Page 2931 - Week 09 - Thursday, 13 August 2015
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which is a genuine long-term option. Sadly, this government continues to support the short-term solutions rather than the long term. That is why the opposition has committed to construction of a flyover at this roundabout, because it is what the northern Canberra community needs.
Horse Park Drive is also a duplication I support, and I am glad it gets some attention in this year’s budget. However, I have some concerns with how the government has got to this point. Two years ago TAMS commissioned preliminary sketch plans for the duplication of Horse Park Drive between Mulligans Flat Road and Francis Forde Boulevard. These plans seem to have disappeared. Indeed, when I asked the Minister for Roads and Parking last week what happened to these plans, he was unaware they even existed. This is despite TAMS advertising that the plans were being done.
The minister also does not seem to be aware what stretch of Horse Park Drive was being duplicated. When asked last week quite directly by Mrs Jones “which parts of the road will be duplicated”, the minister responded:
… I do not have the designs with me here, but I will come back to the Assembly and provide the answer.
Two months after the budget, and the minister does not even know what road he is building! It is quite extraordinary really.
From what I understand and from the minister’s somewhat embarrassing update this week, it looks as though the government will duplicate the section of Horse Park Drive between Anthony Rolfe Avenue and Well Station Drive. Let me stress that I think this duplication is good, and I hope it goes ahead. However, it is quite disappointing that again it is just part of the road. It is a different stretch of road from where the preliminary duplication drawings should have been completed to, too.
It appears that the ACT government has no genuine plans for Horse Park Drive. The approach taken by the government over the last couple of years is inconsistent and confusing, to say the least. In effect, they said they would be doing the western side of Gundaroo Drive but now they are saying they are going to do the eastern side of Gundaroo Drive but they are not doing it up to the highway.
The fact that the minister was unaware of what section of the road was being duplicated shows that it is simply not a priority for the government. I hope the government completes a full feasibility study on duplicating Horse Park Drive—and with that, a full engineering study. Hopefully, the duplication will begin shortly. I hope that the government produces a plan to which they can be held to account and I hope it is a plan that will actually be delivered. Ultimately, however, the record of ACT Labor is that they can only build half a road—unless an election is coming, and then they may well promise the rest. (Second speaking period taken.)
Sadly, I feel that once again we will get a promise just before the election about the completion of Gundaroo Drive and the completion of Horse Park Drive. As the escalating costs of light rail begin to bite, I would not be at all surprised to see the duplication from Mulligans Flat Road to the Majura Parkway fall flat due to the funds all going towards the light rail project.
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