Engagement on traffic in a festive setting  
The Princes Highway is a key national road asset that traverses the southeast coast of Australia and crosses the Shoalhaven River within the Nowra urban town centre. As significant congestion can be experienced along the highway and within Nowra and Bomaderry during peak periods and around holidays, Transport for NSW is currently investigating different possible initiatives to reduce congestion and support the growing community in the area.

To inform the ongoing investigation process arki_lab has facilitated engagement initiatives with the broader community of the Nowra-Bomaderry area to inform future actions for the Princes Highway and its surrounding local community. The engagement took place as a part of the Shoalhaven River Festival in a workshop format where the engagement tool arki_nopoly was used in a drop in version. Our arki_nopoly game is always unique and created for the specific projects and for this occasion it was developed with additional gamifying assets to accommodate the festive setting and the many different age groups represented. This broad segment within the community was through the game and alongside dialogue led through a selection of questions to inform us on their opinions including options for a bypass of Nowra and alternative road upgrades, as well as how these can be supported by improved access to public transport or active transport options such as cycleways.

The ongoing investigations will help identify options to ease traffic congestion, improve the liveability and access to employment in both Nowra-Bomaderry and the region of NSW, potentially helping small businesses, tourism, and local jobs.