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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 1 Hansard (19 February) . . Page.. 216 ..

MRS CROSS (continuing):

Mr Speaker, one of more outstanding characteristics of Canberra is its planning process. We need only to look at the inner city urban sprawl of other Australian cities to see how our special and unique history of planning has given us the wonderful city in which we now live. Through my work on the Planning and Environment Committee and other planning issues in which I have been involved in the past, I think I understand a little bit what may have precipitated what appears to be a clumsy move by the Planning Minister.

Perhaps a quick recap of the chronology of the pedestrian precinct town square for Gungahlin would be appropriate at this time. Late in 2001, the Flemington Road extension opened through to Hibberson Street, resulting in through traffic to and from Mitchell. It is estimated that there are 5,500 traffic movements every day. The community was immediately concerned about the volume of traffic and heavy vehicles going through the town centre.

Early in 2002, speed limits were reduced to 40 kilometres per hour along Hibberson Street in an attempt to alleviate traffic problems. In March 2002, the then Gungahlin Equality Party publicly announced the Gungahlin Development Authority's draft plans to redirect Anthony Rolfe Avenue into Hibberson Street. Mr Speaker, allow me to read this excerpt from the GEP's media release of 27 March last year:

In draft plans (publicly available on their web site) the Gungahlin Development Authority are advocating that Anthony Rolfe Avenue should be redirected from its current proposed alignment to funnel yet more traffic from Wirrabei and Gundaroo Drives straight through to Hibberson Street. Their stated rationale is that doing so is required to "derive as much energy as possible to support the Main Street".

Unfortunately it appears that the traffic figures used to support their case may be severely under-estimated. It is stated that at full development, Hibberson Street will only carry a maximum of 10,000 vehicles, and yet shortly after the Flemington Road Extension was opened late last year there were already 5,500 traffic movements with only 20 per cent of the Gungahlin region development complete.

The release continued.

The Flemington Road Extension was yet another example of a planning issue that (intentionally or not) occurred by stealth, with minimal community consultation, and little regard for the ultimate consequences. On the Territory Plan, the Flemington Road Extension should have connected with The Valley Avenue. Instead, we see this road connect with Hibberson Street, running directly in front of the Gungahlin Marketplace. Even with the 40 km/h zone in front of the marketplace, cars and heavy vehicles can often be seen speeding down Hibberson Street, or, taking the "shortcut' around the back past the Library and the Gungahlin Resources Centre. At peak times, traffic is backed up considerable distances.

Mr Speaker, due to intense media attention, plans for this redirection were scrapped by the GDA. Following this, heavy vehicles over six tonnes were prohibited from using the Flemington Road extension in yet another attempt to alleviate traffic problems.

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