Page 1680 - Week 05 - Tuesday, 1 May 2012
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
works. And it does have the potential for up to 10 sets of traffic lights on Ashley Drive. That is an enormous number of traffic lights in this area. One of the recommendations does look at asking the government to look at how they will deliver this.
The end of stage 2 actually has grade separation at Erindale Drive and Sternberg Crescent. The question is: if that is where we are ultimately going to end up, is it potentially better off to go straight there and avoid the use of so many traffic lights in this limited area? The cost-benefit analysis data provided in the report that was given to the committee is quite interesting and it is worth putting on the record what was said. The last two paragraphs from the executive summary read:
As an overall package, the proposed treatment measures can be economically justified, however significant benefit streams arising from the Stage 1 measures at the Erindale Drive and Sternberg Crescent roundabout, as well as the Ashley Drive and Isabella Drive roundabout are largely absorbed by the more expensive signalisation and duplication works.
It should be noted however that the addition of the final Stage 2 measure, the possible grade‐separation of the Erindale Drive and Sternberg Crescent roundabout (Stage 2 Treatment Package 4) delivers a marginal increase in the cumulative BCR value, indicating that this treatment has the potential to be economically justified in its own right. Due to the complex nature of grade‐separation, further work would be required [to] improve the accuracy of the layout, costing and subsequent economic evaluation of this treatment.
And that is the nature of this report. What the report says is that in both cases, whether it be the grade separation or when we are looking at the traffic flows from Gowrie, Fadden and Macarthur, more work needs to be done. I refer to page 27 of the report where it says:
It is recommended that a further detailed … study be undertaken to examine the traffic generating characteristics of Gowrie, Fadden and Macarthur, and assess route choice and alternative routes in the area. This would permit further development and implementation of the most appropriate treatment(s).
But we are going to go ahead with a set of lights at Bugden and Sternberg before we look at what the alternatives are. So there is a bit of a cart before the horse here. And perhaps it is because the government has taken so long to deliver some of these road upgrades that we are now in this position.
When you read through the section of the report at pages 26, 27, 28, 29 and 30, where it talks about the various locations, for instance, the Erindale Drive-Sternberg Crescent area, it is interesting that under the section “Limitations” it says that a key limitation is that stage 1 measures may only remain effective over the short term. We asked the government to provide us with definitions of what they meant by “short term”, “minimum spare capacity”, “difficulties”, “potential conflict points” but, unfortunately, the answer that came back was less than satisfactory. So it is worth putting these on the record so that certainly people know the potential of what we are getting into.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video