Kings Meadows Opossum Road intersection light sequence changes flagged: City of Launceston council | poll

Congestion in the area has been attributed to the sequence of green lights at the intersection of Hobart Road and Blaydon Street and Hobart Road and Opossum Road.

Upgrades to the road were undertaken by the City of Launceston Council in the area earlier in the year, to install dedicated right hand lanes and a bike lane.

City of Launceston general manager Robert Dobrzynski said the changes had been made because the road had been identified as a hot spot under the federal government’s black-spot safety project.

“Since the works have been undertaken it's clear that queues in Opposum Rd have at times been unacceptable and there has been an increase in congestion,” Mr Dobrzynski said.

“We're making urgent representations to the Department of State Growth to coordinate the sequence of lights in the area as soon as possible, so that volume of traffic using this intersection can clear more efficiently."

The intersection at Opossum Road has had a regular crash record in the past five years, with 20 crashes involving vehicles turning right onto Opossum Road.

“Our goal is to improve safety, while limiting those negative impacts elsewhere. Once the lights are properly sequenced, we believe the congestion will be significantly reduced.”

In the past three years alone, the City of Launceston has overseen more than $13.8m worth of road upgrades and improvements across the municipality's 800km road network.

A spokesperson from State Growth said the department “would adjust the lights following the council’s proposed new works.”

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