Crace Rat Run

damien haas said :

The ACT Government needs to build a backbone for mass transit public transport that will allow regular commuters to travel in comfort, efficiently and reliably on time, from where they live to where they work (or go to school). Appropriately scaled park and Ride centres would allow people to commute in a timely fashion.

Canberra was designed for a level of car ownership which has been surpassed, building entirely new suburbs serving tens of thousands of new residents without the public transport infrastructure in place (or indeed the road infrastructure) is irresponsible, but also a hallmark of all local governments since self government. It needs to change. The Canberra Transport Plan (long overdue) is meant to address these issues.

Ideally grade separated light rail with integrated bus services for local areas would best serve the public transport needs of Canberra. Despite some positive moves recently, such as the creation of Transport for Canberra putting policy and timetabling responsibilities back in govt hands, other actions such as the fact that the Canberra Transport Plan – which was scheduled for release in first quarter of 2010 and is now a year late – need to be addressed.

I also think that we need to take some responsibility at an individual level. Instead of whining about all the other cars on the roads, when you are sitting in your car alone contributing to the situation, why dont you see if anyone else in your workplace is willing to carpool ? Or you could take the bus, or cycle.

Lastly, roundabouts are built to serve a certain volume of cars performing a certain percentage of turns. Gundaroo Drive has been notoriously overcapacity for several years now, and Crace has simplly added to that . I suggest you lobby the Minister and Roads ACT directly. Whinging on the RiotACT and angry letters to the CT are venting measures, but writing to the people with their hands on the levers of power may prove more useful (or not).

Damien Haas
Chair, ACT Light Rail

+1
Said much the same things in a lengthy post myself, but like a few messages lately, it got cyber-swallowed.

When traffic is light I prefer to travel along Parkes way to the GDE then take the Belco way exit, when its a little heavier I prefer to exit off Parkes to go past ANU and onto Belco way.

Is that queue jumping?

If someone is trying to get ahead by travelling along a lane that continues straight ahead and at the last minute forces their way into a turning lane ala Belco way onto Hayden drive then they are being a right shit.

If there is a form one lane 500m ahead and everyone is queuing up in the right lane and you’re already travelling in the left lane, driving straight to the end of that lane where the designated merge point is to merge is fair and reasonable.

Holden Caulfield said :

Brianna said :

…My problem is not that drivers enter the main road from a side road, my problem is drivers who deliberately dog leg through Crace to avoid the traffic which is already waiting. These drivers expect to get onto the main road to the detriment of the drivers who waited patiently.

So, there’s a perfectly legal alternate route that enables commuters to get to their destination quicker, right; you call it waiting patiently, I call it waiting stupidly.

So it’s okay to jump queues?

Brianna said :

…My problem is not that drivers enter the main road from a side road, my problem is drivers who deliberately dog leg through Crace to avoid the traffic which is already waiting. These drivers expect to get onto the main road to the detriment of the drivers who waited patiently.

So, there’s a perfectly legal alternate route that enables commuters to get to their destination quicker, right; you call it waiting patiently, I call it waiting stupidly.

Agreed, I hate Sydney and would never live there but whenever I have to drive there I appreciate the fact that everyone knows where they are going, knows how to get there, and knows that behaving like a spoilt child does not a fast journey make.

Brianna said :

Pork Hunt said :

EvanJames said :

Similar to the mess that stretches from Qbn to Canberra every morning. Since Canberra Avenue became a car park in the morning, many Qbn-ites use the Oakes Estate Rd to get onto Pialligo Ave. The halt caused by the Fairbairn traffic lights (at the airport) enables these drivers to break into the traffic, which causes a second halt, that has traffic at a standstill right back into Queanbeyan.

It’s pretty galling to be stop-1st gear-stop all the way from spotlight to Oaks Estate Rd and have these characters come sliding up, expecting to be let in, when we’ve been crawling for several KMs. Quite a few drivers do let them in, but I think the penny is starting to drop.

I live near the railway station and access Pialligo Ave just as you describe.

Are you suggesting I drive to the Yass Rd roundabout just so I can join the “end” of the queue?

As it is perfectly legal to enter a main road from a side road, I don’t see what your problem is.

My problem is not that drivers enter the main road from a side road, my problem is drivers who deliberately dog leg through Crace to avoid the traffic which is already waiting. These drivers expect to get onto the main road to the detriment of the drivers who waited patiently.

+1 and this is why on the rare and awful occasion that i do drive to work, i more likely than not do not let these drivers in.

pork hunt, you are correct it is perfectly legal to enter from a side road, but don’t forget it is also a legal requirement on the person entering from the side road (where no entry slip lane exists) to give way to the traffic on the main road. you are relying on the good graces of those on the main road to let you in. and the good graces of those regularly travelling such main roads are usually tested to a point where they have been abused to death.

Brianna said :

Pork Hunt said :

EvanJames said :

Similar to the mess that stretches from Qbn to Canberra every morning. Since Canberra Avenue became a car park in the morning, many Qbn-ites use the Oakes Estate Rd to get onto Pialligo Ave. The halt caused by the Fairbairn traffic lights (at the airport) enables these drivers to break into the traffic, which causes a second halt, that has traffic at a standstill right back into Queanbeyan.

It’s pretty galling to be stop-1st gear-stop all the way from spotlight to Oaks Estate Rd and have these characters come sliding up, expecting to be let in, when we’ve been crawling for several KMs. Quite a few drivers do let them in, but I think the penny is starting to drop.

I live near the railway station and access Pialligo Ave just as you describe.

Are you suggesting I drive to the Yass Rd roundabout just so I can join the “end” of the queue?

As it is perfectly legal to enter a main road from a side road, I don’t see what your problem is.

My problem is not that drivers enter the main road from a side road, my problem is drivers who deliberately dog leg through Crace to avoid the traffic which is already waiting. These drivers expect to get onto the main road to the detriment of the drivers who waited patiently.

You choose to travel at that time on that road knowing full well it’s gonna be chockas, then suck it up princess. So in effect, what you’re saying is that everyone should just blindly queue up on the same road backing up to who knows where, when there are better options available to them?

While we’re on the topic of poor road ettiquette, I’d just like to point out, you seem to imply that you’re in the habit of queueing across roundabouts. While I can’t find a specific law against it, this is the height of bad manners in my books. Definitely more annoying than people trying to shortcut around heavy traffic.

I honestly wonder how people who whine about traffic in Canberra would cope with Sydney, or even peak hour in Adelaide. Oddly enough, with more cars on the road, bigger queues and some insane intersection design, I find Sydney traffic easier to deal with, because while there are still tossers around, on the whole, most peope seem to be resigned to the idea that the traffic sucks and are less inclined to, say for example, queue across the roundabout in front of you and flip you the bird for no discernible reason while you’re trying to go straight through or turn right.

The ACT Government needs to build a backbone for mass transit public transport that will allow regular commuters to travel in comfort, efficiently and reliably on time, from where they live to where they work (or go to school). Appropriately scaled park and Ride centres would allow people to commute in a timely fashion.

Canberra was designed for a level of car ownership which has been surpassed, building entirely new suburbs serving tens of thousands of new residents without the public transport infrastructure in place (or indeed the road infrastructure) is irresponsible, but also a hallmark of all local governments since self government. It needs to change. The Canberra Transport Plan (long overdue) is meant to address these issues.

Ideally grade separated light rail with integrated bus services for local areas would best serve the public transport needs of Canberra. Despite some positive moves recently, such as the creation of Transport for Canberra putting policy and timetabling responsibilities back in govt hands, other actions such as the fact that the Canberra Transport Plan – which was scheduled for release in first quarter of 2010 and is now a year late – need to be addressed.

I also think that we need to take some responsibility at an individual level. Instead of whining about all the other cars on the roads, when you are sitting in your car alone contributing to the situation, why dont you see if anyone else in your workplace is willing to carpool ? Or you could take the bus, or cycle.

Lastly, roundabouts are built to serve a certain volume of cars performing a certain percentage of turns. Gundaroo Drive has been notoriously overcapacity for several years now, and Crace has simplly added to that . I suggest you lobby the Minister and Roads ACT directly. Whinging on the RiotACT and angry letters to the CT are venting measures, but writing to the people with their hands on the levers of power may prove more useful (or not).

Damien Haas
Chair, ACT Light Rail

Pork Hunt said :

EvanJames said :

Similar to the mess that stretches from Qbn to Canberra every morning. Since Canberra Avenue became a car park in the morning, many Qbn-ites use the Oakes Estate Rd to get onto Pialligo Ave. The halt caused by the Fairbairn traffic lights (at the airport) enables these drivers to break into the traffic, which causes a second halt, that has traffic at a standstill right back into Queanbeyan.

It’s pretty galling to be stop-1st gear-stop all the way from spotlight to Oaks Estate Rd and have these characters come sliding up, expecting to be let in, when we’ve been crawling for several KMs. Quite a few drivers do let them in, but I think the penny is starting to drop.

I live near the railway station and access Pialligo Ave just as you describe.

Are you suggesting I drive to the Yass Rd roundabout just so I can join the “end” of the queue?

As it is perfectly legal to enter a main road from a side road, I don’t see what your problem is.

My problem is not that drivers enter the main road from a side road, my problem is drivers who deliberately dog leg through Crace to avoid the traffic which is already waiting. These drivers expect to get onto the main road to the detriment of the drivers who waited patiently.

Thoroughly Smashed said :

“These are local roads for local people. They’re not FOR you.”

Have Edward and Tubbs found a no-tail for David yet?