JRA EXECUTIVE PROPOSAL TO DEPT. MAIN ROADS

Band-aid solution to help minimise traffic back-up along Sumner Road prior to Sumner Road Bridge duplication.  Please refer to map below at the end of this article.

The main cause for east bound traffic back up along Sumner, Spine and Dandenong Roads is caused by two (2) lanes of traffic converging to one (1) lane passing over the Sumner Road Bridge flyover of the Centenary Motorway.

The bridge passage for east bound traffic is controlled by the western roundabout on the Jamboree Heights side of the Motorway.

Vehicles using the roundabout approach from the east (Darra side), west (Jamboree Heights’ side) and the south (Ipswich side).

Vehicles entering from the Darra side do so at speed and therefore have priority rights of entry at the roundabout, followed by the vehicles from the south leaving the east bound vehicles with last priority.

When the BCC completes its Stage 1 Sumner Road upgrade and if as a result it is designed to deliver two (2) lanes of east bound traffic to the roundabout, the situation will only worsen and also delay Sumner Road vehicles desiring to head north to the Centenary Motorway via the on-ramp.

The situation is further complicated by the fact that the vehicles from Darra split into two (2) lanes both of which can proceed straight ahead through the roundabout or the inner lane vehicles can continue around in front of the east bound traffic and exit north in the direction of Jindalee.

On top of this Queensland motorists are very negligent in the knowledge of using traffic indicators on roundabouts.

JRA’S suggestion is to remove the option of vehicles in the inner lane from travelling straight ahead. The east bound motorist will then know that they only have to delay their entry into the roundabout for vehicles in the inner lane.

This solution will also alleviate the dangerous traffic merge at the present location of the signalized bike crossing of west bound vehicles and vehicles from the Ipswich Motorway.