HIGH-TECH FIX

Local firm to tackle traffic woes with Austrian experts

A HOBART-based company will join forces with a team of Austrian experts in a bid to finally fix the capital city’s congestion crisis.

GHD Australia, which has a permanent office in Hobart, has won the $179,479 tender from the Department of State Growth.

It will provide advice on how to use the latest traffic management technologies to solve Hobart’s gridlock problem.

Infrastructure Minister Rene Hidding said GHD would work with Austrian road telematics company Kapsch to make recommendations to the Department of State Growth. The work will back up initiatives by the State Government aimed at reducing travel times during rush hour, including a Bluetooth early warning system.

“These projects include the key Budget initiatives to improve the co-ordination of traffic lights and implement a Bluetooth early warning system for commuters,” Mr Hidding said.

He said there also would be new operational rules for roadworks, buses would be given priority on key routes and analysis of travel demand would drive solutions.

Hobart Lord Mayor Sue Hickey said the recommendations made by GHD would be gratefully received by the council.

“It’s a problem we can’t solve by ourselves,” she said.

“If the Government is being proactive and contributing to support measures to ease the traffic in Hobart, it would be gratefully received.

Last year Hobart consistently had peak-hour gridlock, caused by what has been described as a “perfect storm” of students returning to school and roadworks around the new Myer site and on the Eastern Shore.

Earlier this month a recent TomTom Traffic Index showed that delays in Hobart during morning peak time were the second worse in the country, behind Sydney.

The Hobart City Council is investigating whether it should retain management of Macquarie and Davey streets — where the congestion has been identified as being particularly bad — or pass responsibility to the State Government.

Greater Hobart councils have also identified the use of ferries on the River Derwent as a way of easing congestion.

A roundtable of stakeholders related to the idea was held last week.