Hoxton Park Road Upgrade

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Speakers - Lynch Mr Paul; Page The Hon Ernest
Business - Private Members Statements

HOXTON PARK ROAD UPGRADE

Mr LYNCH (Liverpool) [6.48]: I wish to draw to the attention of the House, the Minister for Roads and the Minister for Urban Affairs and Planning a matter of considerable concern to my constituents. It relates to the state of Hoxton Park Road. Hoxton Park Road is a significant arterial road of approximately 6.5 kilometres. It is bounded on the east by the Hume Highway and on the west by Cowpastures Road. The road carries in excess of 28,000 vehicles per day. Both of the roads at its extremities are State roads. Hoxton Park Road not only services the established suburb of Liverpool but also largely services the newer release areas of Green Valley, Hinchinbrook and Hoxton Park. Those newer release areas have been subject to dramatic and significant increases in population that have led already to significant traffic difficulties.

The new release areas are planned to expand even further and dramatically in the next few years. The most moderate assessment suggests that the city of Liverpool will have another 60,000 inhabitants by the year 2010. Some estimates suggest the figure will be even higher. A very significant proportion of the new residents will go into the Green Valley-Hinchinbrook-Hoxton Park release areas and thus be serviced by Hoxton Park Road. For the most part, Hoxton Park Road is a two-lane undivided road. It is clear that the road must be upgraded to at least four lanes. Failure to upgrade it would lead to horrific and unacceptable traffic delays and congestion. Most immediately there is a need for the upgrading of the bridge near Hill Road and widening of the road between Hill Road and Wilson Road.

Liverpool Council has requested the support of the State Government in funding the roadworks. The argument from the council is on two bases: first, that the work is well outside the ambit of section 94 funds, and therefore from the council's point of view unfunded. In new release areas there is extraordinary pressure on councils to provide funds for a range of things. Therefore, finding money for projects not covered under section 94 funds is a real difficulty. The second basis upon which the request is put is that the need for the work is very clear and failure to upgrade the road will lead to considerable difficulties for residents in the new release areas.

There has been significant discussion of these issues among the Liverpool Transport Access Committee, a committee established pursuant to
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section 22 of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act representing all the major stakeholders. Councillor Alex Sanchez, the Deputy Mayor of Liverpool, is the council representative on the committee. He took over from me when I ceased to be a member of the council. Following the section 22 committee discussion, Liverpool Council was advised that the matter ought to be deferred until the committee reported to the planning Minister. The relevant reports have now been completed. In a letter to the Department of Urban Affairs and Planning dated 11 April 1996 the council requested, inter alia, a rezoning to special uses-arterial road 5(c) for the Hoxton Park Road corridor.

The rezoning is clearly part of the upgrading of the road. It should be dealt with in the near future because of the consolidating local environment plan that the council is pursuing. In that letter the council also requested support for a funding commitment to the upgrading of the road. The department's regional manager for Sydney region west has replied to council representations noting that they still await advice from the Roads and Traffic Authority on acquisition costs in relation to the rezoning. I urge that favourable consideration be given to funding of the works, both the upgrading and the rezoning. The Mayor of Liverpool, the Hon. George Paciullo, who is no stranger to this place, has expressed the traffic problems of Hoxton Park Road in the following terms:

Hoxton Park Road, as you will be aware, is a significant arterial road linking two State roads. It runs for 6.5 kilometres from the Hume Highway in the east, to Cowpasture Road in the west, carrying in excess of 28,000 vehicles per day on what is mostly a t-lane undivided road.

Levels of service of a road are designated (using the NAASRA definitions) from A to F, with F being the worst category. A 1992 traffic study - by Eugene Smith & Beca, TEC Consulting, and Geoplan for the Liverpool Stage 2 release areas - identified existing sections of Hoxton Park Road as having levels of service of E (unstable flow, congested with intolerable delays) and F (forced flow, jammed).

The predicted growth in traffic on this road for the year 2011 has been modelled. This model shows that, at the very least, the road must be up-graded to four lanes for its entire length if appalling traffic delays and constant congestion are to be prevented.

The recent budget has provided funding for the Liverpool interchange, which is a very important project and one that is certainly welcomed by the people of Liverpool. However, that interchange cannot reach its full potential unless the widening of Hoxton Park Road occurs. [Time expired.]

Mr E. T. PAGE (Coogee - Minister for Local Government) [6.54]: I thank the honourable member for Liverpool for bringing this important issue to the notice of the House. I have been informed that the Liverpool Transport Access Committee commissioned a public transport study in 1995 which canvassed the upgrading of Hoxton Park Road to a four-lane road with provision for public transport. The findings of the study, including the need to determine road-widening requirements for Hoxton Park Road, were endorsed in principle by the committee. Unfortunately, the upgrading cannot be funded from section 94 contributions.

The Roads and Traffic Authority has responded to some of the proposals developed during the public transport study. However, it has not responded in respect of Hoxton Park Road. To implement the proposal it would be necessary for the widening of Hoxton Park Road to be included in a planning instrument and this would necessitate the nomination of an acquisition authority. The department needs advice from the Roads and Traffic Authority and endorsement by the capital works committee of Cabinet before this can be agreed to. The honourable member for Liverpool can be assured that I will request the department to obtain the relevant advice so that a decision on this matter can be reached expeditiously.

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