Page 3259 - Week 08 - Wednesday, 22 August 2012
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
per location. The approximate cost for New South Wales to add new lights to its control system in today’s market is around $20,000 per location, depending on the work involved at the individual site. The $2,000 flashing lights are intended to be operated manually without any feedback to the traffic authority, hence any fault would not be automatically detected, making the zone less safe. The view of the New South Wales Roads and Maritime Services is that a centrally controlled system, similar to traffic light signals, is essential to ensure proper operation and maintenance response when required.
There would be a very high cost of installing flashing lights at all schools in the ACT. The ACT would also need to establish a management system for the lights similar to that in place in New South Wales. Given hardware, trenching, connection and construction costs, the costs of installing flashing lights would be about $35,000 to $40,000 per school. Based on a cost of $30,000 per school and some 250 schools, including preschools, the total cost of implementing this initiative would be in the order of about $7½ million.
Members may have noticed that the ACT has some pedestrian crossings with flashing lights. They are in place, for example, on Constitution Avenue, near the convention centre and CIT. The use of flashing lights at pedestrian crossings in the ACT may be considered after applying the traffic warrant system criteria based on the number of pedestrian and vehicle movements. The criteria for the use of flashing lights at pedestrian crossings also relates to the visibility of the crossing to approaching traffic being insufficient. For example, flashing lights may be considered in instances where the crossing facility blends with the background or where the crossing is not clearly visible. Such problems are rarely encountered in school zones in the ACT, and it can be strongly argued there is no general need for flashing lights in school zones.
While the government will not be supporting this motion, it has considered the proposal to install flashing lights at all school zones in the ACT in detail. Roads ACT has advised there may be scope to use flashing lights at school crossings as a special treatment and to consider them where special circumstances or hazards exist, as is currently the case for normal pedestrian crossings. These special circumstances could include particularly high levels of pedestrian or traffic movement, sight distance, traffic geometry, visibility problems or other special factors.
The government takes road safety and, in particular, road safety around our schools very seriously and considers every proposal to improve safety in detail. In fact, any correspondence I get from a constituent concerning school safety and pedestrian access safety of students is investigated immediately and, if needed, measures are put in place. I am not aware of one where a recommendation from that investigation has been to install flashing lights. It may be improving signage, making sure that the pedestrian crossing is clearer or looking at how parking arrangements are managed around schools. These are all the issues that are taken into consideration by the road engineers and the experts.
I do not know that we need to get into the position where the Assembly is being required to endorse Liberal Party policy. By all means, Mr Coe, go out and do your best with that one. I am sure you will. But the amendment I have moved should not be
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video