1 October 2010

More business accommodation for Kippax?

| enfoldeadgrrl
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The Land Development Agency (LDA) recently sent a letter to West Belconnen residents advising that a couple of blocks of land near the Kippax shops are going up for sale.

They’re zoned Commercial CZ2 – Business.

I live pretty close to Kippax and have no problem with more business spaces there (though I wonder how they’ll find tenants, given there is such a high vacancy rate for business premises in the area – anecdotally, due to sky-high rents).

With more housing being built out this way, there are more people. These people are attracting businesses like decent pizza joints and little Asian supermarkets to Kippax, which I like.

The thing that’s worrying me is the traffic around this location. These blocks of land are on Hardwick Crescent, Holt. Block 48 is on Southern Cross Drive facing the hideous Florey Drive intersection.

I strongly feel that real improvements need to be made to the intersections along the km or so of Southern Cross Drive around Florey Drive and Starke St before even more traffic is attracted to this area.

I’m sick of white-knuckling it as drivers fly past me while I’m doing the speed limit down the hill, creep out from the side roads into the single-lane main road, and cut across the traffic because they’re tired of waiting for a break so they can turn right. There is a lot of traffic in this area, and not just at peak times.

I want the roads fixed before Kippax gets even bigger. This probably isn’t an issue for me to write to the LDA about, but I’m really concerned. How can I become supreme ruler of the universe and get my bidding done?

Enfoldeadgrrl.

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enfoldeadgrrl said :

I too think there is no way they’ll every put a through road from Florey Dr to Kippax now, but if we are going to have even more traffic circulating around that area, then we need to improve the roads and intersections.

Yes it would be hard considering how close they have allowed the flats and the club to build. So much for keeping reservations open for the future. It would have been an ideal entry to Kippax.

enfoldeadgrrl8:45 pm 04 Oct 10

Thanks for the useful thoughts, #1. I will follow up on some of those.

Although there are not many deaths along here, there are still far too many IMO. And a ridiculous number of accidents, some quite nasty.

I too think there is no way they’ll every put a through road from Florey Dr to Kippax now, but if we are going to have even more traffic circulating around that area, then we need to improve the roads and intersections.

vg said :

I’ll give you a hint, not many

Which is still too many…

Magpies already have the street frontage, and most of the regular members would enjoy a little extra room for their pokies… or dining even… the Club would be mad not to snap it up.

Mulberry said :

in saying this – Kippax is thriving at the moment – best its been in 20 years IMO and I am all for more business, more residential and more growth!

Thanks to the redevelopment of Belconnen Mall I would say. Will be interesting to see what happens when they finish there. Will the customers stay or go back to the Mall?

Grail said :

I can’t see how anyone could sensibly get a driveway in between Magpies and the apartment block. Sure, there is space there for a driveway, but surely you’d want some kind of shopfront.

Depends upon what they use the space for as not everything needs a full sized shop front or for that mater a drive way.

vg said :

With the Macgregor West development there are more and more cars along there every week.

I’ll give you a hint, not many

As a long term resident of the Macgregor/Dunlop area I agree wholeheartedly with the sentiments that the Florey Dr and Starke St intersection with Southern Cross Dr area accident hot spots and need fixing up. Ideal place for roundabouts I say as it WILL slow cars coming down the hill.

I was however surprised to see someone talk about the countless deaths at these intersections. While yes there have been two or so in the last few years, overall the number of deaths is quite small compared to the number of accidents.

I dont know how to find out exactly how many deaths, however I can tell you there have been two in the last 6 months.

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Nemo said :

The Florey drive and Starke St intersections and that stretch of Southern Cross Dr are appalling. I’ve lost count of the number of people who have died along there in the last five years.

With the Macgregor West development there are more and more cars along there every week.

I’ll give you a hint, not many

As a one-time resident of the apartments across from Florey Drive there, I reckon I saw about two accidents a week, and two fatalities at that intersection in the two years I was living there. There has been some work, mainly adding the slip lane for people turning right out of Southern Cross Drive into Florey Drive, but that only involved painting lines and didn’t actually improve the slippery surface.

I can’t see how anyone could sensibly get a driveway in between Magpies and the apartment block. Sure, there is space there for a driveway, but surely you’d want some kind of shopfront.

IMHO the block would be better used for a decent sized roundabout to make that intersection a little saner.

dangerous road – especially with the afternoon sun either side of sth x dr. Too many accidents, too many deaths! When working at kippax about 2yrs ago they did “a lot of work (well what seemed to be months work) on the intersection of sth x and hardwick leading out of Kippax (closest to the vet) and I dont believe it has changed a thing.

OP is definately correct in saying if we are going to build up this community centre (which is GREAT!!!) the roads should definately be a top priority!!

I have lived in this area my whole life, it has always been dangerous and renound (sp) for accidents…
It needs either a round about or Traffic lights…

in saying this – Kippax is thriving at the moment – best its been in 20 years IMO and I am all for more business, more residential and more growth!

The Parkwood eggs trucks and the Woolworths trucks thunder down Southern Cross drive hill.
You often hear a lot of horn-blowing, screeching of brakes as the dual lane merges into one at the bottom of the hill.

The roadside memorials start at the top of the hill and end at the intersection of Southern Cross and Florey Drive.

I remember seeing a person stuck under a car after being run over on the Starke / Southern Cross intersection. It was pretty bad.

Needs something done for sure.

Nemo said :

The Florey drive and Starke St intersections and that stretch of Southern Cross Dr are appalling. I’ve lost count of the number of people who have died along there in the last five years.

With the Macgregor West development there are more and more cars along there every week.

So what’s the death count?

To the OP, you will find the block adjacent to Florey Dr will have access from the Kippax side and not the Southern Cross Drive side, just like the club and vets. The ideal use of this land though would be for an entry into Kippax. Build a roundabout at the intersection of Southern Cross and Florey and bring traffic through the gap, oddly this is what was planned 30 odd years ago.

There is perfectly good commercial space already going vacant in that area, we don’t need more.

The Florey drive and Starke St intersections and that stretch of Southern Cross Dr are appalling. I’ve lost count of the number of people who have died along there in the last five years.

With the Macgregor West development there are more and more cars along there every week.

More retail in local areas is good, as it means more jobs locally and less driving (for local residents and employees). This helps Canberras congestion problems.

On to your problem….

If a DA has been lodged, object to it in writing. State your reasons, use maps, photos etc.

Write a letter to Tony Gill, head of Roads ACT. Ask for a meeting to discuss said issue.

Write a letter to TAMS. Ask for a meeting to discuss said issue.

Contact any or all of your local Assembly members (since no single member can be held accountable in this town). Ask for a meeting to discuss said issue.

Please do not wait for the development to be built without proper road access being upgraded and some poor soul to be skittled in the traffic.

There is a history of inappropriate traffic/parking being built for new retail in this town, the debacle at the Nicholls shops springs to mind. That is an issue that Alastair Coe has been working on quite hard to resolve.

Damien Haas

Vice President, Belconnen Community Council

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