Page 2375 - Week 08 - Thursday, 5 August 2021
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undertake preparations ahead of the light rail stage 2A project occurring, which will start with utility works in just a few months time, as we seek to build a very large infrastructure project which will keep people moving around our city and hopefully reduce congestion on our roads. That is the premise of this project.
We will work with agencies, including emergency services, to make sure that they have all the information that they need, that they are working with us too around the planning for the project. Once we have a delivery partner on board for the major elements of the construction build, we will work with the delivery partners to make sure that there are measures in place to ensure that people can appropriately move around, including emergency services vehicles, through areas where the construction is affecting the city. But we expect that the major impacts of this construction will occur during peak times: in the morning, in particular—in the am peak—and in the evening. They are the times that we are focusing on. We do not expect there to be as much traffic disruption in the other times.
But all of the work that the disruption task force is doing around infrastructure improvements that we can put in place on roads to ensure that we have good movement of traffic, around behaviour change to reduce the demand on our road network during the peak, plus spreading it out, and around public transport and active travel options will all help to keep our city moving during this major infrastructure build.
MR HANSON: I have a supplementary question. What traffic simulation modelling have you done specifically on emergency vehicle prioritisation during the light rail project? Will you table any modelling in the Assembly, if you have done some?
MR STEEL: I thank the member for his question. We have already released some of the outcomes of the traffic modelling that we have undertaken on what the traffic would look like if we did not take any interventions at the moment. At the moment, we are looking at the interventions. Of course, a significant amount of traffic modelling is ongoing, which will look at those interventions and what impact they can have across the road traffic network in Canberra. So we will continue that work and we will continue to liaise with the other agencies going forward.
Mr Parton: I have a point of order on relevance. The question was asked specifically about emergency vehicle prioritisation—traffic simulation modelling referring to emergency vehicle prioritisation. I would ask that the minister be relevant to that question, if possible.
MADAM SPEAKER: He is relevant to modelling and he has made mention of the activity.
MR STEEL: I have answered the question, Madam Speaker.
MR MILLIGAN: Minister, what smart technologies has the government investigated to prevent emergency services vehicles being stuck in traffic congestion caused by the light rail project?
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