Media release – Michael Ferguson, Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, 31 August 2021
Public feedback sought on Southern Outlet projects
Consultation has now started on projects aimed at reducing traffic congestion between Kingston and the Hobart CBD, with residents and businesses encouraged to have their say in the coming weeks.
We know that the Kingborough and Huon Valley regions are growing quickly, with more than 10,000 additional people projected to be living in the regions by 2040.
The Southern Outlet between Kingston and Hobart carries one of the highest daily traffic volumes on our State road network and is at capacity in the morning peak period.
That’s why we are taking action to improve congestion, with an integrated suite of projects to be delivered as part of the Hobart City Deal.
The projects combine greater capacity with an extra lane:
*On the Southern Outlet from Olinda Grove;
*At the bottleneck joining Davey and Macquarie Streets; and
*Through into Macquarie Street.
The extra transit lane will be for the exclusive use for buses, emergency vehicles, motorbikes, taxis and private vehicles with three or more occupants.
This will be complemented by new park and ride facilities at Huntingfield and Firthside and up to 70 extra bus services to improve travel along this important road corridor.
The intersection between Davey Street and Macquarie Street will be realigned to include four lanes (up from the current three) from the Southern Outlet into Macquarie Street, as well as the removal of parking and establishment of clearways down to the intersection with Molle St.
On Macquarie and Davey Streets, plans include improved bus shelters at busy bus stops and a new cycling lane on Davey Street.
Community consultation on the concept designs for the transit lane and Macquarie and Davey Street projects will take place from today until Monday, 27 September 2021.
The public can view the designs and have their say to inform the development of detailed designs for the projects by visiting the Transport website, www.transport.tas.gov.au/southernprojects.
The Department of State Growth has been in contact with all property owners that may be impacted and will continue to engage directly with them throughout public consultation period.
A link to the designs can be found at https://files.stategrowth.tas.gov.au/index.php/s/yxV7Rybsj2DQY1L
Transcript of media conference with independent Clark MHA Kristie Johnston and Dynnyrne resident Meghan Smith, Parliament Lawns, Hobart, 1 September 2021.
Kristie Johnston
Hello, sorry. Good. Excellent. So we’ve got Mike Smith. He’s one of the domain right residents joining us today. Excellent. Why do you have to make a quick statement to start with?
Over the last two days under question time, it’s been revealed that Minister Ferguson has been dishonest, and he’s misleading the Tasmanian community, particularly southern Tasmanian community, about two major infrastructure projects in the south. And it’s also been calling out the sham of community consultation processes around his particular projects.
The very first project that we’re quite concerned about the sham of a community consultation project is around the Southern Outlet, the fifth lane on the Southern Outlet. The minister yesterday said in Parliament that it wasn’t going to impact on 17 homes and it’s in his interest to dehumanise this particular project. With the community consultation released yesterday by his department, it clearly shows that it will impact 17 homes. Mr Ferguson has failed though in information that he’s put out available to the community to actually show where those 17 homes are.
We’ve actually managed to fix that particular graphic from Minister Ferguson and we’ve done our own graphic, which clearly shows that where he intends to widen the Southern Outlet to create that fifth lane will go right over the top of 17 family homes. It’s disgraceful that the minister is attempting to dehumanise his project and to belittle and downplay the impact that this will have on many Tasmanian families. It’s disgraceful.
Again in question time today, we see the minister again back flipping over his commitment to preserve the rail corridor and particularly a commitment to preserve the rail corridor across the Bridgewater Bridge. Now again, the Minister has declined to do that. The community have being calling out for the community consultation process, for there to be a preserved rail corridor across the river. The minister made that commitment, but now in Parliament today, we see again him back-flipping. Again, this just shows that Mr Ferguson is not prepared to listen to community consultation, it’s a sham of a process. He only does community consultation to get the answers that he wants. He’s not listening to Tasmanian people, he needs to do much better.
Journalist – Meg Syde
Is the lack of transparency concerning to you?
Kristie Johnston
It is incredibly concerning. As you can see from the community consultation that was released, particularly around the Southern Outlet project yesterday, the minister is hiding the fact that his government plans to demolish 17 family homes. The graphics show, for instance, the aerial shot of Olinda Grove where there will be a break down lane, it shows the aerial impact of what will happen at the Davey Street and Macquarie Street intersections. But conveniently, he’s missed off an aerial shot that shows where his widening of the Southern Outlet will take away 17 family homes. That’s just dishonest. That’s misleading to those families in particular who will be impacted. And it’s also misleading to those members of the public who would like to engage with the community consultation process. As you can see from the survey process, there’s actually no way there we can object to the project itself. It’s an absolute sham of a consultation process. And I call the community to call him out on this to hold him accountable.
Tasmanian Times
Is this is an ongoing problem in Tasmania politics? A lack of consultation or the kind of consultation that is not meaningful at all?
Kristie Johnston
I do think it’s a real concern that we have continued projects put out for community consultation, where the government simply aren’t listening to what the people say during that consultation process. It’s not meaningful, it is merely just trying to pat themselves on the back. We saw it again with the Bridgewater Bridge project, and we now see it with the Southern Outlet project in particular, it is not meaningful. The government doesn’t want to know what the community genuinely thinks. They don’t care about the 17 families that are going to be impacted by the demolition of their homes. They don’t care or want to listen to the other alternatives that there are available to reduce the traffic congestion on the Southern Outlet and in Davey Macquarie Street. They simply want to continue on bulldozing these homes with scant regard the impact that this might have on families.
Tasmanian Times
Are you disappointed that TasRail hasn’t spoken out about the lack of a rail corridor or provision for same on the Bridgewater Bridge proposal?
Kristie Johnston
Look it’s certainly a surprise I suppose today to hear Minister Ferguson decline to say that he continues to maintain his commitment to preserve the rail corridor across the river. He has continually said that his government is firm in their commitment to preserve a rail corridor across river. But clearly today he’s back flipped on that particular commitment. I expect that this will come as shocking news to a number of rail interest groups, TasRail, to the many, many heritage and tourism rail operators we have let alone those who are supporting the northern suburbs rail project. It is disgraceful yet again that the minister has back-flipped on a commitment, a community commitment, that was very strong that he said to the community that we will preserve that rail corridor and again he has simply not done that. It’s disgraceful. What we can see from the Bridgewater Bridge replacement project is that the minister will be demolishing the existing bridge, meaning that between the causeway and river is nothing but air or water. That’s not a preserved rail corridor, and the minister must be called to account.
Meghan Smith
Well, yesterday’s consultation release was so profound that I missed it completely. We were told we were going to get a couple of weeks notice. I got an email yesterday, possibly the day before. So for me, I don’t really understand the process or the relevance of the consultation process. Minister Ferguson’s clearly told us he’s going to do it. So, you know, it’s just a waste of time if you ask me to embark on something that is a complete sham?
Journalist – Meg Syde
I mean, what happens now for you?
Meghan Smith
What happens now for us is we really want to engage those people south of Kingston, because Mr. Ferguson by his own report that they released to us shows that for $72 million investment, and it’s doubled in the past four months, people south of the Southern Outlet will get an entire two minutes saving on the journey in the morning. We’ll lose our homes, they’ll save two minutes. I don’t think it’s a very good bang for your buck. It’s a great photo opportunity for a hardhat-infrastructure-focused minister, but it’s really nothing. He does nothing to design the city that we want for the future.
Kristie Johnston
We do have some mock ups showing the cameras
