help increase the visual cues of the approaching intersection. This treatment has proved successful at many locations.
The use of STOP signs where poor sight distance is not a factor can lead to driver disobedience, and lack of credibility of STOP signs. For these reasons no crash warrants the use of STOP signs.
Example of Pavement Median Bar treatment
T-intersections act in the same way as a GIVE WAY sign as per the Australian Road Rules and therefore are not required to have signage installed if the intersection operates satisfactorily.
No. The Australian Road Rules - REG 199 advise that a driver must not park within three (3) metres of a public postbox.
Stopping is permitted near a postbox if you are dropping off, or picking up, passengers or mail; or if the driver is permitted to stop under the Australian Road Rules.
No. The Australian Road Rules - REG 194 advise that a driver must not stop within one (1) metre of a fire hydrant, fire hydrant indicator or a fire plug indicator.
The exceptions are if you are the driver of a public bus and you stop at a bus stop or in a bus zone (not leaving the bus unattended); or if you are driving a taxi and you stop at a taxi zone and do not leave the taxi unattended; or if you are driving a public minibus and you stop in a minibus zone and do not leave the minibus unattended.
Arterial (Major) roads are owned and Control by the Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure (DPTI). Please see list below for which roads are owned by the DPTI.
Council has very limited control or influence on DPTI owned roads.
If your request is in relation to one of the following, please contact Council:
- Parking Issues (excluding bike lane and clearway related)
- Any works on the Footpath or up to the roadside Kerb.
If, however your request is in regards to one of the following on a DPTI owned road please direct your enquiry to DPTI on 08 8343 2222 or dpti.enquiriesadministrator@sa.gov.au
- Road Closures
- Clearways
- Bike Lanes
- Traffic Lights/Signal Faults
- Roundabouts (Glynburn/Greenhill, Penfold/Kensington & Penfold/Parade intersections)
- Keep Clear road markings
- U-Turn Bans and No Right Turn Bans
The following list of Major Roads are all the DPTI owned and controlled:
- Fullarton Road
- Greenhill Road
- Glen Osmond Road
- Glynburn Road (North of Waterfall Terrce)
- Kensington Road (West of Penfold Road)
- Magill Road
- Mt Barker Road / South Eastern Freeway
- Old Norton Summit Road
- Penfold Road (North of Kensington Road)
- Portrush Road
- Waterfall Terrace (Glynburn to Waterfall Gully Road)
- Waterfall Gully Road
The following list of Major Roads come under Council’s control:
- Glynburn Road (South of Waterfall Terrace)
- Kensington Road (East of Penfold Road)
- Penfold Road (South of Kensington Road)
- The Parade
To determine if parking restrictions are required, Traffic Engineers will undertake parking surveys of the street over a period of 2 to 3 weeks to determine if there is a high demand for parking.
High-demand parking areas are considered to be around Shopping Centres, schools and business areas.
Please note that high-demand parking that only occurs for only half a day a week (ie Sunday Morning around a church or Saturday afternoon next to a sports field) is generally not considered to be a high-demand parking area.
If it is deemed by Council that the street is a high-demand parking area and that parking restrictions may be necessary, Council will send out a letter to all residents on the street proposing parking restrictions and a questionnaire for them to complete and return.
To proceed with formal parking restrictions, Council requires a 33 per cent response rate and for 66 per cent of the respondents to be in favour.
Please note that there is a lengthy process (approximately 3 months) with all parking related requests, due to the need to sufficiently investigate the parking demand, consult with all affected residents, order the new signage and then to install the signage.
The Australian Road Rules state that a 3 m space must be provided in between two vehicles that are parked opposite each other. As shown in the pictures below.
This means that on any street that is less than 7 m wide, two vehicles cannot legally park opposite each other.
Narrow streets are a frequent occurrence within the City of Burnside, with approximately 30 per cent of Councils roads considered narrow. Owing to this fact, Council will aim to find alternatives to a complete parking ban of parking on one side of the road, so as not to set an unmanageable precedent.
When a request for banning parking on a narrow street is received by Council, the process and order that Council follows for narrow-street parking issues is listed below:
- Rangers will send out a letter to all residents on the street informing them that the street is too narrow to park opposite each other.
- Traffic Engineers will monitor the situation for a couple of months to see if parking issues continue or are resolved.
- If parking issues continue, Council will investigate whether or not parking restrictions are required on the street.
- Council will send out a letter to all residents on the street proposing parking restrictions and a questionnaire for them to complete and return.
- To proceed with the formal parking restrictions, Council requires a 33 per cent response rate and for 66 per cent of the respondents to be in favour.
Through past experience, Council finds that after sending the original letter, residents tend to take more consideration to where they park their vehicles.
Yes, Council supports the closure of local streets for conducting Street Parties or similar events, subject to the activity not causing an unsafe situation or an unreasonable negative impact upon road traffic amenity. A fee is applicable based upon an administrative charge set through the Council’s Annual Fees & Charges.
Council requires at least 4 weeks’ notice so that we can formally notify Emergency services of the street closure and so the event (road closure) can be published The Messenger.
Councils asks that the applicant notifies all the affected residents of the street closure.
Application to Temporarily Close a Street for a Special Event
A roadside mirror may be approved by Council if it is deemed necessary and it will not present a hazard to the resident or the general public. The cost of the mirror including installation, repair, and replacement costs will be passed on to the resident.
The installation of roadside mirrors is generally discouraged throughout the Council area as they depict a distorted image that may not accurately indicate the presence, distance or speed of approaching traffic or other road users and therefore safety at the site may be compromised rather than improved.
Council has little to no control over speeding vehicles as it comes down to driver behaviour and is a matter for SA Police to enforce speed limits. SA Police can be contacted on 131 444.
Please note that all Fire Hydrants are SA Water’s responsibility, which includes maintaining the yellow line marking and the blue ‘cat eyes’. SA Water can be contacted on 1300 883 121.
The Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure (DPTI) has complete control over speed limits within South Australia, including all local streets within the City of Burnside.
Council can propose changes to DPTI, but it is at the discretion of that Department to implement the changes.
DPTI can contacted on 08 8343 2222 or dpti.enquiriesadministrator@sa.gov.au.
Please note that DPTI generally only reduce speed limits in areas of high density pedestrian traffic (ie Jetty Road, Glenelg or Prospect Road, North Adelaide).
Reducing the speed limit to 40 km/hr on a single street would almost certainly not be approved by DPTI. A change to a 40 km/h speed limit must be implemented on area-wide basis (natural precinct) and all residents must be consulted with at least a 33 per cent response rate and 66 per cent of these respondents being in support of the changes. It will then be referred to the Minister of Transport.
You may notice that there are a few 40 km speed limit signs on single streets around the City of Burnside (ie Sydney Street near the Burnside Village and Grant Avenue near Rose Park Primary School) but please note that these speed limits have only been installed due to the raised Wombat Pedestrian Crossings, which is a DPTI requirement.
Council will undertake an investigation into traffic volumes and vehicles speeds along the street to see if any additional signs or traffic calming devices (ie speed humps) are necessary in order to improve traffic safety in the area.
For any requests relating to speeding vehicles or high-traffic volumes, Council will investigate as per the following.
Traffic Volumes
Council Roads are broken into a Road Hierarchy: Arterial Roads, Sub Arterial Roads, Primary Collector Roads, Secondary Collector Roads and Local Roads. Each road category has a suggested traffic volume as shown below;
| Road Type |
Traffic Volume |
Example |
| Arterial Road |
Unlimited |
Portrush Rd |
| Sub Arterial Road |
>6000 vpd* |
The Parade |
| Primary Collector Road |
3000-6000 vpd |
Conyngham St |
| Secondary Collector Road |
3000-6000 vpd |
Cooper Place |
| Local Roads |
1500 vpd |
Fisher St |
* vpd = vehicles per day
Council will compare the street’s traffic volume to its suggested limit to determine what actions (if any) need to be undertaken.
Vehicle Speeds
In order to evaluate speeding issues along any of Council’s roads, Council uses the 85th percentile speed (which is the speed at or below which 85 per cent of drivers travel) to determine what actions (if any) needs to be undertaken.
If it is concluded that the street has a higher traffic volume and/or a high 85th percentile speed, Council may deem that traffic calming devices are necessary.
Council will send out a letter to all residents on the street proposing parking restrictions and a questionnaire for them to complete and return.
To proceed with formal parking restrictions, Council requires a 33 per cent response rate and for 66 per cent of the respondents to be in favour.
Please note that due to the high cost of installing traffic calming devices, a budgetary allocation may need to be secured, which may mean that the installation cannot occur until the following Financial Year.
Council has a policy to progressively upgrade all asphalt footpaths with block paved footpaths. This forms part of a long term plan to occur over coming years.
Council aims to provide footpaths on both sides of major (arterial) roads and on, at least, one side of all other roads (where practicable).
Footpath renewals are considered based on the condition rating of the existing path and the road hierarchy, so that preference is given to highest risk areas.
Capital Works Projects
Road renewals are planned based on the road’s condition rating and the road hierarchy, so that preference is given to highest risk streets.
Capital Works Projects