Page 2231 - Week 06 - Wednesday, 22 June 2011
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In my view, the case has been well made for the Majura parkway. The principal concern I have is one of safety. I will quote from an article from the Sunday Canberra Times of 16 May 2010:
Every two months on average a crash on the Majura Road leaves someone injured, police figures show. Six crashes resulting in injury are reported on the road each year on average over the past five years, and ACT Policing reported three since the start of the year. The ACT Policing Head of Traffic Operations, Superintendant Mark Colbran, urged motorists to take extra care on the Majura Road given it lacked barriers.
And so on. And of course, the high amount of freight on that road is a significant concern. I will quote from the Majura parkway EIS report that makes out the case for the road as well:
The need for the Majura Parkway was first identified in 1970 as a key component of Canberra’s peripheral road system. The system is designed to provide efficient traffic movement between the town centres and other destinations, such as Queanbeyan and Canberra Airport, without impacting unduly upon residential areas. Traffic in the vicinity of Canberra Airport has increased considerably over the last few years with the continued growth in Gungahlin and increased employment at the airport.
Roads in this area play an important role in the ACT economy, the surrounding New South Wales region and nationally, given the importance of the Monaro Highway as a freight route connection to the Federal Highway.
The parkway will considerably improve the traffic flows on the road network in the area between Duntroon and Canberra Airport as at this location five major arterials converge. This affected area also extends north up to the Federal Highway as the proposed Majura parkway runs parallel to the west of the existing Majura Road.
And so on. So the case has been made, and I refer people to the EIS, which really extends the points made by Mr Coe and Dr Bourke about the need for this road, a need that has been established for a long time. In principle, it is about safety. It is about making sure that we have freight taken away from other arterials, including and probably most particularly Northbourne Avenue. It is about making sure that we have more traffic options and less congestion for Gungahlin residents. It is about making sure that people do not have to go through Canberra if they are intending to go on routes, for example, between Sydney and Melbourne.
A point of disagreement I have with Labor is whether Labor are doing enough. The motion from Dr Bourke talks about Labor’s commitment and determination. But whether they are committed or determined enough I suppose is a point for debate, but whether they have achieved an outcome is quite clear—they have not. They have failed. This is a little bit more of Labor’s grand agenda—Labor are doing this, Labor are going to do this, but the reality is they have not. They have failed dismally. They have failed to build the road and they have failed to secure any funding from the federal government.
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