15 September 2011

Kings Avenue carpark to get worse before it gets better

| johnboy
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The National Capital Authority is giving notice that they’re busy laying asphalt to finish off the works on Kings Avenue and to expect delays:

Motorists are advised to expect delays at the Kings Avenue overpass construction over the next three days, particularly during the AM and PM peak traffic times.

Substantial asphalt laying works are being undertaken until Saturday 17 September.

“This is an important stage of work before the overpass is officially opened next week,” said NCA chief executive, Gary Rake.

“The construction of the overpass has been staged to ensure the intersection could remain operational throughout the build.

“Next week all the lanes and pedestrian paths will be accessible.

“We are grateful to the people of Canberra and the region for their understanding with regard to the roadworks,” he said.

Motorists are encouraged to take alternate routes where possible.

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Watson said :

You may be right and maybe I am a typical Canberra driver in that new traffic situations confuse me. And I have the habit of looking ahead and when I cannot immediately make sense of what is happening further up, I suffer a momentary lapse of concentration. Though part of the issue is probably also feeling pressured by the impatient drivers behind me.

That is one of the reasons why they have a low speed limit in roadworks area’s. Pity most people, especially around this project don’t obey the speed limit.

JC said :

That’s funny because I kinda thought the part where the merge is was using a new surface and where the lines show through was a little further down towards the city, well have the merge. Though yes having old lines showing is a pain in the bum especially at night where they become more obvious. I hope when they put down the final surface on Kings Ave they resurface the existing surface down to where the temp lines end.

You may be right and maybe I am a typical Canberra driver in that new traffic situations confuse me. And I have the habit of looking ahead and when I cannot immediately make sense of what is happening further up, I suffer a momentary lapse of concentration. Though part of the issue is probably also feeling pressured by the impatient drivers behind me. I had some idiot beep me repeatedly the other day because I didn’t cross Northbourne as I would’ve had to drive over the teenage girl on her bike who was crossing at the wrong time. The driver behind me most likely could not see the bike, but FFS, even if I was just being too careful, don’t pressure drivers into moving forward when they don’t feel safe to do so!

Watson said :

JC said :

Take note to that driver and others the exit lane is a terminating lane, that means when you cross the white line you have to give way to vehicles in the lane where you need to merge.

It is actually very hard to make sense of the lines there because the old lines are showing through when the light hits them the right way. I only saw that white dotted line at the last moment the other morning because of all the other lines that seemed to be going everywhere – at least that was what it looked like to me in the morning sun. They could at least make more of an effort to black the obsolete lines out properly.

That’s funny because I kinda thought the part where the merge is was using a new surface and where the lines show through was a little further down towards the city, well have the merge. Though yes having old lines showing is a pain in the bum especially at night where they become more obvious. I hope when they put down the final surface on Kings Ave they resurface the existing surface down to where the temp lines end.

I noticed a similar thing on the GDE where they have blasted some old lines off but you can still see the line in the dark. Maybe a 2nd blast is in order.

Spectra said :

Nome said :

Someone is making money off the ACT Govt by these excessive delays. It is totally unacceptable. 11 years of Labor is at least 10 years too long.

Care to explain how the ACT government is at fault for delays on a project managed by the National Capital Authority (a federal government body)?

Under the Australian Capital Territory (Planning and Land Management) Act 1988, the NCA has the authority to prepare and administer a National Capital Plan. Are you saying the ACT govt have no oversight, input or knowledge of how projects are implemented in the city the govern. Of course they do and are accountable.

JC said :

Take note to that driver and others the exit lane is a terminating lane, that means when you cross the white line you have to give way to vehicles in the lane where you need to merge.

It is actually very hard to make sense of the lines there because the old lines are showing through when the light hits them the right way. I only saw that white dotted line at the last moment the other morning because of all the other lines that seemed to be going everywhere – at least that was what it looked like to me in the morning sun. They could at least make more of an effort to black the obsolete lines out properly.

ohmygoy said :

When you get off the Kings Avenue you now have to merge onto Parkes Way. There is constantly traffic backed up… It should be common knowledge by now that Canberrans don’t know how to merge!

S*** design.

Your right people don’t know how to merge and that is the problem here.

I was coming along under the bridge the other day and a car coming off Kings Ave expected me to give way to them. I would have got out of their way except I couldn’t move to the right as a car was already there and there was plenty of room for the car that needed to merge to back off and pull in behind, yet he tried to just try and force me to slow to give way, which is not how these merges work.

Take note to that driver and others the exit lane is a terminating lane, that means when you cross the white line you have to give way to vehicles in the lane where you need to merge. This is different to the usual form one lane merges in Canberra where both vehicles have equal priority beyond the merge. In fact I notice that terminating merges are getting more and more common, with a couple around the Glenlock. The one that scares me is where the Tuggeranong Parkway joins William Hovell Drive. The cars coming of the Parkway travel at quite a bad and about half want to get into the RH lane right have the merge, which can cause the traffic to get a bit hectic around there, an accident or two waiting to happen.

Though with the Parkes way thing you say the design is bad, may I was what you think the alternative is?

And Braddonboy think the 3rd lane along the lake is a long way off. A tender went out the other month for high level design and nothing is in the budget yet, so guess your looking at at least 3-5 years, unless the feds have some money ready for it.

Nome said :

Someone is making money off the ACT Govt by these excessive delays. It is totally unacceptable. 11 years of Labor is at least 10 years too long.

Care to explain how the ACT government is at fault for delays on a project managed by the National Capital Authority (a federal government body)?

geoffrah said :

can Roads ACT get anything right ?

It seems a tiny bit unfair to blame Roads ACT when they’re not actually involved…

Talking of Parkes Way, anybody heard of talk that a third lane will be added to both directions from around C’wealth Ave to the GDE?

screaming banshee10:32 pm 15 Sep 11

geoffrah said :

agree with ohmygo – Just like the GDE – absolutely crap design. On what planet would you design a tiny merge lane with all the traffic coming from Kings Ave, trying to merge with all the westbound traffic on Parkes Way – can Roads ACT get anything right ?

To be fair I don’t think the length of the merge is so much the issue, it’s more down to the poor assumption that Canberra drivers have the ability to merge

All I can think about when traveling less than 15km in over 50 mins is Someone is making money off the ACT Govt by these excessive delays. It is totally unacceptable. 11 years of Labor is at least 10 years too long. I’ll remember the hours spent in my car over the last 4 years when voting. I encourage other csnberrans to do the same.

agree with ohmygo – Just like the GDE – absolutely crap design. On what planet would you design a tiny merge lane with all the traffic coming from Kings Ave, trying to merge with all the westbound traffic on Parkes Way – can Roads ACT get anything right ?

ohmygoy said :

When you get off the Kings Avenue you now have to merge onto Parkes Way. There is constantly traffic backed up… It should be common knowledge by now that Canberrans don’t know how to merge!

S*** design.

I found the problem was that it is not a form one lane – which would also be bad – but a give way for those coming off the bridge. And Canberran drivers are particularly bad at letting people in. Hence my foul language that morning. It definitely included the words selfish, a***holes and bastards, but I cannot remember the rest as the sudden surge of blood flooding to my brain temporarily paralysed my short term memory.

They’re using “alternate” for “alternative” again. I’d have thought they’d have learned when all their signs had to be corrected.

When you get off the Kings Avenue you now have to merge onto Parkes Way. There is constantly traffic backed up… It should be common knowledge by now that Canberrans don’t know how to merge!

S*** design.

I wish I had known about the traffic situation there before I drove from the Inner North to the Inner South at 9am the other day. I thought I was going to have a stroke trying to turn left from Anzac Parade. My daughter will be scarred forever by the language that came out of my mouth. 😮

And driving North is just as bad. Not sure if this situation is only caused by roadworks? That route was always busy in peak hour, but I’ve never known it to be that bad or that difficult to negotiate.

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