More than $100 million earmarked for a short road duplication would be better spent on pedestrian and cycling infrastructure, a cycling advocacy group has said.
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Pedal Power executive director Simon Copland said road duplications do not reduce congestion and create induced demand.
"I think $107 million is a lot of money for a 4.5-kilometre stretch of road. We actually need to be questioning whether duplications like this are the way forward for our transport infrastructure," Mr Copland said.
"If we were to direct that money into public or active transport, we could see greater benefits for our city, across the entire city."
Mr Copland said Canberrans needed to question whether duplications were the way forward for the city's transport infrastructure.
"It just doesn't work. It's never worked. It doesn't work anywhere in the world. It's trying to solve the problem with the same solution that doesn't work," he said.
The ACT government and the Commonwealth were originally set to equally share the estimated $53 million project cost to duplicate William Hovell Drive between John Gorton Drive and Drake-Brockman Drive.
But territory budget papers revealed the ACT would spend $80.75 million on the project, more than three times its original $26.5 million contribution.
The project is still expected to be finished by 2026.
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Transport Minister Chris Steel on Monday said the government was experiencing rising prices on infrastructure projects.
The economic shocks of COVID-19 and the effect of the war in Ukraine on material prices had resulted in cost rises on projects across Australia, he said.
"We are the fastest growing jurisdiction in the country and we will need to continue to invest in infrastructure that supports our growing community," Mr Steel said.
"But there will be cost escalations as we go about that infrastructure program."
The ACT budget included $26 million for walking and cycling infrastructure.
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Jasper Lindell
Jasper Lindell joined The Canberra Times in 2018. He is a Legislative Assembly reporter, covering ACT politics and government. He also writes about development, transport, heritage, local history, literature and the arts, as well as contributing to the Times' Panorama magazine. He was previously a Sunday Canberra Times reporter.
Jasper Lindell joined The Canberra Times in 2018. He is a Legislative Assembly reporter, covering ACT politics and government. He also writes about development, transport, heritage, local history, literature and the arts, as well as contributing to the Times' Panorama magazine. He was previously a Sunday Canberra Times reporter.
