Page 3569 - Week 08 - Wednesday, 18 August 2010
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have been identified in the draft report to date. The works on the Bunda Street verges and road pavements have been identified for a number of years as important safety upgrades to the deteriorating pavement.
The Cardno pedestrian and cycling infrastructure plan being prepared by Territory and Municipal Services is new on the scene, still to be finalised, and its recommendations, if accepted, would render little of the current work being undertaken unnecessary. The suggestion that a Cardno proposal would make the road pavement rehabilitation work “largely” redundant has no basis in fact. The facts are that the road pavement width on London Circuit or Northbourne Avenue is not going to be reduced in the foreseeable future and none of the recent pavement works will be redundant.
Should these roads end up being widened to accommodate, for example, a cycle lane or a bus lane, then some of the associated kerbing and guttering would be replaced. This replacement would be at a small cost in comparison to the very large costs associated with any widening of the roads.
On Northbourne Avenue, in some locations several layers of asphalt have been laid in previous years and it was not possible to place another layer without compromising the drainage. In these locations the kerb and gutter were reconstructed at a higher level. This meant that the existing pavement could be retained, so minimising the use of scarce quarry products and reducing the energy required for this work.
On London Circuit the pavement was reused by using a new treatment called in situ foam stabilisation. In some locations several layers of asphalt had been laid previously and it was not possible to place another layer without compromising the drainage. In these locations the kerb and gutter were reconstructed at a higher level. These techniques also minimise the use of scarce quarry products and minimise energy usage for the works.
I accept that roadworks can disrupt all road users, including walkers and cyclists. However, every effort is made by the department to limit this by including specific requirements in the traffic management plans, consulting with groups such as Pedal Power about alternative arrangements, and having work undertaken at night time or at the weekend.
The recent works in the city are a good example where a considerable proportion of the work was undertaken at night time and over the weekend. Residents and businesses were consulted and this major work was completed in a three-month time frame. Working in the city is never easy but the work still got completed on time.
Given the scale of the capital works program in 2009-10, improvements have been implemented in the coordination of roadworks being undertaken not only by the ACT government but also by the National Capital Authority on behalf of the commonwealth government.
The department has spent $20,000 providing information to make travel easier for road users while roadworks occur, and this has included information on local radio and in print media, as well as improving the information on the departmental website covering major roadworks.
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