Page 3603 - Week 12 - Thursday, 20 September 1990
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6
Recommendation 15.
Before any work is commenced on the upgrading of Athllon Drive the following takes place:
a further study of current traffic travel figures be completed;
the results of the traffic travel survey be used in a review of the two options for the upgrading of Athllon Drive from Sulwood Drive to Beasley Street (either construction of bus-only lanes or dual carriageway) to confirm which option should be proceeded with; and
justification be given as to why only section of the staging strategy recommended by the Denis Johnston and Associates 1989 report on the upgrading of Athllon Drive are included in this capital works proposal.
Government Response:
Athllon Drive was constructed in the late 1970s as a relatively low cost two lane road, designed to provide a temporary connection between the developing suburbs of Kambah and Wanniassa, and their places of employment and shopping.
The road was constructed along a corridor reserved for the future express intertown public transport system.
As Tuggeranong developed, the arterial road system was completed in order to provide high quality access out from the Tuggeranong Valley. These roads included, firstly, the completion of the Tuggeranong Parkway, followed by the extension of Yamba Drive south to Erindale Drive (this road has recently been upgraded further to provide a divided carriageway north from Sulwood Drive); and supplemented by the ongoing construction of the Eastern Parkway, designed to carry traffic from Tuggeranong towards City, North Canberra, Fyshwick and Queanbeyan. The development of the Eastern Parkway resulted from an extensive Environmental Impact Statement in 1986, with broad community consultation. This Statement canvassed a range of road alternatives, including the upgrading of Athllon Drive. The recommendation not to upgrade Athllon Drive for general traffic was accepted at that time.
Following the completion of much of the Tuggeranong Town Centre and the extension of Athllon Drive to connect into the Town Centre, the ACT Government commenced work to provide an express bus service between Tuggeranong and the towns to the north. The upgrading of public transport services is consistent with the ACT Governments policies relating to favouring public transport. Because of traffic congestion on Athllon Drive, which is the preferred route for this express service, buses were forced to detour via the Tuggeranong Parkway, resulting in longer journeys, which are less attractive to bus travellers and more costly for
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