While it is early days, initial information from the Government’s traffic management unit suggests that our congestion-reducing measures are working.
While traffic was understandably busier today than it has been over the holiday period as students return to school, I am advised that there was no repeat of the traffic congestion incidents that were experienced at the same time last year.
Measured traffic volumes were not substantially different on any of the major approaches except the Brooker Hwy, which is Hobart’s busiest commuter corridor.
Significantly, it appears more drivers are leaving home earlier which has created a more even distribution of cars travelling into the city across the morning.
It is not a surprise that there are more cars on the road, as Tasmania’s economy is once again growing and jobs are being created- something that couldn’t have happened under the job-destroying policies of the Labor-Green Government.
The Government is committed to reducing congestion events, which is why we have taken action to reduce their impact on Tasmanians.
We are currently trialling a free public transport before 7am initiative through Metro, in addition to encouraging the Hobart City Council to smooth traffic flows on Macquarie and Davey Streets and investing in improved signals management. These initiatives will be evaluated to assess their effectiveness after the February peak has passed, and despite Labor’s scaremongering, there is no ‘silver bullet’ to make traffic disappear from our roads.
We are also working cooperatively with the Federal Government on vital infrastructure that will help reduce congestion, including new traffic lights and lanes on the Brooker Highway near Howard road and a joint $30 million commitment to replace the Hobart Airport Roundabout- something that has clearly escaped the attention of Labor’s transport spokesperson Craig Farrell, who has bizarrely called on us to accept non-existent funding from Federal Labor for the exact same project. With such poor attention-to-detail, it's little wonder that Tasmanians don’t trust Labor with money and the State’s finances.
We will continue to monitor the roads to minimise the impact of congestion events on road users and I look forward to announcing more congestion-busting measures in the future. Tasmanians can rest assured the Hodgman Government is getting on with the leadership job of resolving these issues.