Central Ward

Vicki Etheridge: This is simple. To help with congestion at Whylandra St, sign-post Thompson St as an alternative route to Macquarie St, North and East Dubbo for starters and the third bridge should be a bypass with the bridge built over the existing Troy Bridge then down Bumbalgumbie Rd to Coreena Rd, Rosedale Rd, then Rifle Range Rd and come onto the Newell Hwy near the zoo. This option will also connect the Mitchell Hwy West, the Newell Hwy North and the Golden Hwy East. It’s not rocket science. The River St option would solve nothing as far as traffic flows go.

John Ryan: I've been an advocate for a ring road/freightway loop around the city for decades. I've seen it work in other centres and they've had booms when it's done properly, just look at the Orange experience. Keep the tourist and travelling traffic coming through town and get the trucks well away from the city roads. We could probably build most of this with the money allocated to the flawed plan for a high-level crossing at River St. The underpass floods, so if the RMS builds that roadway up, pedestrians would have to duck to get under the elevated railway track.

Josh Black: A ring road/heavy vehicle bypass is needed to get the trucks out of Dubbo. Troy Grant’s new bridge needs to be moved so it is part of the ring road solution. As it is now it will be a waste of $140 million. Traffic lights need to be installed as soon as possible at the West Dubbo roundabout and at the Fitzroy St/Cobra St roundabout. Boundary Rd should be extended through to Sheraton Rd in 2018, not 2020.

Greg Matthews: Council’s ring road plan is financially years away from realisation. We will need to find funds from council’s budget and lobby for additional State/Federal grants to speed up its delivery. Many of the current choke points are on State and/or Federally-funded roads which need roundabouts replaced by traffic lights, again a lobbying job. Funds must to be prioritised for the completion of the Boundary Rd-Sheraton Rd connection to ease the Sheraton Rd school rush congestion.

Kris Stevens: If my father is correct, there has been talk of a city bypass/ring road, to ease traffic congestion, for the last 60 years. The current council plan is to wait until 2030 before we see one in place. This is far too long to wait and I don’t think this is fair to our community. I believe the newly elected council should actively lobby and seek funding opportunities to make this happen as soon as possible - we need it NOW not tomorrow!

South Ward

Greg Mohr: We need to open our roads up in this city. We are not stuck for room so why have single lanes on major roads through the city. We also need a ring road linking south and north to ease the traffic congestion currently in West Dubbo. With a ring road, this will take pressure off all the traffic both local and highway which we are currently experiencing in this area. We need another bridge crossing over the Macquarie River. It should be flood proof or it is pointless and a waste of money if it isn’t. Where the second bridge goes will need to have extensive community consultation as this will have impacts on whatever area is found suitable. 

Manny Portelli: Traffic congestion would always be an issue at peak time. A new bridge could be the answer in diverting traffic from the city centre

Douglas Prior: Conduct preliminary planning and land acquisition for a complete ring road, full implementation by 2050. In the short term provide a Newell Hwy bypass. I envisage this would run from near Camp Rd, north on Chapmans or Buddens Rd, cross Minore Rd and railway, run along by the railway (some railway realignment) to Mitchell Hwy with a new roundabout, between Thompson St and railway with a realigned Thompson St local road, swing north before Whylandra St (over Thompson St local), follow the river until crossing it past Myall St, then run north up Brisbane St to rejoin the Newell Hwy.

North Ward

Ben Shields: We need to build a ring road.  The ring road proposal was a detailed plan that went before Dubbo City Council in 2012.  This plan essentially had the Newell Hwy divert west at Blackbutt Rd near the Zoo, head towards the airport and then back to the highway crossing around the Purvis Lane/Troy Bridge area.

This would take thousands of cars off Whylandra St in West Dubbo every day. The proposal for a third bridge at River St is simply not going to work. This proposal does not do anything significant to reduce the traffic in West Dubbo.  This bridge option at River St should not go ahead and as a councillor I will advocate council openly oppose this bridge option and instead push for the original ring road option.

Merrilyn Mulcahy: Traffic will only increase as we progress into the future and we need a solution as the city grows. A ring road will assist in solving these problems, but sooner than later. It will be better for the truckies and the community. It is listed in future plans, but needs to be brought forward and include a high level bridge over the Macquarie.

Jane Diffey: You need to know that if elected I would certainly be pushing for a review of the Traffic Management Strategy to ensure the road network meet’s the city’s transport and infrastructure needs in terms of capacity. There are real issues with a couple of school zones in Dubbo and there needs to be a focus on working with the State Government for the funding for the establishment of a ring road.

East Ward

Dayne Gumley: Returning Cobra St to four lanes would be a start. Road safety engineering has advanced since the road was reduced to two lanes and new options should be explored to ease congestion whilst remaining safe. 

The Sheraton Rd schools precinct also needs a massive rethink. It's a matter of time before a serious incident occurs there.

Stephen Lawrence: I am not convinced by the River St bridge proposal. A new unified council needs to immediately get on the front foot on the ring road. It is a vital piece of infrastructure to divert heavy and other traffic out of town. Careful zoning and planning will ensure the diverted traffic doesn’t lose the city business. Money has already been spent on a ring road proposal that is available on the council website. The further river crossing should ideally happen as part of the ring road. 

Cody Jones: I support the concept of a new bridge to help ease traffic congestion. However, I not sure about the current River St proposal. I feel a new council should immediately start working with the State Government to ensure the ring road around town is built.  Personally I am concerned about the impact the current proposal will have on Wiradjuri Park, a local cultural site for Aboriginal people which will have a major road put through it as part of the River St proposal.

Ana Pateman: There are some roundabout intersections which cause congestion issues due to them being quite small, maybe too small for a roundabout. Replacing these with traffic lights could reduce this congestion. To identify key congestion sites, residents should be asked for their opinions.

Wellington Ward

Jacob Perry: End this stupidity of closing off every street that crosses a railway line like on Brisbane and Myall Sts. Demand the State Government rectify the mistakes of putting enormous roundabouts along the highway that cause trucks and buses to use two lanes instead of one to simply get through it. Replace the vast majority with traffic lights. Put the third bridge in a feasible location and finally have council come clean and supply a ring road like Orange City Council has done with the Northern Distributor.

David Grant: I would suggest council needs to do a study into Dubbo’s long term growth and start planning and applying for funding. At the moment there are some very congested roads and intersections such as the Newell Hwy and Mitchell Hwy roundabout, Sheraton Rd and Mitchell Hwy roundabout just to name a couple. These problem intersections could be alleviated through new roads being put in to divert traffic away from these areas.

Ten candidates had not responded by publication time. They are: Lisa James, Chris Edwards, Tyler Przerada, Nathan Ellis, Nikki Catelotti, Shayne Stiff, Anne Jones, Mark Griggs, Mike Augee and Adam Ryan.