| Lib candidates pledge to fight traffic priority. |
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TWO Liberal candidates for Franklin have pledged to fight to correct what they describe as the neglect of an Eastern Shore traffic plan and other infrastructure issues.
Both candidate’s comments follow increasingly frustrating delays during morning peak hours because of minor works on the western shore that block west-bound lanes over the Tasman Bridge or minor traffic pile-ups that take inordinate lengths of time to clear resulting up to hour-long traffic delays. The plan, elements of which are supported by Clarence City Council, is based on a strategic Lauderdale to Bowen Bridge Eastern Ring Road with minimal private entrances and well-designed junctions. Already adopted by Council include: 1. The missing Flagstaff Geilston Bay link (currently being surveyed by Council) – to take northern traffic away from the Tasman Bridge and remove high traffic volumes from Begonia Street and Malunna Road which has become a dangerous inter-highway ‘rat-run’. 2. The northern and southern Rokeby By-Passes - reduce the South Arm Highway bottlenecks. 3. The Rose Bay High School slip lane to extend the East Derwent Highway merging lane beyond the Rosny Hill Rd overpass so that Lindisfarne traffic bound for Cambridge or the airport will not play Russian roulette across two lanes of lanes of bridge traffic heading to Bellerive. 4. Tasman Highway off ramps and a revision of other traffic arrangements around the Rosny CBD, including a slip road along the golf course side of Eastlands, opening up Bligh Street and closing the restaurant car park ‘rat run’ on Ross Avenue (McDonalds). 5. Making East Derwent Highway four lanes all the way to the Bowen Bridge by adding lanes through Geilston Bay and from Grass Tree Hill Road to the Bowen Bridge. Council is also surveying the locations of former Eastern Shore jetties to restore them into ‘park and water ride’ options for crossing the Derwent. Jacquie Petrusma met with Clarence Mayor Jock Campbell, and said just some of the serious transport and infrastructure issues on the Eastern Shore discussed included: • The Tasman Bridge, East Derwent and Tasman Highway merging lanes which are creating mayhem when driving to Eastern Shore. • Working towards a Rokeby bypass. • Gas to be brought to Eastern Shore homes. • The need for improved infrastructure to enable greater use of ferry transport; and improved cycling infrastructure. “The Eastern Shore has not has the attention it needs paid to its serious and potentially catastrophic transport and infrastructure problems and if elected I will do everything possible to put them front and centre on the political agenda,” Jacquie Petrusma said. Ald Mulder said a considerable amount of work had already been undertaken. “However the State Government continues to ignore in the naive hope that private transport will decline despite studies and population projections that indicate the contrary. “It is vital that land is reserved and projects taken to the ‘shovel-ready’ stage as transport corridors will always be required, whatever the form of future transport may take.”
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