Mitcham Hills Road Upgrade

Mr DULUK (Davenport) (12:43): I move:

That this house urges the Weatherill Labor government to prioritise the upgrade of road maintenance and transport systems through the Mitcham Hills, prioritising Main Road and the Blackwood roundabout, in order to—

(a) improve traffic congestion for residents living in the Mitcham Hills and Southern suburbs;

(b) provide efficient access for emergency services vehicles;

(c) improve traffic management in an emergency event;

(d) create a safer environment for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians; and

(e) meet the population growth needs of Mitcham Hills and the surrounding areas.

It is time for action. It is time for the state government to step out of the shadows of endless plans and strategies and actually deliver tangible benefits, not only for the residents and commuters of the Mitcham Hills but for all South Australians. South Australia's Strategic Plan was launched in 2004. It is supposed to be our 'go to action'—our blueprint for the future. Indeed, there are more than 100 pages outlining a plan for South Australia. But the Strategic Plan is not alone. The Strategic Plan is the overarching plan for South Australia, and it sits at the top of a hierarchy of plans.

We have the 30-Year Plan for Greater Adelaide, our plan for how Adelaide should grow to become more liveable, competitive and sustainable. I was particularly drawn to the following comment in the introduction to the plan for a greater Adelaide: 'Successful cities don't happen by accident. They need long-term strategic planning, coordinated action and sustainable investment.'

Ms Digance: What is your plan?

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Elder, I have heard your voice all morning.

Mr DULUK: Let us be clear: we need long-term strategic planning, coordinated action and sustainable investment. The government has certainly been committed to the planning phase of the 30-year plan. The 30-year plan is a key plank in the government's planning strategy, which also includes the Strategic Plan for South Australia and the Integrated Transport and Land Use Plan.

A key theme of the 30-year plan is to deliver a more connected and accessible Greater Adelaide, but this will be realised under the government's Integrated Transport and Land Use Plan, which guides a number of more detailed strategies and action plans that include South Australia's Road Safety Strategy, the South Australian Cycling Strategy and Road Management Plans. So just to be clear—and for the member for Elder—we have the Strategic Plan, the 30-year plan, the Integrated Transport and Land Use Plan, the Road Safety Strategy, the cycling strategy and the Road Management Plans (of which there are eight, covering various locations). They are there to shape, outline, direct and influence better transport outcomes for road users.

It is fair to say that the planning aspect should be well and truly covered by now. Unfortunately, despite all the resources committed to the researching, developing and drafting of these various documents, there have been very few tangible benefits for the residents of the Mitcham Hills. The main road from Belair Road to the Blackwood roundabout and the roundabout itself have long been a source of frustration and concern for residents and commuters.

Main Road is an important and busy traffic corridor. It provides a connection to the city from Blackwood and the southern suburbs via Belair Road and Old Belair Road. The Blackwood roundabout has five approaching roads. It provides access to Coromandel Parade, Main Road, Shepherds Hill Road and Station Avenue. Shepherds Hill Road provides a link from the southern hills suburbs to South Road and the Southern Expressway via Sturt Road. These are all critical roads in the transport network within the Mitcham Hills, carrying a significant amount of traffic.

Main Road and Shepherds Hill Road are considered major peak hour and major traffic routes, in accordance with DPTI's A Functional Hierarchy for South Australia's Land Transport Network, another plan. DPTI estimates suggest that 26,400 vehicles use the Blackwood roundabout on a daily basis. Crash statistics also indicate that road users have difficulty in navigating the roundabout. The roundabout received the second highest number of nominations through the RAA's 2013 Risky Road Campaign (it is no surprise that the Britannia roundabout was number one).

The main complaints for the roundabout are that the layout is confusing, there is poor signage, and there are inadequate pedestrian crossing opportunities, particularly along Coromandel Parade, Station Avenue and the southern side of Main Road. The RAA Risky Road Study found:

due to high traffic volumes in peak periods the roundabout is congested and vehicle movement is slow, which makes entering and changing lanes for exiting the roundabout very difficult and that the roundabout is too small and overcapacity…

Traffic volumes along Main Road vary. The stretch of Main Road examined by the Blackwood Road Management Plan is approximately 2.9 kilometres in length. Two-way average daily traffic volumes for different sections of this study area ranged from 6,000 to 20,400 vehicles. Last year, a study completed by AAMI Insurance found Main Road to be the fifth most dangerous road in Adelaide. The roadway is regularly congested, especially in peak periods. The single lane section crossing the railway line at Glenalta is a nightmare, especially when a freight train is passing, and traffic approaching the Blackwood roundabout regularly resembles a parking lot.

It is a source of constant frustration for commuters, with time and productivity lost sitting idle in traffic. Traffic volumes along Main Road and at the Blackwood roundabout are expected to only get worse as the population increases, especially with the rise in housing developments such as Blackwood Park and increasing urbanisation in the southern hills areas of Aberfoyle Park, Flagstaff Hill, Upper Sturt, Clarendon and Cherry Gardens. Data from the regional population growth estimates contained on the ABS website show that between 2005 and 2015 the population in the SA2 area of Blackwood alone grew by 8.45 per cent.

The Weatherill government continues to ignore the urgent needs of Mitcham Hills residents. The government has encouraged and facilitated housing and population growth in the area without investing in the infrastructure needs that accompanies such a development. At best, it is an embarrassing oversight; at worst, it is negligence. A smooth-flowing road system is important for people commuting to work, for industry and for the movement of fast and reliable on-road public transport to and from middle and outer Adelaide, which includes the Mitcham Hills and southern Adelaide Hills.

The Integrated Transport and Land Use Plan notes that 'our transport assets continue to play a central role in supporting the state’s economy, connectivity and liveability'. Indeed, the importance of connectivity is emphasised repeatedly: between workplaces, between transport services, between towns and within the state. Yet, despite the endless discussion of the importance of an accessible, reliable fast-moving road system that connects inner Adelaide, middle Adelaide, outer Adelaide and regional and remote South Australia, residents and commuters of Mitcham Hills and the surrounding areas have had little to no investment in existing infrastructure and little to no investment in the improvements to their connectivity.

A key plank of the Integrated Transport and Land Use Plan is continued improvements to the public transport system, including upgrades to and the development of park-and-ride and bike-and-ride facilities to make public transport a more attractive option for more people, to increase patronage and enable us to offer more travel choices. I fully agree with this. I agree that park-and-ride facilities are vital to attracting more people to use our train services.

Increased usage of the Belair line would help reduce demand on the road system and decrease road congestion along Main Road, especially at peak hours. However, people will not take the train if they cannot find a car park at the station. Despite a Labor election promise to commit $7.5 million towards future park-and-rides from 2015-16 at a number of sites around Adelaide, including Bellevue Heights, and despite the government's elaborate hierarchy of plans that all identify the need to improve public transport infrastructure, the Weatherill Labor government has failed year on year to invest in public transportation infrastructure in the Mitcham Hills. This investment would make public transport more attractive, accessible and actually improve patronage.

My constituents are fed up with the government's obsession with producing strategies and plans. My constituents want action. The road management plan for Blackwood was first prepared in 2006. Last year, a second edition was released. In this nine-year period there have been no major works, no major infrastructure investment in the Mitcham Hills and no significant safety improvements for road users or residents. There have been no structural changes to the Blackwood roundabout and traffic congestion along Main Road and for all approaching roads to the roundabout is still rife.

This situation exists despite the urging of the Natural Resources Committee. In 2009, the Natural Resources Committee, chaired by the current Deputy Premier, released its interim bushfire inquiries report. Recommendation 1 stated:

The Committee recommends the provision of substantial funds to improve road infrastructure in the Mitcham Hills to be spent over 2010/11, 2011/12, 2012/13 and 2013/14 budgets.

The final report, released in 2011 when the member for Ashford was the Chair, contained the very same recommendation. I have previously asked the following question in this chamber and I will ask again: how much has the state government allocated to meeting the recommendations of the Natural Resources Committee? Unfortunately, the answer is still the same today: very, very little.

The government has failed to respond to the recommendations of this report. It has failed to respond to the committee's comments that 'steps should be taken to improve the capacity of the road network', and it has failed to respond to the evidence provided to the committee by then Sturt CFS group officer, Mike Pearce. If there was to be a major bushfire in the Mitcham Hills area on any weekend, Mr Pearce noted:

… we could have more than 8,500 vehicles fleeing from an approaching front. Of the six exits from the district, you could reasonably expect less than half to be suitable for this purpose due to bushfire impacts. This situation will cause severe traffic congestion throughout the district and leave road uses in some areas at extreme risk.

Put simply, the Mitcham Hills road corridor will not carry the necessary traffic in the event of a bushfire. Mr Pearce also advised the committee during his testimony that on a good day:

There are traffic jams from the bottom of Old Belair Road to the centre of Blackwood every morning—peak hour—and then when the train goes through it just gets worse.

I can testify to it being like that again this morning when it took almost half an hour to get from the Glenalta station to Blythewood Road. Those comments from Mr Pearce were made back in October 2009. In the seven years since, traffic congestion has only intensified. Seven years on and no action, despite a critical need to upgrade the road network, a critical need to address road capacity issues and a critical need to improve traffic management in an emergency event.

The Weatherill Labor government may be willing to neglect the transport needs of the Mitcham Hills, but we on this side of the house are certainly not. We are committed to improving road safety, reducing peak hour bottlenecks along Main Road, addressing the structural deficiencies at the Blackwood roundabout, upgrading public transport infrastructure and developing an improved road network that can better respond in an emergency situation.

We will take action. We will invest in the infrastructure needs of the Mitcham Hills (for the benefit of the member for Elder). We have already committed $20 million to the first stage of the Main Road corridor upgrade. South Australians are fed up with the government's endless stream of strategies, plans and other documents. Mitcham Hills residents want action. They want improvements to their road network. I call on the government to match the opposition's funding commitment and prioritise the upgrade of road maintenance and transport systems throughout the Mitcham Hills.

The Hon. M.L.J. HAMILTON-SMITH (Waite—Minister for Investment and Trade, Minister for Small Business, Minister for Defence Industries, Minister for Veterans' Affairs) (12:55): Unfortunately, there are only a few short minutes before the end of this session during which I can point out to the house that while some of what the member for Davenport has said has merit, the majority of it is nonsense. First of all, the government has prioritised roads in the Mitcham Hills. There is a long list of achievements.

I could talk about the reduction of speed limits in the business heart of Blackwood; the installation of a painted median on Main Road, including new and upgraded bicycle infrastructure, upgraded lighting, and an indented bus bay opposite Parham Road; pedestrian refuges opposite the Belair Hotel and the adjacent Gulfview Road; a protected right-turn lane to the Wittunga Botanic Park; median improvements at the Glenalta level crossing to improve safety; advance direction signs installed on three of the approaches to the Blackwood roundabout; and, of course, a major review of road needs in the area, including the Blackwood roundabout.

The government has done a lot up there. The problem, though, has been a lack of advocacy. There has been a lack of advocacy from local members in the Hills because some of them have been in opposition since 2002. And because they have been in opposition—

Mr Duluk interjecting:

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: If the member for Davenport says another thing, I will have to call him to order.

The Hon. M.L.J. HAMILTON-SMITH: When you are in opposition, and you remain there for almost 20 years, your ability to lobby on behalf of your electorate is seriously diminished. It is fine to get up and bleat and groan and complain; it is another thing to develop the sorts of relationships you need to develop to get results. We have had good outcomes in Waite in recent years: $1 million into Springbank Road; the Grange Road upgrade has been quite a success, with a major intersection being attended to; and there have been STEM school grants to schools in the electorate. There has been a host of achievements.

That is because when you are in government, you are able to talk to the Minister for Transport and other ministers. When you are in cabinet, you are able to participate in the budget processes. When you are in government, you are able to get results for your electorate, and that is why we are all here. There is one solution to the member for Davenport's problem, and that is get yourself into government and get some results. Quite apart from that, the government has done rather well prioritising roads in the Mitcham Hills in any event because it takes a statewide approach to delivering outcomes regardless of who holds those seats.

There is hope, and that is because the very area the member speaks of is going to be redistributed shortly into the seat of Waite. For the first time since 2002, the constituents of Blackwood will have a member who is in government. I can tell you that that member, if that boundary distribution goes ahead, will apply the same diligence that he has in the seat of Waite, holding the same community meetings that I have held regularly in Waite, the same public meetings, asking the transport minister and officials from Transport to attend them, gathering up the needs of the community, costing those things most carefully and systematically working about arguing for change.

I am very aware, having before me right now the Blackwood Traffic Review, of the discussion paper for consideration by council. I am aware of all of the history of all of the issues in the Hills, my electorate of course currently going to Laffers Road and abutting the precinct. For the first time, the members of Blackwood now have, since 2002, an opportunity to actually get some results. My advice to the member for Davenport would be to talk to the senior group within the Liberal Party about whether or not you can get into government this time so that you can deliver some results for your electorate. I seek leave to continue my remarks.

Leave granted; debate adjourned.

Sitting suspended from 13:00 to 14:00.