ACT Black Spots Announced
One of the jobs I most enjoy is chairing the ACT Black Spots consultative panel. The Black Spots program uses federal money to fix dangerous corners and intersections, with the proviso that we can’t approve a project unless the public benefit is at least twice as big as the cost of doing the road work.
We’ve just announced eight new sites where work will be done, totaling $1.1 million (which means that the public benefit is at least $2.2 million).
- intersection of Drakeford Drive, Summerland Circuit and O’Halloran Circuit at Kambah: $210,000 to upgrade traffic signals, provide additional pedestrian lighting and replace existing poles;
- intersection of Hindmarsh Drive, Athllon Drive and Callam Street at Phillip: $187,800 to install traffic signal mast arms;
- intersection of Tharwa Drive, Box Hill Avenue and Woodcock Drive at Conder: $63,000 for visibility enhancements, including improved directional signage, improved hazard signage and upgraded street lighting;
- intersection of College Street and Haydon Drive at Bruce: $310,000 for improvements to the pavement surface and traffic signals; upgrade of existing light columns; and improvements to kerb, sign and line marking;
- intersection of Southern Cross Drive and Kingsford Smith Drive at Belconnen: $161,800 to install traffic signal mast arms;
- intersection of William Hovell Drive and Bindubi Street at Belconnen: $120,200 to install traffic signal mast arms;
- intersection of Coppins Crossing Road and William Hovell Drive at Belconnen: $52,600 to reduce speed limit on William Hovell Drive; and
- intersection of Girrawheen Street and Limestone Avenue at Braddon: $21,400 to move the limit lines forward to be flush with Limestone Avenue.
Thanks to all the members of the public who nominated sites for consideration. We’re continuing our work, so please keep those nominations coming in to me – by mail, phone or email.
This activity has my hearty approval. In principle it should be enough that the benefit is equal to or greater than the cost. But the estimate of the cost probably carries error bars at least twice those of the cost, so your rule of thumb is good.
A suggestion for consideration is speed humps in busy roads passing shopping centres. Start with Deakin. I sometimes think that for someone contemplating the Anna Karenina option, Hopetown Circuit would be inviting.
Cheers, John
John, thanks for your hearty approval. My only caveat to your comment would be the deadweight cost of taxation. So if you put that at 20%, then anything with a B:C ratio above 1.2 is worth doing.
Please don’t get me started about the intersection on Kuringa Drive and the Barton Highway.
The crash rate there has probably quadrupled since the commencement of road works.
My car was off the road for three months after being T-boned on an April evening.
Street lighting (which used to be good) has been turned off for a while.
And then they think that turning the traffic lights on will help when there is only one lane each way on the highway!?!?
Thank goodness they scrapped that after one evening of traffic banked up beyond the roundabout two kilometres down the road.
Is it “all bets are off” with construction sites? Are they supposed to become more dangerous?
I know it’s an ACT project and not a Federal project, but your recent newsletter mentioned dangerous intersections, and that one has become a doozey.
Andrew,
please do not forget the intersection of Katherine Ave and Horse Park Drive at Amaroo – this is a seriously dangerous intersectoin that is only getting worse as Gungahlin grows it is especially dangerous in the mornings due to the sun and speed traffic approaches the intersection.
Okay, so you are reducing the speed limit on William Hovell Drive (at the intersection with Coppins Crossing Road.) Do you really expect people to slow down for a section of what is otherwise a 90km/h road? How often will you be out with a speed camera/gun to enforce this? If not, why not?
Please also be sure that http://www.actroads.org will be asking about the “consistency” of ACT speed limits, and the conformity of the signage to the national standards. Note the old saying, “There’s never time to get things right the first time, and always time to fix them afterwards.”