Just a week into the three-year 'Light Rail' construction in Civic, drivers are already facing heavy congestion and long delays. Frustrated motorists have begun taking risky shortcuts, prompting authorities to warn against unsafe driving.
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00:00Some say Canberra's roads feel busier than ever, with cabbies possibly the only drivers
00:08who benefit.
00:09We're making money because the meter is working, we're stuck in the traffic.
00:14But the problem with the passenger, they are worried about going to work and you know they
00:19are paying much fare.
00:20Yeah, it has been busy, having trouble finding a car park.
00:23The closure of the western side of London's circuit for light rail construction has resulted
00:28in increased congestion on Edinburgh Avenue and Marcus Clark Street, and that's flowing
00:33on to other routes in and out of the city.
00:36Particularly, I've seen some extra traffic on Barton Highway, so we may see people coming
00:40in from Barrie Drive or from the north as opposed to using Parkes Way.
00:46Even so, Parkes Way is still busy.
00:49Parkes Way itself is always congestion, particularly when we get near the city.
00:55It's been like that for a number of years and it's very sensitive to any minor adjustments.
01:00So particularly if we get an accident or an incident in that area, that's when we start
01:05to see the major delays.
01:07Roads ACT uses a network of 130 CCTV cameras and 500 Bluetooth signal trackers to monitor
01:15traffic flow and tweak traffic light sequences.
01:18Each of the traffic signals have the ability to adapt and provide additional time for certain
01:24movements based on the traffic volumes, but we also have the ability to intervene and
01:29manually adjust.
01:30That's not enough for some drivers, who Roads ACT say have begun taking illegal shortcuts
01:36through the city bus interchange.
01:38We're looking to try and prevent that.
01:40We know we have buses and a lot of pedestrians in that area that we need to keep safe.
01:44Instead, drivers are being urged to travel outside peak times where possible, consider
01:48alternatives like public transport and keep an eye and ear out for updates about road
01:54closures and with light rail construction expected for years to come, buckle up for
01:59more delays.