Ainslie residents demand safety action after crash surge from bridge detour
Bridge detours flood Ainslie with traffic, causing daily crashes and ignored safety concerns.
Commuters avoiding renewal works on Commonwealth Avenue Bridge are flooding through quiet Ainslie streets, causing a spike in crashes. Two collisions hit the Campbell Street and Leslie Street intersection alone in just four days in mid-September.
Resident Michelle Austin has lived at the intersection for 20 years. She and other senior residents asked the government for years to lower speed limits or install stop signs.
The government told them the intersection doesn't meet the criteria for a 'stop' sign. The ACT government has now confirmed the whole of Cowper Street will soon become a 50 km/h zone.
This applies except for the area near the bus stops and the Dickson Swimming Pool. Speed humps and a raised pedestrian crossing will follow in 2027.
Ainslie residents have launched a campaign called Make Our Suburb Safe (MOSS). Independent MLA Thomas Emerson has also called for urgent measures.
- Michelle Austin 20 years
- Years at intersection
- 2 at Campbell and Leslie
- Crashes in four days
- 50 km/h on Cowper Street
- New speed zone
- 2027
- Upgrades timeline
Why it mattersResidents face ongoing injury risk while waiting for safety improvements. The government's timeline means nearly a year more of dangerous traffic.
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