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Provisions to improve delays caused by the closure of Tharwa Drive appear to have had little impact on traffic flow of commuters on Wednesday morning. Complaints from Tuggeranong commuters stranded in the area for up to an hour and a half during peak times earlier this week prompted a raft of measures including a temporary slip lane and traffic control marshals. But drivers again vented their anger after Wednesday's peak commute with many taking to social media to say the situation had not improved. On Tuesday, Territory and Municipal Services minister Shane Rattenbury said the decision to close the entire road to install a sewer main to connect with a new fire station at the roundabout came after consultation with the Tuggeranong Community Council. President Eric Traise said closing the road for up to 10 days over early January was the "least painful" option rather than partial lane closures which would have extended the work into February. But he said the volume of traffic was unexpected. "I was certainly convinced when they briefed me about it in mid-December that this would be the least painful option for all concerned," he said. "What's taken everybody by surprise is how much traffic there is for this time of year. "Whether Canberrans just haven't taken holidays and gone down to the coast like they normally would with the belt tightening that's going on, it's a bit of mystery to me and I guess the traffic people who had to sign off on this closure in the first place, I think it's a surprise to them as well." Emergency services minister Joy Burch visited Lanyon Marketplace at 7:15am on Wednesday morning and told the ABC at the time traffic appeared to be moving slowly but in a more coordinated and orderly fashion than Tuesday. "We recognised there would be some traffic delays, but I have to concede we were taken a bit by surprise at the level of traffic that's come through," she said. "If we are not managing it now we will have a look at what else we can do... people could say we should have had this [extra provisions] from day one but we are doing the best we can." Commuter James Ludzioweit said he left from Gordon for work 15 minutes earlier than usual at 7:15am but traffic was even busier than Tuesday and it again took him almost an hour. He said desperate motorists were driving on the opposite side of the road on Knoke Avenue near Gordon Primary School to bypass the line of traffic. "This is only three days into the project and people are already furious," he said. "Give it another two weeks and there will be anarchy." An ACT Policing spokeswoman said members were in the area near Conder, monitoring traffic and targeting dangerous driver behaviour. "While we sympathise with drivers experiencing delays, any driver who chooses to break the road rules will be targeted by police," she said. "While it's a frustrating situation, the vast majority of motorists have continued to drive safely. "In stop-start traffic, it's important to continue to maintain enough distance between your car and the car in front to avoid a collision. "A collision on this road will only make delays worse for everyone, so stay patient and stay focused on driving safely." Mr Traise was hopeful the road would be reopened before January 26 as expected and said Ms Burch was "right across" the problem and prepared to do more to ease the delays if necessary, but he had heard some drivers say traffic was flowing faster earlier in the week before extra traffic controllers were on hand. "People were just being polite and allowing some cars through... I think Canberra drivers who have been directly affected by this are doing the right thing," he said. He was reluctant to comment on the location of the fire station on the busy roundabout, a move criticised by some residents, but he said it came after a thorough review of all sites. The police spokeswoman said commuters who hadn't left home should plan an alternative route, call ahead to advise they may be late and avoid using a mobile phone while driving. Ms Burch said emergency services were able to access a temporary access route and in the event of a major emergency a temporary steel bridge would be placed over the trench in the road to allow traffic out of the valley.

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