Page 1771 - Week 06 - Thursday, 14 May 2015
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MS BURCH (Brindabella—Minister for Education and Training, Minister for Police and Emergency Services, Minister for Disability, Minister for Racing and Gaming and Minister for the Arts) (10.28): It is great to be able to stand in this place and talk about the upgrades this government has made to road infrastructure in the electorate of Brindabella, for the Tuggeranong community.
The ACT government is committed to ensuring that all Canberra residents have a high standard road network to ensure efficient travel for residents of this city. Along with investment in public transport, quality roads ensure a thriving future for this city and its residents. This is especially true of residents in my electorate, who often travel great distances to the north side of town for work and for catching up with family and friends.
The ACT government has invested strongly in roads in Tuggeranong. Investments in arterial roads, implementation of upgrades under the black spot program and resealing and resurfacing works across the south of the city have been welcomed by our residents. I know that the residents of Monash, Gowrie, Richardson, Isabella Plains and, indeed, Chisholm, my suburb, in particular, have been grateful for the upgrades to Ashley Drive delivered by this government.
Stage 1 of the Ashley Drive upgrade was completed in October of last year and saw the delivery of the duplication of Erindale Drive between Sternberg Crescent and Ashley Drive; the introduction of a left slip lane on Erindale Drive on the southbound side at the approaches to both Sternberg Crescent and Ashley Drive; the installation of part-time traffic signals at the intersection of Ashley Drive and McBryde Crescent; and intersection improvements to make the area safer for road users and reduce traffic congestion. These upgrades represented a $7 million investment on a major arterial road in the Tuggeranong area.
Stage 2 of the Ashley Drive upgrades has been designed and consultation has begun with the Tuggeranong community. Subject to the availability of future construction funding, this upgrade would seek to duplicate Ashley Drive between Erindale Drive and Ellerston Avenue. This major upgrade of Ashley Drive would include upgrades to intersections to allow for better traffic flows for residents of Tuggeranong.
Our investments in roads in Tuggeranong go beyond just Ashley Drive. We are investing $300,000 in part-time traffic signals to improve traffic flow on the busy Drakeford Drive, Isabella Drive and Athllon Drive intersections during peak-hour periods. These are expected to be installed by June of this year.
Forty-kilometre-per-hour speed zones have been installed in 18 local group centres around the city, six of these being in Tuggeranong: Calwell, Chisholm, Conder, Erindale, Kambah and Wanniassa. The slowing down of traffic in these centres will result in safer roads for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists alike.
We have invested in speed signage improvements across Tuggeranong, safety improvements to roads like McBryde Crescent and Wheeler Crescent, and important upgrades that will see improved safety for the students of the Wanniassa School
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