Page 1054 - Week 03 - Wednesday, 21 March 2012
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“(2) calls on the ACT Government to:
(a) table, by the close of business Thursday, 22 March 2012, any statistical data and analysis thereof already held relating to vehicle counts and traffic flows on William Hovell Drive; and
(b) table, in the first sitting week in May 2012:
(vii) an analysis of the data from the daily vehicle counts on William Hovell Drive in the two week period, 7 to 18 November 2011;
(viii) based on that data and that analysis, an assessment of the delays experienced by motorists during peak times; and
(ix) statement of the strategies and timeline the Government intends to adopt to alleviate peak time traffic congestion on William Hovell Drive.”.
MS PORTER (Ginninderra) (4.20): I just want to correct some of Mrs Dunne’s assertions with regard to the length of time it takes to travel to work in the morning during peak hours via William Hovell Drive, the Glenloch interchange and Parkes Way. As many of you know, I reside in Hawker and travel to and from work every day, during peak hours, during periods of heavy rain and other traffic conditions that may present themselves. That is why I was very concerned when I heard Mrs Dunne’s claim of the time it takes to travel from Belconnen to Civic during peak hour along the route that I have described. No-one says that from time to time there are not traffic issues. We do live in a city, after all, and we just heard from the Chief Minister on all of the work that has been undertaken to address the various traffic issues that arise as our cities grow and our population grows.
However, I have timed my travel from Hawker to the Assembly. I have been timing the journey for the past month, commencing on 23 February until and including today, and I have found the average travel time is 18.38 minutes. If I had time I could read out each day’s travel time. However, I do not want to take up the valuable time of the Assembly. Suffice to say the average travel time is way below Mrs Dunne’s 30 minutes. That is in peak hour and in five days of rain during that period.
Of course, I travelled from the Southern Cross-Belconnen Way roundabout to time the longer journey which Mrs Dunne claimed, I believe, was 45 minutes. However, this worked out to be 25 minutes in heavy peak hour traffic. Never let the facts get in the road of a good story. Mrs Dunne uses facts like the proverbial drunk uses a lamp post—more for support than for illumination.
MRS DUNNE (Ginninderra) (4.21): I thank the Chief Minister for the amendments to this motion and the information that she has tabled. I am appreciative, on behalf of my constituents, of the work that has already been undertaken by the government. It is now clear that there will be some relief in sight for people from west Belconnen. I am glad that Ms Porter has spent some time timing her journeys. I referred to a couple of particular occasions when it took extended periods to get in to Civic. I travel a longer
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