Residents Di Johnstone and John Lombard at the entry to Amberfield. Photos: Ian Bushnell.
The Cotter Road entrance to LDK’s Amberfield retirement village under construction in Weston should not have to be declared a black spot before traffic lights are installed, residents say.
They are calling on the ACT Government to act now before a serious and potentially fatal accident occurs. The residents also want bus stops and a pedestrian crossing at the Cotter Road-Fryer Road T-junction, launching a Legislative Assembly petition to press their claims.
The first steps to improve safety should be a reduction in the speed limit to 60 km/h approaching the intersection from both sides, warning signs for cyclists and signs alerting motorists.
Motorists driving past the site only see the multistorey building taking shape, but last October, 52 villas were completed and are now fully occupied.
The Stage 2 building is on track to open in October, and construction on Stage 3 is underway. By the time the project is completed in 2027, there will be 500 residents on site and 300 staff.
The residents say the original traffic report underestimated the vehicle movements Amberfield would generate at just 687 daily trips, but a new study for the residents says that in mid-2027, there will be close to 3000 vehicles a day moving in and out of the site, including residents, visitors, staff and delivery vans.
The issue is not new. The Weston Creek Community Council raised the same concerns three years ago during consultation and believed lights and bus stops were needed.
But the NCA disagreed, citing the traffic report that said the development would have a minimal impact on the intersection of the site access road at Cotter Road during the PM peak and generate a small increase in daily traffic volumes when considered in the context of existing conditions.
Then WCCC chair Bill Gemmell told Region at the time: “I don’t think the NCA has any idea how busy that road gets AM and PM,” he said.
“The traffic congestion in late afternoon and going to work time in the morning is such that there is going to be a significant disruption for anybody trying to do anything except turn left.”
The Cotter Road median barrier near the Amberfield entrance has been knocked down.
Commuters from Molonglo and Weston Creek may not like another set of lights after negotiating four from the Streeton Drive-Cotter Road intersection to the Tuggeranong Parkway, but the Amberfield residents say the current set-up of turning and slip lanes, along with poor sight lines, will only get more dangerous for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians alike.
John Lombard and Di Johnstone are leading the charge and have LDK on side. MLAs, including Planning Minister Chris Steel, have visited the site recently, and residents have also met with the National Capital Authority because Amberfield itself is on national land.
But it will be City Services that will have to do the work.
Mr Lombard said new lights on Streeton Drive and Hindmarsh Drive in Weston only came about after those intersections were declared black spots attracting Commonwealth funding.
“We do not want to become a black spot because that means there has been a death,” he said.
Mr Lombard said the intersection was already under pressure with trucks and now residents using it, but it will only get busier when the village is complete and fully operating.
“It’s almost like a mini suburb, and it’s going to get to be very busy, particularly in the morning and evening,” he said.
In the late afternoon, those attempting to turn right onto Cotter Road would also face the glare of the setting sun.
The pair understands that opposition to another set of lights on Cotter Road is likely, but it could be a matter of life and death.
“It’s both the issue of preventing a preventable accident or accidents and potentially fatal accidents on this major road, remembering it’s 80 km/h down that road, and with so many people coming and going through that single entrance, there is a very serious risk of a preventable fatal accident,” Ms Johnstone said.
She said that nearby median barriers on Cotter Drive have already been knocked down, and there are standoffs between vehicles entering and leaving the site.
Ms Johnstone said the nearest bus stop is at North Weston past the Parkway. Bus stops at Amberfield would not only serve residents who do not drive, but also staff.
The push for traffic lights has the support of cycling lobby Pedal Power, Curtin Residents Association, ACT Equestrian Association, and Yarralumla Agistment Paddock Horse owners.
Independent NLA Fiona Carrick sponsored the petition.
