Page 536 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 21 February 2018
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I am, of course, not implying that the government’s attempts to improve the intersection of Tillyard and Ginninderra drives were so poorly done that they actually worsened the situation; rather, these attempted improvements were completely inadequate. A good part of the reason for that is probably the increased usage that the roads that form this intersection are receiving.
According to the recently completed residential street improvement program traffic study performed by AECOM, the ACT government classes Tillyard Drive as a “major collector road”, with an indicative traffic volume of 3,000 to 6,000 vehicles per day. When the segment of Tillyard Drive nearest to its intersection with Ginninderra Drive was analysed in August 2016, however, the actual daily traffic volume was 9,362 vehicles per day, a staggering 56 per cent above classification.
Again, this is a troubling reality that the minister’s proposed amendments seek to scrub off the official record. Clearly, this intersection as currently designed cannot cope with the amount of traffic that it is receiving. If nothing is done about it, we can no doubt expect the rate of car crashes and personal injury crashes to only increase.
My greatest fear, as you can well imagine, Madam Deputy Speaker, is that we will have a fatality at this intersection at some point. I can assure you that many residents of west Belconnen have expressed this same fear to me. Far too many of them have wondered aloud if this is what it will take to force this government to finally take the necessary steps to make this intersection safer for road users. I certainly hope not. But, considering the data that I have briefly outlined, it is a miracle that there has not been a fatality already. As it is, we need to remember those who have suffered injuries. Some of these injuries require ongoing medical care. Others have caused significant financial loss. In other cases, victims have been left with lingering mental health impacts.
When public opinion, data and expert opinion all converge, it is a most serious matter. That is the case when it comes to the intersection of Tillyard and Ginninderra drives. Public opinion is clear. One year ago I tabled a petition in this chamber, signed by 1,329 Canberra residents, calling on the ACT government to install traffic lights at this intersection. More people approached me wishing to sign after the petition had already been tabled. The aforementioned AECOM traffic study noted similar public sentiment on this issue. Of course, the minister has once again sought to hide this point by eliminating it from the proposed amendments.
Although the government wishes to remove half of them from the motion as written, the data are likewise clear. The intersection of Tillyard and Ginninderra drives has a high rate of accidents, and Roads ACT has determined that road conditions are a contributing factor. The rate of crashes, and especially of injury crashes, has been trending upward significantly. The traffic volume is far too high for the intersection as it now exists.
Finally we have the expert opinion. Last week we learned in this chamber that the feasibility study of this intersection, commissioned in response to last year’s petition, has now been completed, and that it recommends the installation of traffic lights. As
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