Page 696 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 22 February 2012
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
It is not the only road in Canberra that suffers from endemic traffic congestion. Recently a constituent raised with me that it took 15 minutes from Commonwealth Avenue flyover on Parkes Way to Duntroon en route to the airport. This four kilometres of road took an economy-damaging 15 minutes, so it was no shock to me that the same bit of road appeared in the Chronicle today.
This is exactly the point. The Labor and the Greens on the other side will jump to their feet and slam the Canberra Liberals for being wedded to the car. But we use our roads in Canberra because this government is unable to ensure a reliable public transport system. Our economy therefore is built around roads. This government fails to help the local economy out by ensuring that the roads make it easier for people to deliver goods, for plumbers, brickies and other service people to reach their destinations, and for lawyers, doctors and even ambulances to make call-outs in a timely fashion.
The flaws with William Hovell Drive are not to blame for all the traffic problems in Canberra, but they are part of the problem. We are on a campaign to make Canberra’s roads usable for the people of Canberra and for essential services. If William Hovell Drive is upgraded, or in the meantime simply monitored, the people of Belconnen will take some comfort in knowing that we understand their pain on this issue. My constituents complain to me on a regular basis about this road. It is probably the most complained about road, especially if you are visiting in areas of west Belconnen, in Holt and Higgins, or go to the Kippax shops. This is the road that people most complain about it.
The people of Belconnen require more work to be done to William Hovell Drive and I think it is time for the Labor government, who think that they will be returned to government on the dutiful votes of the people of west Belconnen, to think again. The people of west Belconnen deserve services like everybody else, and it will be a problem for the Labor members out there if they do not get on board with this campaign to find ways of ameliorating the traffic jams on William Hovell Drive.
It is not just that there are traffic jams; there are also issues about the quality of the road. It has been brought to my attention—but it did not have to be brought to my attention, because I just about blew a tyre there the other day—that the new piece of road where William Hovell Drive joins Parkes Way and goes under the parkway is utterly littered with potholes. It raises an issue that should be of considerable concern—the way we build roads—because this is a recently completed road. I am very conscious of the amount of traffic that goes over that, but it is a real problem that this recently repaired road is so pitted with potholes.
ACT Labor needs to stand up for the people of west Belconnen and join with the Canberra Liberals to deliver good roads for our constituents. People of west Belconnen realise that changes to William Hovell Drive will not happen overnight, but they need to be assured that there is a path forward. They need to be assured that the government is on board, is prepared to put money in a timely fashion into dealing with this and that in the meantime it will look at ways of ameliorating the congestion on this road.
My colleague Mr Coe and I spend a lot of time talking about roads. I know that it does give some people some discontent, but the roads are means by which most Canberrans
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video