Monash Drive - which route?

Paul0075 said :

The route of Monash Dr may have been deleted, however the design of Watson, Dickson, Downer, Hackett and Ainslie all rely on this road being built. If it was built, then it would end or reduce the rat-running through those suburbs to Limestone Av.

Imagine being able to leave those suburbs during your commute, and not have to contend with school zones, shopping traffic, sports traffic and be able to bypass the city as well – it’d transform many of areas in those suburbs from peak hour traffic sewer to a quieter more relaxed and safer environment.

I understand the outcry and the protests, because yes the area is a nice place to go for a bushwalk or bike ride, however, the amenity of the inner north will only degrade unless through traffic has somewhere else to go other than through 2 laned residential areas.

As for routing. I have never held the Stirling Av routing with any regard, the suggestion in the comments for Antill Street makes more sense, but unlike Stirling Av does not have the space for 4 to 6 lanes of traffic. Thanks to the construction of all the high density housing there. It did have the space and no residential facilities nearby up until that point.

Any connection with Federal Hwy should be grade separated as well, to ensure the 80 km/h speed limit on the highway is uninterrupted.

Suburban connections planned, from memory, were Phillip Av (hence the refuse hopper / tip to fill in the location for an interchange), Wolseley St / Ainslie Av, Fairbairn Av and Parkes Way.

Again I am not sure a Parkes Way connection is entirely relevant these days, given the importance recently bestowed on Fairbairn Av around the Majura Park developments. That said, it would need duplicating between Treloar Cr and Majura Pkwy.

Let me put this out there as well. The median along most of Limestone Av is wide enough for light rail or busway, and I have a feeling WBG may have envisaged this as well. Perhaps instead of clogging up Northbourne Av with light rail, it could be routed through that part of the city instead? It’d have a cleaner connection to the eastern part of Civic and Russell too. It could also service the airport more easily as well as the war memorial. The only issue would be getting it through Dickson and Downer.

Good points. The rat-running on that side of Northbourne needs to be addressed.

Paul0075 said :

The route of Monash Dr may have been deleted, however the design of Watson, Dickson, Downer, Hackett and Ainslie all rely on this road being built. If it was built, then it would end or reduce the rat-running through those suburbs to Limestone Av.

Imagine being able to leave those suburbs during your commute, and not have to contend with school zones, shopping traffic, sports traffic and be able to bypass the city as well – it’d transform many of areas in those suburbs from peak hour traffic sewer to a quieter more relaxed and safer environment.

I understand the outcry and the protests, because yes the area is a nice place to go for a bushwalk or bike ride, however, the amenity of the inner north will only degrade unless through traffic has somewhere else to go other than through 2 laned residential areas.

As for routing. I have never held the Stirling Av routing with any regard, the suggestion in the comments for Antill Street makes more sense, but unlike Stirling Av does not have the space for 4 to 6 lanes of traffic. Thanks to the construction of all the high density housing there. It did have the space and no residential facilities nearby up until that point.

Any connection with Federal Hwy should be grade separated as well, to ensure the 80 km/h speed limit on the highway is uninterrupted.

Suburban connections planned, from memory, were Phillip Av (hence the refuse hopper / tip to fill in the location for an interchange), Wolseley St / Ainslie Av, Fairbairn Av and Parkes Way.

Again I am not sure a Parkes Way connection is entirely relevant these days, given the importance recently bestowed on Fairbairn Av around the Majura Park developments. That said, it would need duplicating between Treloar Cr and Majura Pkwy.

Let me put this out there as well. The median along most of Limestone Av is wide enough for light rail or busway, and I have a feeling WBG may have envisaged this as well. Perhaps instead of clogging up Northbourne Av with light rail, it could be routed through that part of the city instead? It’d have a cleaner connection to the eastern part of Civic and Russell too. It could also service the airport more easily as well as the war memorial. The only issue would be getting it through Dickson and Downer.

You talk about traffic in North Canberra having nowhere to go except two lane road rat running, but then suggest Limestone Ave is where the light rail should go. Ironic, because for North Canberra I would have thought that Limestone was the solution rather than Monash Drive.

Now for traffic from Gungahlin or from the Federal Highway who want to bypass the city and Northborne Ave, Majura Parkway is the answer. So again no need for Monash Drive.

Also have said it before the original plans for Monash Drive was not to intersect with Phillip Ave, but to run as an extension of from Phillip Ave through to Ainsle Ave. Obviously over the years plans changed etc, but that was the original intent.

Masquara said :

bryansworld said :

Masquara said :

Just forget it! Remnant woodlands – no-one is going to put a road through them.

What about the Gungahlin Drive Extension through O’Connor and Bruce Ridges?

As I understand, the conservation value of those woodlands was “moderate”. Mt Majura is “high” …

And look at the legal battle and years of delays that followed with the eastern alignment after it was foisted upon the ACT by Federal Liebral, no doubt at the behest of ACT Liebral who have been making millage of it ever since.

This is just a toy Scalextric folly that will run over budget, over schedule, and only add to the billions spent on roads that lose taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars every year and never make a cent, bankrupting the ACT and leaving a debt burden for our children that will last generations.

Monash Drive will lose money from the moment it is conceived. All to buy the votes of some Gungahlin residents. What about the transport needs of everybody else in Canberra?

I will never drive on it and it will just take away money that would be better spent on hospitals!

It will be an ugly polluting scar through the landscape destroying a lot of bushland and generate a huge amount of noise.

Just like every other similar ill-conceived project around the world it will only attract peak hour commuters with barely one passenger in every car and no-one will use it the rest of the day.

Where is the business case study and what other alternatives have been investigated?

A caller to 666 Chief Minister Talkback last year provided technical information on a faster and cheaper solution that was ignored. All road plans in the ACT should be put on permanent hold until ALL similar alternatives are examined and working prototypes constructed and tested.

The whole road/freeway saga is a dark, mysterious, dismal, impenetrable swamp. The secrecy behind the decisions to build these follies hides all sorts of hidden pitfalls and quicksand pools. The problem however is that the hidden dangers will not really affect those responsible for the pitfalls, which could well bring the projects down. The defects and costs will all ultimately be sheeted home to the ACT taxpayers, who will have to pay for the flawed transport decision making process, not the perpetrators!

All too often these perpetrators move on leaving the mess behind for others to face.

Paul0075 said :

The median along most of Limestone Av is wide enough for light rail or busway, and I have a feeling WBG may have envisaged this as well. Perhaps instead of clogging up Northbourne Av with light rail, it could be routed through that part of the city instead? It’d have a cleaner connection to the eastern part of Civic and Russell too. It could also service the airport more easily as well as the war memorial. The only issue would be getting it through Dickson and Downer.

Because it would then fail to serve more than half of the inner north, not to mention the area of highest housing and employment density along northbourne, and completely miss more than half of the city too.

You proposed route takes you through 1. remnant woodland. 2. the middle of EPIC… I really don’t think you have thought particularly hard about this. Not to mention dumping the traffic on Ainslie Avenue. Why? What earthly purpose would that serve. It doesn’t actually go anywhere. You could of course go on and turn into cooyong/coranderrk sts – but they are a mess as it is, with no way of significantly improving their traffic flow. You could also turn onto Limestone, but that is already a bit messy in the mornings, and you aren’t going to be able to make much difference to that due to the school, AWM, housing. You have also missed a really important point. The government doesn’t want to encourage people to drive more. Public transport is a much more efficient use of space, and is healthier for the population.

bryansworld said :

Masquara said :

Just forget it! Remnant woodlands – no-one is going to put a road through them.

What about the Gungahlin Drive Extension through O’Connor and Bruce Ridges?

As I understand, the conservation value of those woodlands was “moderate”. Mt Majura is “high” …

The route of Monash Dr may have been deleted, however the design of Watson, Dickson, Downer, Hackett and Ainslie all rely on this road being built. If it was built, then it would end or reduce the rat-running through those suburbs to Limestone Av.

Imagine being able to leave those suburbs during your commute, and not have to contend with school zones, shopping traffic, sports traffic and be able to bypass the city as well – it’d transform many of areas in those suburbs from peak hour traffic sewer to a quieter more relaxed and safer environment.

I understand the outcry and the protests, because yes the area is a nice place to go for a bushwalk or bike ride, however, the amenity of the inner north will only degrade unless through traffic has somewhere else to go other than through 2 laned residential areas.

As for routing. I have never held the Stirling Av routing with any regard, the suggestion in the comments for Antill Street makes more sense, but unlike Stirling Av does not have the space for 4 to 6 lanes of traffic. Thanks to the construction of all the high density housing there. It did have the space and no residential facilities nearby up until that point.

Any connection with Federal Hwy should be grade separated as well, to ensure the 80 km/h speed limit on the highway is uninterrupted.

Suburban connections planned, from memory, were Phillip Av (hence the refuse hopper / tip to fill in the location for an interchange), Wolseley St / Ainslie Av, Fairbairn Av and Parkes Way.

Again I am not sure a Parkes Way connection is entirely relevant these days, given the importance recently bestowed on Fairbairn Av around the Majura Park developments. That said, it would need duplicating between Treloar Cr and Majura Pkwy.

Let me put this out there as well. The median along most of Limestone Av is wide enough for light rail or busway, and I have a feeling WBG may have envisaged this as well. Perhaps instead of clogging up Northbourne Av with light rail, it could be routed through that part of the city instead? It’d have a cleaner connection to the eastern part of Civic and Russell too. It could also service the airport more easily as well as the war memorial. The only issue would be getting it through Dickson and Downer.

Masquara said :

Just forget it! Remnant woodlands – no-one is going to put a road through them.

What about the Gungahlin Drive Extension through O’Connor and Bruce Ridges?

JC said :

Totally pointless really.

Monash drive is not needed. What is needed is an upgrade of Gungalins 3 main exit roads to dual carriageway.

Majors parkway has made the need for this road totally redundant. From Gungahlin to the city there is Gungahlin drive/Parkes way or Barton/Flemmington and Northborne Ave. Gungahlin to the south again Gungahlin drive or Majura parkway.

So no need what so ever for an additional road.

For what what it is worth the original intent was for Monash to run into Phillip Ave but that is hardly a good road to use as a main road is it? Phillip ave has house and the alignment it was to take into what is jus Gungahlin has a building on it.

Ps OP note the spelling of Stirling Ave.

Sorry for my poor spelling, shouldn’t write things on an iPhone. Majors road should be Majura road! Plus a few other letters dropped off here an there.