Local Area Traffic Management and Liveability Project – Koolinda Crescent, Karama

City of Darwin wishes to advise that we will be upgrading Koolinda Crescent, Karama and its surrounding area. The objective of the upgrade is to enhance road safety for all road users and improve the liveability of the area. We would also like to invite the community to co-design the improvements.

To reduce vehicle speeds and safety along Koolinda Crescent, the project proposes:

• Painting parking lanes along Koolinda Crescent
• Three pedestrian refuges located near the Karama Shopping Centre site, Robyn Lesley Park, and the Koolinda Crescent/Mueller Street intersection
• Reconstruction of the children’s crossing and footpath
• Widening the road intersection at Koolinda crescent/ Kalymnos Drive

Further to our previous correspondence, we are pleased to advise that we have finalised the design for our road safety and liveability projects for Koolinda Crescent, which has been informed by our engagement process that ran from November 2025 to February 2026.

The engagement process included letter drops to nearby residents, social media campaigns, website updates, a kid’s art competition, and direct engagement with local schools, encouraging people to participate via the Liveability Platform’s Neighbourhood Streets and Places Tool.

Through this tool, community members assessed Koolinda Crescent in their current state and shared ideas to help make the area more liveable.

What the community told us:

Feedback highlighted strong community support for improvements that sit within City of Darwin’s realm of responsibilities. In particular, residents called for:

• More public art and activation, helping to bring colour, creativity and community pride to local streets.
• Improved accessibility, including better footpaths, ramps and pedestrian crossing facilities.
• Upgraded Park amenities, such as additional shade, seating, water bubblers, exercise equipment and fenced playgrounds.
• Better cleanliness and maintenance of public spaces.
• Increased shade and tree planting to improve comfort and reduce heat.

These themes have been instrumental in guiding the next steps for both projects.

What’s happening next: 

Work on the Koolinda Crescent projects is progressing, with several key milestones ahead:

• Construction of traffic calming works to commence in May 2026. 
• Works along Chambers Crescent include painted parking lanes, two speed humps in the vicinity of the Chambers Crescent and Kapool Crescent intersections and two new pedestrian refuges near the Malak Shopping Centre site and the Holzerland Green Belt.
• Works along Koolinda Crescent include painted parking lanes, three new pedestrian refuges located near the Karama Shopping Centre site, Robyn Lesley Park, and the Koolinda Crescent/Mueller Street intersection, reconstruction of the children’s crossing and footpath adjacent Karama Primary School and the widening of the intersection at Koolinda Crescent/ Kalymnos Drive.
• Works will be undertaken between 7:00 am and 5:00 pm and each site is expected to take approximately five weeks to complete. Construction machinery will be in operation, and some noise should be anticipated during this period. Traffic control measures will be in place, please adhere to all signage and traffic directions where required.

Digitisation of the 10 winning artworks is underway, with vinyl wrapping of selected street infrastructure expected to commence in June 2026.

A community tree‑planting day is being planned for the Holzerland Greenbelt, with new trees also being planted in Robyn Lesley Park, and ideally also along Chambers Crescent and Koolinda Crescent, where feasible.

In response to strong interest in public art, City of Darwin staff have met with representatives from the Darwin Street Art Festival to explore opportunities to include these areas in future festival programs. We have also encouraged private building owners in the area to consider doing the same.

In response to concerns related to antisocial behaviour in both areas, City of Darwin has reached out to the Northern Territory Police and Larrakia Nation, bringing these matters to their attention and offering to work collaboratively to explore opportunities to address these concerns.

City of Darwin thanks all community members who took the time to provide feedback or submit artwork. Their input is helping shape safer, greener and more vibrant streets for everyone in the neighbourhood.

This project aligns with City of Darwin’s Place and Liveability Plan, Economic Development Strategy, Movement Strategy, Greening Darwin Strategy, and Climate Emergency Strategy.

darwin@darwin.nt.gov.au  

Responsible Officer: Don Chatura, Senior Design Officer