Fosters and North East Road Intersection

Ms WORTLEY (Torrens) (15:00): My question is to the Minister for Transport. When will the minister deliver on his election promise to install traffic signals at the intersection of Fosters and North East roads?

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL (Schubert—Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Local Government, Minister for Planning) (15:00): I do thank the member for Torrens for her question and bring her back to questioning that was undertaken via the member for Torrens in last year's budget, in the first budget the Marshall Liberal government handed down. Essentially, in estimates questioning we outlined the fact that a signalised intersection on North East Road, whilst providing a greater level of service for the people on Fosters Road, would actually have delayed traffic significantly for the tens and tens and tens of thousands of people who use North East Road every single day.

When faced with that information, we had the choice of either doing something that would actually cause pain to tens of thousands of north-eastern suburbs residents or looking at alternative treatments that help to provide an improved level of service. We took that bucket of money, that one point something million dollars that was promised as part of the election, and actually provided a different kind of upgrade to Fosters Road—essentially a line-marking scheme, as well as a number of other treatments along that corridor.

I was pretty honest in estimates questioning about the fact that we weren't going to deliver a signalised intersection but also honest as to the reasons why. The truth is that, in this situation, to go ahead and deliver a signalised intersection may have brought some relief for the people who live along Fosters Road, but the members for Wright, Newland, King and Morialta would have seen an increased delay at that intersection.

Again, coming to government, what we said early and often was that we wanted to take an evidence-based approach to delivering infrastructure. So, when faced with the evidence that what you were going to do was going to ruin traffic, you don't do it. I think we have been pretty honest about that, having delivered other solutions to help the people of Fosters Road, whilst keeping North East Road, which is one of the major thoroughfares and major arterial roads into Adelaide, free for passing traffic.