Page 1947 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 3 June 2015
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A number of other improvements will be investigated to complement the duplication. They include improvements to address the queuing from the Isabella Drive roundabout in the morning peak, investigation of use of ramp metering traffic signals, and new traffic signals where Ashley Drive intersects with Bugden Avenue, Statton Street and Clift Crescent to improve the efficiency and safety of these intersections.
The upgrades to Gundaroo Drive and the signalisation of the Barton Highway roundabout, totalling $41.2 million, will provide significant relief regarding the traffic congestion which occurs along Gundaroo Drive. This will be of particular importance to residents of Crace who are trying to exit the suburb through Abena Avenue, as this issue stems from the congestion at the Barton Highway roundabout.
I did hear that the Liberals were not happy with these significant investments, but the difference between us and the Liberals is that we base our funding on the building and designing of roads based on engineering studies, and on modelling of how to reduce congestion on our roads. In other words, unlike the Liberals, our announcements are based on facts. The fact is that undertaking stage 2 of the Gundaroo Drive duplication now, as proposed by the Canberra Liberals, is counterproductive until you fix the bottleneck at the Barton Highway roundabout. And that is exactly what we are going to do.
The signalisation of the Barton Highway roundabout is a real commitment to reduce congestion in Gungahlin. It is realistic, as opposed to the Canberra Liberals’ announcement to provide a flyover at a cost of $35 million, which falls $20 million short of any proper funding commitment.
But that is not all. The ACT government is investing in the renewal of several roads around Gungahlin. A 1.6-kilometre section of Gungahlin Drive from north of Sandford Street to the Barton Highway, which will be widened to three lanes on the southbound section, and an additional signalised left-turn lane, will be provided from Well Station Drive onto Gungahlin Drive. The Horse Park Drive and Anthony Rolfe Avenue intersection will be upgraded to improve safety and traffic flow and provide better access to nearby suburbs, including Harrison and Gungahlin, as well as the new suburb of Throsby.
Minor works will be undertaken at the intersection of Gundaroo Drive, Candlebark Close and Nudurr Drive to improve safety. The roundabout will be modified to provide exclusive turning lanes. This will remove the opportunity for vehicles to overtake and speed through the roundabout, reducing the risk of crashes. A similar modification has been successfully undertaken at the roundabout at Gundaroo Drive and Abena Avenue.
Public transport is an integral part of any sustainable and equitable city-wide transport network. The fervent and unreasonable opposition by the Canberra Liberals to the introduction of light rail as a mode of high-speed trunk public transport shows their lack of true commitment to rapid and accessible public transport.
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