Page 3049 - Week 10 - Wednesday, 14 August 2013
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When the government installed 13 speed humps at a huge cost, they did so based on consultation with less than 100 households. All that happened was exactly what many Holt residents predicted: traffic was diverted through Beaurepaire, Trickett, Messenger and other streets. There was not a system-wide approach to this problem. The government took one street in isolation and created a bigger problem.
Do you know what the basis of the decision was? The basis of this decision was, supposedly, consultation through a letterbox drop to just 62 households—62 households. As a result of the government’s decision, there has been disruption to thousands of households.
Through a content-rich FOI, I saw some pretty interesting letters to the government. One angry person wrote this:
The gentleman told me that if traffic is found to be behaving the same as it was originally along Spofforth St, they will look at implementing the same system in these other areas. Now, without shouting for hands up in my neighbourhood, I can tell you that no-one, apart from some affected side street residents, will be in support of this even if it is in an attempt to curb speeding. Apart from being ridiculous (13 continuous sets of speed bumps exist nowhere else in one street in the ACT, let alone in far western Belconnen access roads), this decision was made without any greater road user consultation. They just appeared before Christmas and no one was available at ACT Roads to discuss this over this period—very convenient. I was informed that residents of Spofforth St were in favour, however many weren’t and I can tell you from chatting with neighbours and friends, that no-one thinks they should have been implemented over other possible options such as rolling smoothed cement speed humps, chicanes, round a bout’s or even fewer of the dreaded plastic bumps.
Someone who has had a pretty fascinating journey on this issue is Ms Mary Porter. On a similar issue to that of Hawker shops, it seems that Ms Porter has been walking both sides of Spofforth Street on this particular issue. On 15 December 2011, Ms Porter put out a media release. That media release says:
Ms Mary Porter AM MLA, Member for Ginninderra, has welcomed the commencement of work tomorrow on the installation of speed humps along Spofforth Street in Holt to enhance road safety.
She went on:
The installation of the speed humps, worth $125,000, will commence tomorrow, Friday 16 December 2011, and is expected to be completed by Christmas.
However, just five weeks later—just five weeks later, on 7 February 2012—Ms Porter said on behalf of her constituents, in a letter to the then Minister for Territory and Municipal Services, Katy Gallagher:
… I have also discovered that some traffic issues remain and are still causing noisy disturbances on the road, e.g. “revving up” between speed humps, trucks
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