Transport Canberra’s Jeremy Smith points to the Commonwealth Avenue Bridge screen in the Traffic Control Room. Photos: Ian Bushnell.
Transport Canberra has responded to community feedback by adding bus services to West Belconnen routes, but any further major changes to the new “construction network” will have to wait until the second half of the year.
The public transport agency says that two weeks into the new timetable, the modelling for the impacts of the Commonwealth Bridge works and span closure on the network had proved reasonably accurate.
Executive group manager Jeremy Smith said that while there may be scope to increase service frequency during off-peak periods, given instances of early running and the timing of some Rapids, it was too soon to make any major adjustments to the network.
Mr Smith said the impacts were slightly less than expected on the southbound journey across the bridge and marginally more on the northbound leg.
He said the traffic modelling showed there was going to be around a 13-minute delay southbound and about a minute delay northbound.
“So what we’re seeing is around about a nine-minute delay southbound and around about a two-minute delay northbound,” Mr Smith said.
“So that modelling has been consistent. What that means is that the data that has been used to do that modelling has been sound.”
Cutting Rapid 2 and 3 services to West Belconnen sparked fury from commuters, who felt they had been sacrificed for the good of the rest of the network.
These Rapids were replaced by the 12 and 13 local routes, and Transport Canberra has now increased capacity on these routes.
Mr Smith said these routes were now running close to or at the same frequency as the connecting Rapid out of Belconnen.
“The 12 is running at a 15-minute frequency through the peak, the same as what the R2 is,” he said.
“The 13 is running at a 20-minute frequency, whereas the R3 is running at a 15-minute frequency.
“The good news about people using those 12s and 13s into Belconnen, if they’re making their way to the city, they can now get on a number of Rapids, so they can get on to the R2, the 3, the 4, the 5, the 4, the 6 and make their way through to the city.
“So there’s actually a lot of capacity going out of Belconnen to the city, or further beyond to the destinations.”
Mr Smith says motorists are changing their behaviour.
Mr Smith said that despite the disruptions, bus patronage had not fallen away.
He said congestion was expected to ease as drivers adapted to the road network, giving Transport Canberra greater confidence to adjust its timetables.
“We would expect to then reinvest our network time for buses back into the network, and adapt that as well, and then be able to provide additional services within the network along the known routes,” he said.
“That may then mean that we can adapt some of our Rapid routes to bring that 15-minute frequency back to a more regular frequency.”
Mr Smith said motorists had changed routes, such as taking Kings Avenue instead of Commonwealth Avenue, creating pressures there, and those adjustments, including changes in travel times and modes, were expected to continue over the next four to six weeks.
“A lot of that behaviour change has already occurred, and so that’s why we’re now starting to see fewer delays southbound,” he said.
“The Territory will adapt to that, particularly with the bus network, and look to see what we can do over the next few months.
“We will then look to lay down a completely new revised network in the second half of 2026 to account for those changed impacts.”
Region has received reports of full buses leaving schoolchildren at bus stops, but Mr Smith said these had not been reported to Transport Canberra, although he acknowledged some full standing loads within the network.
“I’m not aware of any specific reports in regards to students being left behind, but Transport Canberra will continue to monitor,” he said.
“We’ll probably look to roll out some changes, in regards to some timings of some of those Rapids in the next four to six weeks.”
Liberal MLA Chiaka Barry has written to Transport Minister Chris Steel on behalf of a constituent who says the R4 to Belconnen is regularly full on leaving Tuggeranong.
