The ACT Government begrudges that City Hill has become a ‘massive roundabout’. Photo: ACT Government.
City Hill was probably the busiest it’s ever been on Canberra Day (11 March).
The ‘big roundabout’ at the top of Northbourne Avenue should be the equivalent of our Eiffel Tower or Capitol Building or Brandenburg Gate. Indeed, Canberra’s architects Walter and Marion Griffin saw it as the cornerstone of their ‘Parliamentary Triangle’ design and had it earmarked for a grand city hall.
But most of us only know it as a haven for wascally wabbits. And a flagpole. Exciting stuff.
On Monday, however, 60 people made the pilgrimage across the busy Vernon Circle that encircles it for the ‘Discover City Hill Day’ tour.
A variety of sessions across the afternoon highlighted the site’s Ngunnawal history, architecture, landscape design, and possibilities for active travel.
The tour is among a raft of ways the ACT Government’s City Renewal Authority (CRA) hopes to garner ideas from the community about how to “make City Hill more inviting as a park”.
It’s asking for students, community groups, local residents and businesses, and all members of the ACT community, to complete a three-minute survey, draw and submit your ideas, or run an activity with your class or group. The results will be put on display at the Civic Library.
“Considering it was a pretty hot day, to have 60 very engaged people on the tour, asking questions and taking in part of the city, was really good,” CEO Malcolm Snow says.
“It’s a place that lots of Canberrans would drive around on the assumption it’s just one big roundabout. But of course, it wasn’t conceived as that.”
He says many were surprised by the impressive view from the top, and it became “really clear” Canberrans want it to remain a park.
“It’s looking a bit forlorn and sad – and I don’t mean just because of the rabbits – but we’ve also got senescent trees that are possibly reaching the end of their useful biological life, so that opens up opportunities for improved shade.”
He says the flagpole should pave the way for more special ceremonies, with ample space for picnics and other “temporary events”.
“It’s a pretty blank canvas in that respect.”
One of the wackiest ideas called for the construction of a new stadium on the site, something ACT Chief Minster Andrew Barr has already ruled out in more ways than one, most recently by saying, “It will be nothing other than a park, so there should be no conspiracy theories about any significant development here”.
It’s perfectly pleasant once you get there, but getting there is the issue. Photo: City Renewal Authority.
City Hill is surrounded by two lanes of Vernon Circle, and the key issue remains access, but the CRA has ideas on how to improve this.
“The traffic using the Northbourne Avenue/Commonwealth Avenue corridor – 60 per cent has no destination within the central city at all – they’re simply using it as a high-speed route to get from north to south,” Mr Snow explains.
Stretching the infamous 40 km/h speed limit of Northbourne Avenue up to Vernon Circle is one possibility. Another is removing a lane.
“While the raising of London Circuit project is under construction, one lane is out of action on the eastern side and traffic is still flowing perfectly fine in the AM and PM peaks,” Mr Snow says.
“I can imagine Vernon Circle becoming a narrower, slower road.”
He says this would, in turn, encourage traffic just passing through to take alternative, higher-speed routes like the Majura Parkway, “Certainly, if we are to claim back Commonwealth Avenue and Northbourne Avenue as proper city streets as opposed to sub-arterial roads”.
Once consultation is over, CRA will prepare a report for the government to consider.
Canberrans have until 25 March to contribute their ideas for City Hill on the YourSay Conversations website.
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