The following formal submission have been made public
Submitter: Griffith/Narrabundah Community AssociationRaising of London Circuit
Sally Barnes
Chief Executive
National Capital Authority
Comments on Proposal to Raise London Circuit
info@nca.gov.au
Dear Ms Barnes
The Griffith Narrabundah Community Council (GNCA) welcomes the opportunity to comment on this issue. We have over 400 members and many more supporters in the area the GNCA represents.
Good policy formulation requires investigation of all the pros and cons. Change should only be made if there is going to be a better outcome. A rigorous social cost benefit study of all the road traffic consequences and alternatives (not merely light rail) should be undertaken and made publicly available.
We have identified some specific issues of concern in this proposal.
1. The proposal degrades the current road network
What is being proposed, deliberately degrades the effectiveness of Canberra’s road network by eliminating some of the slip lanes/clover leaves and replacing them with traffic lights.
Commonwealth Avenue is the busiest road in the ACT. In 2017 it carried approximately 67,000 vehicles per day and is the main arterial road that connects the northern and southern parts of Canberra.
If London Circuit is raised as proposed, there does not seem to be any replacement route for traffic from the south and travelling to the east on Parkes Way. Replacing slip lanes with traffic lights is ridiculous.
What used to be a really good road system is being torn apart. It will degrade the effectiveness of our road transport system, which has recently been affected by two sets of traffic lights on Vernon Circle. There is no need to make the traffic flow even worse.
We have attached our 2017 submission on similar issues. The arguments made then still hold today. It is well worth the read.
2. The RLC is not consistent with the National Capital Plan
The NCA’s mission is to shape Canberra as a capital that all Australians can be proud of by ensuring it is well planned, managed and promoted, consistent with its enduring national significance. There is no way Australians can be proud of what is being proposed.
The National Capital Plan calls, among other things for the:
Conservation and enhancement of the landscape features which give the National Capital its character and setting, and which contribute to the integration of natural and urban environments
What is being proposed neither conserves nor enhances the character of City Hill. It will become an even more isolated Town Park with little or no views of the surrounding landscape. The claustrophobia in Vernon Circle caused by the new Law Courts building is likely to be continued around City Hill. These developments will not enhance the landscape features. They will just turn more park land into concrete. It is time the NCA produced a detailed plan for this important part of Canberra.
3. The traffic congestion expected during construction is not acceptable
During construction, carrying capacity of Commonwealth Avenue will be reduced by 80%, according to the government’s disruption task force. This disruption is likely to extend over several years and has not been included in any cost benefit analysis.
There must be a better way to carry people from Woden to Civic that does not involve raising London Circuit and the consequential disruption. What alternatives were considered and what were the estimated costs?
It is time for a re-think, because what is happening now is unacceptable.
4. How will the issue of subsidence of the land fill be dealt with?
The City Hill landscape was formed over hundreds of thousands of years and is probably well compacted. The fill that is apparently going to be used to raise London Circuit by six metres will need to be compacted significantly for it to have the same or similar physical properties so that it won’t continue to subside. How is this compaction going to be managed, so there will not be continuous subsidence over several years?
Conclusion
We conclude that the changes being proposed to raise London Circuit will result in setbacks to the development of Canberra.
There should be a pause to undertake a full cost benefit analysis and explore other options, which will enhance our city rather than degrade it.
Dr David Denham AM
President GNCA
23 December 2021
Chief Executive
National Capital Authority
Comments on Proposal to Raise London Circuit
info@nca.gov.au
Dear Ms Barnes
The Griffith Narrabundah Community Council (GNCA) welcomes the opportunity to comment on this issue. We have over 400 members and many more supporters in the area the GNCA represents.
Good policy formulation requires investigation of all the pros and cons. Change should only be made if there is going to be a better outcome. A rigorous social cost benefit study of all the road traffic consequences and alternatives (not merely light rail) should be undertaken and made publicly available.
We have identified some specific issues of concern in this proposal.
1. The proposal degrades the current road network
What is being proposed, deliberately degrades the effectiveness of Canberra’s road network by eliminating some of the slip lanes/clover leaves and replacing them with traffic lights.
Commonwealth Avenue is the busiest road in the ACT. In 2017 it carried approximately 67,000 vehicles per day and is the main arterial road that connects the northern and southern parts of Canberra.
If London Circuit is raised as proposed, there does not seem to be any replacement route for traffic from the south and travelling to the east on Parkes Way. Replacing slip lanes with traffic lights is ridiculous.
What used to be a really good road system is being torn apart. It will degrade the effectiveness of our road transport system, which has recently been affected by two sets of traffic lights on Vernon Circle. There is no need to make the traffic flow even worse.
We have attached our 2017 submission on similar issues. The arguments made then still hold today. It is well worth the read.
2. The RLC is not consistent with the National Capital Plan
The NCA’s mission is to shape Canberra as a capital that all Australians can be proud of by ensuring it is well planned, managed and promoted, consistent with its enduring national significance. There is no way Australians can be proud of what is being proposed.
The National Capital Plan calls, among other things for the:
Conservation and enhancement of the landscape features which give the National Capital its character and setting, and which contribute to the integration of natural and urban environments
What is being proposed neither conserves nor enhances the character of City Hill. It will become an even more isolated Town Park with little or no views of the surrounding landscape. The claustrophobia in Vernon Circle caused by the new Law Courts building is likely to be continued around City Hill. These developments will not enhance the landscape features. They will just turn more park land into concrete. It is time the NCA produced a detailed plan for this important part of Canberra.
3. The traffic congestion expected during construction is not acceptable
During construction, carrying capacity of Commonwealth Avenue will be reduced by 80%, according to the government’s disruption task force. This disruption is likely to extend over several years and has not been included in any cost benefit analysis.
There must be a better way to carry people from Woden to Civic that does not involve raising London Circuit and the consequential disruption. What alternatives were considered and what were the estimated costs?
It is time for a re-think, because what is happening now is unacceptable.
4. How will the issue of subsidence of the land fill be dealt with?
The City Hill landscape was formed over hundreds of thousands of years and is probably well compacted. The fill that is apparently going to be used to raise London Circuit by six metres will need to be compacted significantly for it to have the same or similar physical properties so that it won’t continue to subside. How is this compaction going to be managed, so there will not be continuous subsidence over several years?
Conclusion
We conclude that the changes being proposed to raise London Circuit will result in setbacks to the development of Canberra.
There should be a pause to undertake a full cost benefit analysis and explore other options, which will enhance our city rather than degrade it.
Dr David Denham AM
President GNCA
23 December 2021