Bust the congestion
The arterial roads around Tasmania have been noticeably quieter over the past week during peak times with school holidays in full swing. During the peak COVID-19 lockdown period some of those thoroughfares were even more deserted with the majority of people working and schooling from home.
But peak-hour commuters will no doubt still have long-lasting and vivid memories of staring at the car in front of them while crawling through bumper-tobumper morning and afternoon traffic.
Hobart is the state’s capital city but our public transport network has us rivalling territory capital Darwin in terms of our limited road-based options.
Sydney, Perth, Brisbane, Adelaide and Melbourne commuters all have at least three options between buses, trains, trams or ferries.
According to the 2016 census, Hobart had almost 75,000 more residents than Darwin, yet both cities only offer buses.
This is despite promises of an inner-city rail system from the northern suburbs, of which the bare infrastructure bones exist, city bypasses, and a river separating the east and west shores just begging for a public ferry system.
The Department of State Growth has awarded almost $2 million to consultants on a range of projects related to fixing Hobart’s traffic.
IT SEEMS A MISSED OPPORTUNITY THAT DURING COVID-19 MORE MAJOR UPGRADES WERE NOT IN THE PIPELINE AND READY TO BE UNDERTAKEN WITH LESS TRAFFIC AROUND
As part of that, in October last year, the state government awarded consultants GHD a $762,000 contract to conduct a feasibility study to look at ways to divert traffic around central Hobart.
The $2 million question now is what solutions have been identified and which projects can be fast-tracked.
It seems a missed opportunity that during COVID19 more major upgrades were not in the pipeline and ready to be undertaken with less traffic around to be disrupted.
There seem to be roadworks and upgrades in pockets of dozens of suburbs, but few seem like they will make meaningful differences to travel times.
The government says its feasibility study examining the potential costs, benefits and impacts of a Hobart Western Bypass has been completed and a brief on the outcomes is now being prepared for consideration prior to any public release of what the study found.
The bypass, which has been discussed for many years much like the rail corridor, could separate through-traffic from city-bound and local traffic via a road connecting the Southern Outlet with the Brooker and Tasman Highways.
Under the state government’s $1.8bn infrastructure spending blitz over the next two years, the estimated $55m Roads and Irrigation component does include significant upgrades but key congestion busters seemed notably absent.
Whether it is prioritising rail or new and faster means of getting in, out and through our capital, the government should reveal the results of the consultant reviews as soon as possible.
Let’s not wait for traffic to become another postcoronavirus choke point.