Queensland asserts traffic growth despite steady travel time figures
While fresh traffic data on southeast Queensland showed that travel time movement barely surged from the past three years, the state government is convinced that the latest figures represented growing demands from the area's burgeoning population.
The new traffic survey found that traffic on the area's major roads move an average of 40kmh during rush hours, which Queensland authorities maintained was reflective of the state's transport network keeping at pace with its soaring population numbers.
Main Roads Minister Craig Wallace said on Tuesday that the department's yearly survey pointed to a steady growth in travel time as compared to traffic figures from recent years.
Mr Wallace said that from traffic numbers registered in 2007 through 2009, 89 percent of the area's road networks saw firm improvements as he added that "overall speed across all surveyed motorways and arterials for peak periods, both in and outbound, increased slightly from 39 to 40kmh."
The main roads department conceded that the inching progress could be considered as miniscule but it noted that that the minor improvement was recorded amidst the state's accelerated road construction program.
Mr Wallace added that the at the height of Queensland's steady traffic growth, the state also saw a ballooning population as he pointed out that from 2007 to 2009, "southeast Queensland's population grew 5.6 per cent, from 2.9 million in 2007 to 3.06 million in 2009."
He also cited the fact that the population expansion transpired amidst Queensland's biggest road construction activities ever, effectively downplaying suggestions that the state's road traffic growth was based purely on myth.
On the back of the 'encouraging' numbers, Mr Wallace said that the Queensland government is all primed up to sustain its ongoing road construction programs and would forge ahead on mapping the state's future road transport network, where motorists could contribute their feeds by submitting their thoughts on the region's 20-year transport blueprint.