15 questions Council won’t answer on the Indooroopilly roundabout
It is the most important piece of road infrastructure in years in Brisbane’s west. Yet, Council has ducked detailed questions about its preferred two designs.
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The cost of upgrading Indooroopilly roundabout and impacts on motorists entering from Coonan St have to be released as soon as possible, Councillor Nicole Johnston says.
Cr Johnston (Tennyson) said it beggared belief that Brisbane City Council could release a costing for the proposed Kangaroo Point footbridge, which was still only at the stage of concept drawings, but not do so for the roundabout despite work on it being at a far more advanced stage.
“I am suspicious that there are estimated time savings for people using Moggill Rd, but only vague references to people using Coonan St,’’ she said.
“I can’t see how Moggill Rd can benefit greatly and Coonan St not be affected by that.’’
Her comments came as the RACQ said that, at this stage, it favoured the T-intersection upgrade (Option A), one of two options the council released Monday.
The RACQ’s Dr Rebecca Michael said her organisation would like to see more through and turning lanes.
“The traffic signal timing should be optimised to minimise delays for all directions, with Moggill Rd being the major flow.
“Moggill Rd is a busy road and these intersection improvements will not only improve traffic flow, but will also make it safer for all road users.’’
The upgrade could save Moggill Rd commuters as much as 43 seconds during the morning peak and 26 seconds in the afternoon peak under Option B, the council claimed in the flyer mailed to residents.
It did not mention time savings for Coonan St users.
Cr Johnston and Westside News asked the council 15 questions about the options, including costs, the current morning peak travel time along Coonan St, how much time would be saved for Coonan St users if Option B was chosen, and any extra time for them in option A.
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Cr Johnston also asked what the expected traffic light timings would be for right hand turns from Coonan St into a Moggill Rd slip lane, under option B, and timings for right hand turns from the Moggill Rd slipway into Coonan St.
Council did not answer any of the 15 questions.
“In my view, the project prioritises east-west traffic using Moggill Rd and, if not done properly, could have a detrimental impact on north-south traffic from our side of the river (Chelmer, Sherwood, Graceville) heading into the city,’’ Cr Johnston said.
“Vague promises to ‘save time’ for Walter Taylor Bridge are unquantified, in stark contrast to the Moggill Rd time savings prominently featured in the marketing material.’’
She urged the public to attend public consultation sessions at Indooroopilly Shopping Centre food court on September 15 and 19 to ask their own questions.
Federal LNP MP for Ryan, Julian Simmonds, the former councillor for Walter Taylor, urged residents to get behind the project and show their “overwhelming support to help me bust local congestion’’.
“The ($25 million in) federal funds I’ve secured have kickstarted this long awaited project,’’ he said.
“Prior to the election, I spoke about the importance of fixing bottlenecks on Moggill Rd.
“I will continue to push for this project to be delivered as a soon as possible.’’
COUNCILLOR JOHNSTON’S 15 QUESTIONS
1. What is the current AM peak hour traffic estimate for vehicles heading northbound on Coonan St?
2. What is the estimated AM peak travel time detriment to Coonan St traffic heading northbound if Option A is implemented?
3. What is the estimated AM peak travel time saving to Coonan St traffic heading northbound if Option B is implemented?
4. What is the proposed traffic light timing length for right hand turns from Coonan St into Moggill Rd, versus east-west traffic light timing?
5. What is the proposed traffic light timing for right hand turns from the Coonan St bridge into the Moggill Rd slip lane under Option B?
6. What is the proposed traffic light timing for right hand turns from the Moggill Rd slip lane into the Coonan St bridge under Option B?
7. Is the Moggill Rd slip lane from the bridge in Option B two lanes? If so, how long is the merge along the slip lane?
8. In Option B, how many lanes are there east of the proposed bridge along the main section of Moggill Rd?
9. With respect to Option B, is the southbound lane of Coonan St two lanes or one, south of Keating St?
10. Will the exit from the strip shopping centre shown on both Options A and B be controlled by traffic lights? If not, by what signage?
11. How will traffic heading northbound along Coonan St access the strip shopping centre if Keating St is closed to right hand turns?
12. There does not appear to be any provision for cyclists along Coonan St. How do the bike paths, if any, connect to Moggill Rd? What alternative cycling access has been provided along other parallel streets, if not on Coonan St? Are protected on or off road cycling paths proposed for the project?
13. The Lord Mayor promised the project would fix Coonan St but the project does not include any upgrades south of Keating St, such as the single lane sections of Coonan St or the Westminster intersection. Why not?
14. Will the surplus land around the intersection upgrade be converted to parkland or for community use?
15. Is council planning to sell or develop the surplus land around the intersection upgrade for residential, commercial or other for-profit purposes?
COUNCIL’S ANSWER TO HER 15 QUESTIONS
The two design options for the removal of the notorious Indooroopilly roundabout and intersection upgrade are now out for public consultation.
These designs are in their initial stage and have just opened up for community consultation, with the overall costings and time savings to be finalised once the preferred design option is selected.
The Federal Government has committed $25 million within its Urban Congestion Fund for the upgrade.
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