Labor has labelled the state government’s $22 million investment in new electronic traffic signs as a “complete waste” of taxpayer funds.
The signs, which are yet to be turned on, will display up-to-date travel information, provide warning of delay-causing incidents and guidance on alternative routes.
Shadow Transport Minister Meg Brown said the information provided by the signs can be easily obtained elsewhere.
“These signs provide the same amount of information that people would gain from their smartphones or sometimes in their car prior to taking their journey,” she said.
13 new signs were installed across greater Hobart at the end of 2024 at a cost of about $1.7 million each.
Brown suggested these funds could have been better spent on other areas like hospitals, bus drivers or fixing potholes.
She said the fact that the signs are yet to be turned on after they were installed months ago is “absolutely not good enough”.
“[The government] should have the technology in hand. They should have these signs ready to go and for $22 million, they should be working for Tasmanians,” Brown said.
A spokesperson for the Department of State Growth said the signs are currently undergoing “complex electrical work, programming and commissioning”.
“In the coming weeks, onsite testing will be carried out so people driving past may see brief messages displayed,” the spokesperson told Pulse today.
“These works will include linking them back to the traffic management centre and ensuring each sign is connected to our live travel time system before going live.”
The signs are expected to be operational by the end of April.
They will join two other signs of the same design near Hobart Airport, which were activated in the middle of 2023 as part of the nearby interchange upgrade project.
