Page 1155 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 24 June 1992
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MOTOR TRAFFIC (AMENDMENT) BILL 1992
Debate resumed from 17 June 1992, on motion by Mr Westende:
That this Bill be agreed to in principle.
MR CONNOLLY (Attorney-General, Minister for Housing and Community Services and Minister for Urban Services) (10.52): Last week I was caught by the clock, which ticked around to 12.30 pm when I was about to wrap up my remarks; so I will be very brief this morning.
Ms Follett: No, take your time.
MR CONNOLLY: Perhaps I will take my time, in that case.
MADAM SPEAKER: You have 13 minutes, Mr Connolly.
MR CONNOLLY: I am sure I can say what I need to say in 13 minutes. As I indicated last week, the Government is opposing both of these amendments. In relation to the "keep left" proposal, we believe that it is unnecessary to legislate. We said that there were some potential problem areas in the ACT. It applies only in above 80 kilometres an hour zones. It could make more sense to the ordinary citizen if we were applying it universally, although I would say that there would be massive traffic problems if we applied it universally, because of the right-hand lane.
Given that it applies only in areas of over 80 kilometres an hour, we are really talking about the Tuggeranong Parkway and the Eastern Parkway. There is one point on the Eastern Parkway where it is possible to make a right-hand turn from a 100 kilometres an hour zone, where you come into Johnson Drive. Obviously, nobody is doing 100 kilometres an hour when they turn, but under Mr Westende's proposed amendment it would be an offence to be in that lane proposing to do a right-hand turn rather than in the left-hand lane. So it would cause some traffic confusion.
I acknowledge that Mr Westende identified something of a problem in that there are spots on the parkway, particularly coming into town, where as you come up that slight hill out of Kambah it can be frustrating if slow-moving vehicles are in the wrong lane. However, generally speaking, I think the problem on the parkway is people travelling above the speed limit rather than below the speed limit. We do have quite a lot of accidents there, particularly in bad weather. I suggested that we try the approach of putting some signs up at those choke points, asking people to keep in the left-hand lane if they are in a slow vehicle or are overtaking. I would suggest to the Assembly that it is more sensible to adopt that educative approach here, acknowledging that there can be a potential problem at some choke points, rather than introduce a law which would have the effect of turning a two-lane highway, which is the principal way of commuters getting from Tuggeranong to the city, into one lane. That would not be a sensible reform.
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