News - Community & business

Flemington Road progress 

Since early 2008, Gungahlin Community Council has lobbied to ensure that Flemington Road does not become another ugly “townhouse tunnel” as was proposed in ACTPLA’s plans for the corridor. Smart use of higher densities along Flemington will also create demand for a reliable public transport solution like light rail. After numerous meetings with the LDA and even a bus trip looking at good and bad developments, our efforts are finally bearing some fruit, but with mixed results. 

We’ve met with the developers of the first two blocks released between Nullarbor Avenue and Well Station Drive. One is quite close to what we have proposed: 3 and 4-storey apartment buildings over basement parking, a permeable site, variable and attractive streetscapes to all sides, on-site communal open space, and attention to passive solar design. The second proposal presents an attractive façade to Flemington Road, but is otherwise disappointing. A traditional townhouse layout wastes space on laneways and excessive open-air surface parking, and zero communal open space, showing a lack of imagination or confidence in the market, and poor design. 

We warned the LDA that if they included such a “low bar” option in the estate plans there would be a high risk of something being built that way, and our fears are now being realised. We can only hope that seeing the plans for the first development might encourage a rethink from this second developer. 

Hazards of on-road cycle lanes 

Renowned Danish architect Jan Gehl was in Canberra last week and spoke (among other things) on the success of converting Copenhagen to a city of cycling commuters. He mused about our on-road cycle lanes: "In Denmark we put the parked cars inside the bike lanes to protect cyclists from the traffic. In Australia you put the bike lanes on the inside so the cyclists protect the parked cars." 

Canberra planners have an obsession with on-road cycle lanes. So we were surprised when Roads ACT recently told us the number of cyclists hit by cars is very low. However, research by ANU road trauma expert Drew Richardson now reveals that 98% of cycling injuries are not showing up in official statistics. This underlines our long-held belief that ACT needs to focus on safe cycling if it is to encourage mainstream users onto bikes and out of cars. Instead cyclists need more off-road paths and segregated lanes.