Traffic delay easy to predict

A THREE to five-hour delay in leaving the Argyle Street Car Park? The Hobart CBD brought to a standstill with traffic clogging CBD streets, and we didn’t see it coming? Of course we did, well, most of us. Collins St between Murray and Argyle streets reduced to one lane, Liverpool St between Murray and Elizabeth streets the same. Add to that the reduction to one lane in Murray St between Liverpool and Collins and the partial closure of Campbell St and what do you expect? The architect of this shambles is the Hobart City Council, with worse to come with the relocation of many Metro bus stops to facilitate the building of another multi-storey hotel. Traffic congestion has been a problem for many years, and successive governments have ignored it.

A good start would be limiting parking in suburban streets except for residents and visitors. It’s time the government looked at ways to persuade motorists not to drive into the CBD unless necessary, impose a toll between certain hours and study the movement of government departments to the suburbs. The time for waffling is over, someone needs to do something, and I don’t mean street closure. Or is the HCC secretly planning to turn the whole CBD into a pedestrian mall, as suggested for Melbourne? Ian Beadle Montrose

Call in professionals

WHEN are we to get qualified professionals to actually do something with CBD traffic congestion, instead of the continued waffling from the HCC and State Government? With supposedly less traffic due to school holidays, I was stuck in the Argyle Street Car Park for four hours on Monday. An excuse being the closure of part of Campbell St. Why, when it’s one way the other way? Totally not good enough and no doubt in the hands of amateurs. Raymond Harvey Claremont

Public transport push

LET’S consider this latest traffic fiasco in Hobart with motorists trapped for hours bumper-to-bumper, either in the Argyle Street Car Park or in the surrounding streets ( Mercury, April 17). Ironically, these blockages were not due to an accident or bad weather but stemmed from a well-advertised road closure. Are we really surprised? What about forward planning? Could this be a calculated move by authorities to give motorists a taste of discomfort, in a bid to encourage the use of public transport and a traffic-free city centre? P. Webb Sandy Bay

Good chance for a stroll

HOW lucky are those motorists caught up in and around the Argyle Street Car Park that Hobart City Council had the forethought to widen the pedestrian walkways either side of Liverpool St by closing off a lane a little while back! Those stuck in their cars could just think what the heck, I’ll leave my car and have a stroll while I wait for this unforeseen minor delay to clear! If that doesn’t get people and their cars out of the city centre then I don’t know what will. Jim Dent Hobart

Point duty praise

THE unparalleled Argyle Street Car Park gridlock of Monday is now another seemingly “must avoid” Hobart city traffic situation. In what became a tangle and frustrating web of bumper-to-bumper cars — it was the heroic gesture of Scott George (himself a “stagnating” car park motorist) that initiated a pseudo police point duty to liberate so many cars into Argyle St already jammed thoroughfare. It was with that initial alertness and swiftness that Mr George put aside his own intractable position to aid the dilemma of his many fellow motorists. Hats off to him for his caring, unselfish and enterprising mind! Jack Buzelin Taroona

Bring on takeover

ANOTHER perfect example of incompetence by the Hobart City Council with the debacle that occurred on Monday with motorists trapped for hours in the council’s car park. The council has known for weeks that Campbell St was closing for two weeks and that problems would occur. It’s not rocket science, surely you would think that the council would meet with the appropriate traffic authorities and said There is going to be a lot more traffic coming up Liverpool St, now this is going to create traffic gridlock why don’t we stop left hand turns into Liverpool St from Argyle etc, etc. No that would be too hard to work out. The sooner the State Government takes over Davey and Macquarie streets the better. Bill Sorell Dynnyrne