The RRA has an e-petition, sponsored by Rebecca Vassarotti MLA, on line until 16 October. The petition, No. E-PET-077-26, can be found at https://epetitions.parliament.act.gov.au/search/current.
After 16 October, it will be tabled in the Legislative Assembly and the relevant minister compelled to provide a formal written response. If we manage more than 500 signatures, the issue will go to a committee for consideration.
Any resident of the ACT over 18 years of age is entitled to sign a petition to the Legislative Assembly. We encourage you to sign the e-petition and spread the word. If you would like to sign and have difficulties accessing the e-petition, please contact us at info@reid.northcanberra.org.au and we will arrange a paper version for you.
The wording of the petition is as follows:
Reason for this Petition
The following residents of the ACT draw the attention of the Assembly to the need for measures to deal with the level and speed of commuter traffic through the residential suburb of Reid.
Reid was designed as a garden city precinct on the periphery of Burley Griffin’s “city beautiful” plan. Recent developments have led to some of Reid’s streets becoming de facto sub-arterial roads rather than the access and local roads appropriate to any residential precinct/suburb – let alone one that is a heritage precinct. These developments include the:
- continual expansion of the office complex at Russell, with its large car parks encouraging commuter traffic;
- shift towards a more dominant city centre with consequent increases in commuter traffic;
- downgrading of Constitution Avenue as an east-west arterial road (40 kph speed limit; bus lane) to more of a local access road. This has created commuter “rat runs” via various streets, including Coranderrk, Booroondara, Currong, and Elimatta streets towards Blamey Cresent, Campbell;
- reduced capacity and service levels on Northbourne Avenue as a result of traffic management changes to accommodate the light rail and encouraging traffic to divert to Limestone Avenue;
- recent signalisation of the intersection of Euree Street and Limestone Avenue affording a dedicated right-turn phase for traffic from Limestone Avenue into Euree Street. This has facilitated the use of Reid streets to bypass increasing congestion at the Anzac Parade roundabout. At the same time:
- smart satellite navigation systems find the best routes, regardless of the urban road hierarchy;
- there is an absence of 50 kph signage where traffic turns off the adjacent 60 kph arterial roads into Reid and speed limits are rarely policed;
- there is an issue of junction priorities within Reid. The principal “rat run” streets (Booroondara, Currong, Doonkuna, and Elimatta) all have intersection priority along their length within Reid, encouraging their use (and speeding), unhindered by any need to slow, yield or stop at cross-streets. At the intersection of Currong and Euree streets, five serious accidents have occurred in the last three years, requiring police and ambulance attendance, and causing repeated property damage to a house on the corner
Requested Actions
Your petitioners, therefore, request the Assembly to to call on the ACT Government to comply with the ACT Movement and Place Assessment Guide (TCCS) 2025 and reduce the incentive for commuter traffic to travel through Reid by implementing various measures, including:
- apply a 40 kph speed limit to the suburb. This would require only a few signs, most of which could be fixed to existing street furniture;
- change the “give way” intersection priority at Euree Street with Currong and Booroondara streets to slow through traffic;
- install speed cushions or road-narrowing chicanes on selected streets;
- re-time the signal lights at the intersection of Euree Street and Limestone Avenue to give less time for turns into Euree Street (the purpose being to facilitate safe turns but not encourage them).