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| Mornington roundabout problems still not fixed |
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By INGRID HARRISON WELCOME to the start of the new school year! Commuters travelling through the Mornington roundabout from 12 February would have certainly been aware that school was back. The complaints have started again and it looks like the powers that be are no closer to a resolution of this thorn in the commuter’s side. While Eastern Shore travellers are facing delays of 15 minutes or more with traffic banked up the South Arm highway in the morning and Cambridge Road in the afternoon, our northern suburbs’ neighbours are looking forward to the installation of traffic lights at the Goodwood roundabout. The State Government is planning to install traffic lights at the Goodwood roundabout on the Brooker Highway to alleviate traffic delays of at times between five and 10 minutes. While traffic lights are the preferred solution in the northern suburbs, it seems that they are not warranted to combat even longer delays at peak times at the Mornington roundabout. Eastern Shore Sun understands that traffic lights are not the preferred solution for the Mornington roundabout. Indeed, briefings of Clarence councillors by the Department of Infrastructure Energy and Resources (DIER) as this newspaper goes to press, are being told that the best solution is to make the roundabout bigger to alleviate the problem! This will not resolve the fact that traffic has to give way to the right, causing lengthy delays and huge traffic buildup in the morning and in the afternoon. As this problem drags into another year, commuters continue to suffer the daily grind of trying to get to their destination during peak times. Meanwhile the $4.5-million upgrade of the South Arm Highway between the Shoreline roundabout and Oceana Drive at Howrah has been given the go-ahead and will be completed by July. Pembroke MLC Allison Ritchie said the growth in residential subdivisions over recent years made it important to improve traffic flow in the area. “The work will also include traffic signals at the Oceana Drive/South Arm Highway intersection, noise reduction walls to reduce the impact of noise on adjacent residential areas, safety barriers, improvements to the existing pedestrian/cycle path, landscaping, signs and line marking. “This project will increase the road’s capacity to cater for current traffic volumes and new urban developments planned for Droughty Point, Clarence Plains and South Arm peninsula,” she said. While welcoming the highway upgrade, Clarence City Council Deputy Mayor Doug Chipman called for a quick resolution to the Mornington roundabout problems. “It is more than four years since DIER and council agreed that the Mornington roundabout provided ‘a poor level of service’ and nearly 12 months since $1.45 million was allocated by the State Government to fix the Mornington roundabout.” “It is also more than 18 months since Council was briefed by the Department and traffic consultants and advised that all traffic problems at the Mornington roundabout could be fixed. “It is no good improving the traffic flows to the roundabout only to have everyone then come to a grinding halt there in the peak hour congestion,” Ald Chipamn said.
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