Traffic row has opinion in snarl
‘Cure worse than disease’
COMMUTER ire about intersections in Cairns has raised concerns that binning roundabouts for CBD traffic lights would cause more traffic snarls.
Fifty-one year Cairns resident Donald Brown, 78, remembers a time when traffic lights were not a concern.
He is worried that proposed lights in the CBD at the expense of roundabouts would cause rather than solve traffic problems.
“Roundabouts are far better because they give everyone a go,” Mr Brown said.
Dependent on Federal Black Spot funding, the Cairns Regional Council will apply for $1 million to replace the existing roundabout at the intersection of Florence and Lake streets with traffic lights.
Division 5 Councillor and cyclist Ritchie Bates said both options had “pros and cons”
“Intersections with lights can be safer but sometimes there’s a lot of traffic – the differential in speed between a car and a cyclist can pose problems,” Cr Bates said.
“In anything we do in the CBD safety is paramount first.
“There’s no good having great traffic flow if there is a safety problem.”
Cairns Police have identified both roundabouts and traffic lights as susceptible to poor driver behaviour, as they rush to beat the lights or enter intersections.
“Often people have not time managed sufficiently to get to appointments or to get REAL ISSUE: The Weekend Post report on delays at city traffic lights. to school,” Cairns Traffic Branch Senior Sergeant Marc Rogers said.
“It is absolutely a major cause of high speed collisions.
“Sometimes it is inattention and sometime it is selfishness that poses a risk.”
A Cairns Regional Council spokesman said traffic lights at Lake and Florence streets would increase safety.
“Accident data shows there were six crashes at the corner between 2012 and 2016,” the spokesman said.
“Adding lights to the intersection will improve safety for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians.
“Florence Street has seen increased pedestrian use since the opening of the Cairns Aquarium and Munro Martin Parklands and will further increase when the Cairns Performing Arts Centre opens at the end of this year.
“Replacing roundabouts with traffic lights is best practice when traffic volumes increase.”
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