BUNDALL TRUNDLE
20 traffic lights, 8km, 21 minutes of frustration
THIS is what motorists will face on the much-touted upgrade of Bundall Rd, a project that was supposed to improve traffic flow on one of the Gold Coast’s busiest thoroughfares.
Drivers will be subjected to 20 sets of traffic lights on an 8km stretch and, adding to the misery, the lights won’t be synchronised until next year.
Just 17 of the lights are currently operating, taking 21 minutes to navigate during peak hour.
THE much-touted new-look Bundall Rd arterial is a stopstart nightmare with a set of traffic lights for every 250m of road.
The problem is compounded by a lack of synchronisation between lights that will not be fixed until early 2018.
From next year there will be 20 signalised intersections in an 8km stretch between Southport’s High St and Broadbeach-Nerang Rd, an average of one every 250m.
Just 17 of the intersections are currently working, with a southbound drive at peak hour yesterday morning taking 21 minutes.
More than 3600 vehicles drive the road during peak times each day and ongoing traffic headaches have sparked calls from city leaders to fast-track the synchronisation of lights. Broadbeach councillor Paul Taylor (pictured left), whose division takes in much of Bundall Road, said the unsynchronised lights had sparked furious reaction from tourists. “I have had plenty of feedback on the synchronisation and even had people from Melbourne tell me recently it was ridiculous,” he said. “We are trying to do it with the state (government) at the moment and I would like to see it done sooner rather than later because the traffic is really bad.
“As for the number of signalised intersections, as the traffic grows we need to have some greater control.”
Traffic light issues on Southport-Burleigh Rd mirror those on the coastal strip where motorists were told last year the traffic lights could never be synchronised because the light rail would always take priority.
Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey said lights would be synchronised once work was completed.
“The timing of the lights along the alignment will be adjusted once the works are complete, and any fine-tuning of the co-ordination will occur at this time,” he said.
There were 17 signalled intersections before the upgrade began last year, with three new sets of lights added.
These are yet to become operational.
Surfers Paradise MP JohnPaul Langbroek said he was aware of frustrations among motorists and said a co-ordinated effort was needed to ease difficulties.
“There are now far more traffic light intersections for that stretch of road than there were under the original plans I saw,” he said.
“Residents were only told about the revised plans last year and there must be a concerted effort to synchronise the lights.”
Work from North St in Southport to Bundall’s Vespa Cres is in its final phase and is expected to be completed by June.
The central section of the project, from Vespa Crescent to Broadbeach Waters, will be completed late this year.
It will include an Australian-first continuous flow intersection which will allow traffic to flow from northbound lanes to the Isle of Capri for the first time.
Griffith University traffic engineer Associate Professor Matthew Burke said the increased number of intersections was a reflection of Southport-Burleigh Rd’s status as a major arterial.
“It is not uncommon in an
urban environment for roads which were suburban and servicing low-density housing to become a vital arterial service for much of the city,” Prof Burke said.
“You tend to have a lot more traffic turning on and off so you end up needing more signalled intersections and this is simply inevitable.”
Prof Burke said synchronisation of the lights would bring benefits for the city.
“The long-term future will be the synchronisation of the traffic lights across the city so that people will be able to ‘greenway’ through the intersections,” he said.
“So long as you stick to the speed limit you may be able to go up to 5km without stopping.”