Page 1176 - Week 04 - Friday, 23 April 2021
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MR STEEL: I thank Mr Cain for his question. I am interested to hear from him perhaps outside the chamber about some of the further issues around traffic at Jamison shops. The ACT government understands the importance of road safety, particularly around heavily used community hubs like shopping centres. The interventions that are made to respond to our traffic issues are evidence based. Roads ACT looks at a variety different factors, including road traffic volumes, speeds, and implements of course our commitment to a safe systems approach, which recognises that infrastructure is an important part of that safe systems approach but that it is also the responsibility of people using those shops as well.
I am very happy to hear in more detail from Mr Cain about what the issues are there so that we can take them into account and see whether we can start gathering some of the evidence that might then inform any improvements to road safety in the area. I have recently been down there to catch up with a friend of mine over some seafood at the Southern Cross Club’s seafood restaurant and I understand how busy it is down there and how popular it is.
MR CAIN: I do thank the minister for his answer, and I do thank the minister for his collaborative approach. My question is: are speed bumps and pedestrian crossings under consideration as measures to improve traffic safety around Jamison?
MR STEEL: Yes, we will consider the range of infrastructure that might be required as interventions. Sometimes the infrastructure the people think is the right response to these things actually is not, based on the evidence. One example is crossings. Sometimes people think crossings are actually safer. In fact, sometimes they are not safer because people think that it is actually safe to cross and think that the cars will stop for them. So it requires certain conditions to make sure that those are safe. Of course other interventions are things like speed bumps and traffic lights, and some of these are quite expensive interventions and will need to be considered in the context of other priorities and other road safety priorities, because there is a long list of other intersections that need to be upgraded over time and are often reported in the media—from the ANU crash index that lists the top 10 intersections from a property damage point of view—and we have got our own methodology that we use around which intersections we put forward, which is often based on the risk of death or injury as well as property damage, that we will need to take into account in prioritising improvements that require a significant infrastructure investment.
MRS KIKKERT: Minister, when will the Labor-Greens government get the basics right on important services like road safety and maintenance?
MR STEEL: I thank the member for her question. We continue to remain committed to road safety, upgrading and maintaining our roads and making sure that the system is safe for everyone. As I mentioned at the start, if there are concerns about a particular area, I am keen to hear about those concerns so that we can respond to them. Whilst our team is out there using the roads themselves and monitoring and assessing improvements that can be made, the community is always welcome to put their views, and they will be assessed.
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