Invermay traffic master plan open for public comment

Published on 27 April 2018

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The City of Launceston has opened community consultation on its draft Invermay Traffic Master Plan.

City of Launceston Mayor Albert van Zetten said that traffic issues in the area, particularly around the Lindsay and Goderich Street intersection, had been well publicised.

"However, there needs to be a number of solutions put in place to help address these broader transport issues, including bicycle and pedestrian access," Mayor van Zetten said.

"The Silos Hotel, the new Automobile Museum and the exciting 'North Bank' park redevelopment will only add to the congestion in that area. That said, I don't believe there's one single solution to address that - so we're proposing a number of projects that will alleviate the problems over the short to medium term.

"The expectation is that the link road will alleviate the current problem of vehicles trying to turn right onto the Charles Street bridge from Lindsay Street.

"By providing an alternate route, with two dedicated right-turn lanes from Gleadow Street onto Goderich Street, we believe will make it much safer and decrease the congestion on Lindsay Street.

"Ultimately, the State Government's solution to the Charles Street bridge bottleneck will be paramount to addressing the traffic demand that's only increasing in Launceston."

At the recent state election, the Liberal Government pledged $40 million to expand the capacity of the Charles Street bridge for through traffic, and to redesign the Invermay road network to address traffic congestion, prior to the relocation of the University of Tasmania campus to Inveresk.

Mayor van Zetten said the proposed link road would include a new signalised intersection at Goderich and Gleadow Street, which will be funded by the state government.

The main feature of this proposed new intersection will be a double right turn from Gleadow into Goderich Street.

Other projects up for discussion include upgrading the Forster Street/Goderich Street intersection to include an additional right-turn lane from Goderich Street into Forster Street.

Mayor van Zetten said having two right-turn lanes into Forster Street till improve traffic capacity, particularly once the University comes online. He said the changes will not impact parking capaity in Forster Street.

To have your say, or to find out more about the draft master plan, visit Your Voice Your Launceston.