Central fifth lane for buses proposed for Southern Outlet to ease traffic pain
DETAILS of the State Government’s proposed fifth lane for the Southern Outlet have been revealed.
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A CENTRAL fifth lane prioritising buses and switching direction between peak hours is the preferred option of a study into Southern Outlet traffic to be released by the State Government on Friday.
Infrastructure Minister Jeremy Rockliff will release the report, commissioned to support the Hodgman’s Government’s $35 million pledge to build a fifth lane on the Hobart to Kingston route.
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It was one of a suite of measures announced during the election campaign to tackle Hobart’s crippling congestion.
The report, prepared for the Department of State Growth by international engineering consultant Jacobs, suggests a central, tidal flow bus transit lane costing between $57.2 million and $67.4 million over two stages be considered.
“Providing a dedicated bus lane will deliver travel time savings for buses on the Southern Outlet and will encourage people to use public transport rather than their private vehicles,” it finds.
The move would be part of a broader strategy also including a new Kingston ‘park and ride’ interchange and buses upgraded with WiFi.
Two options for flow onto Macquarie St are considered — no parallel parking on either side or parking allowed on just one side of the thoroughfare.
Mr Rockliff said the fifth lane would dovetail with the State Government’s takeover of Macquarie and Davey streets from Hobart City Council.
“The new lane will provide for more room on the road and give priority to public transport and emergency vehicles,” he told the Mercury.
“It will also incentivise public transport options in and out of the city by ensuring commuters using public transport reach their destination quickly and reliably.”
But the complex nature of the project could mean the design concept changes, Mr Rockliff said, particularly as extensive community consultation is undertaken.
“While the options identified in the feasibility study demonstrate that the project is possible, the final design may vary significantly from the initial concept, after community consultation, planning and scoping have been undertaken,” he said.
“Seeking the views of the community in the early stages of the process is a crucial step.”
The report considered three options, also including single direction bus lanes costing between $23.3 million and $62 million.
A second project creating bus lanes on Macquarie St would cost around $2 million.
It would reduce parking spaces on the thoroughfare from the current 182 to 98 if parking was permitted on one side, and to just five if it was banned on both sides.
The report found there were 280 crashes on the roads considered over a five-year period, resulting in 47 injuries.
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