Time spent on roads and in traffic is a hidden cost of poor planning. Each day we are paying this cost while sitting in traffic or at roadworks.
Roads in Gungahlin have always been a contentious issue. From day 1, our roads were not suitable for the traffic needing to use it, and it went downhill from there. New suburbs were added by one silo of government, while the infrastructure silos were on a different page.
Now that Gungahlin is nearing completion, I would like us to step back and review what has unfolded in terms of roads and traffic. It isn’t too late for us to make sure we get this right.
I will be calling for a comprehensive Gungahlin Roads and Traffic review. The review will identify problem intersections, traffic flow, wait times, congestion, and safety. Once identified, the review will also provide recommendations to address the entire town centre.
The review will be a public process, inviting participation from everyone who uses the roads. Public sentiment so often identifies traffic problems before they occur, just by seeing what is being built. I would like to tap into this community knowledge to make sure we get a great solution for Gungahlin. Planning experts will help guide the community to best practice outcomes.
The Gungahlin Roads and Traffic review will have a significant focus on the Town Centre, but will also cast a wide net across all of Yerrabi. We will listen to the concerns about any roads, and develop a strategy to improve roads across the entire electorate.
Walkability and Pedestrians
While this review will focus on vehicle traffic, it will go hand in hand with a dedicated pedestrian review of the Gungahlin Town Centre. I support improving walkability and Active Travel options.
Actions
- Launch a Gungahlin Roads and Traffic Review with community consultation (see map of issues reported so far).
- Launch a Walkability and Pedestrian traffic review (details coming soon)
Could you keep on eye on the William Slim duplication; could work be completed in a timely manner to minimise noise to residents and traffic congestion. I would also be interested in what noise abatement is planned for the Giralang houses backing onto the road
I was speaking with a resident the other day and they asked how long I thought this might take. All I can say is that the road is a bit longer than Gundaroo Drive stage 2 which took over 2 years to duplicate, after planning and funding were in place. That is a huge disruption to local residents including me – it was on my doorstep. I don’t have the expertise to know what it should take that long, but from an untrained eye, it seems way over the top.
I’ll look in to the noise abatement measures, though I assume they will use some pretty standard measures when their modelling says it is required. They will probably base it on distance from road and natural barriers.