Page 3724 - Week 12 - Thursday, 25 November 2021
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lives around this. In those places, it is not just men walking and riding; women walk and ride as much or more, because women are often carrying the major load for these activities and that is how they do it. The streets are made safer with the high numbers of people, particularly women, using them. Those streets are dominated by people, not cars. There is a culture of care, where those who are driving understand and respect those who walk and ride, and they share the space. Depending on the affluence of the country, there is a vast amount of purpose-built, separated infrastructure to help people get around without a car.
But here in Australia, walking and particularly cycling are often viewed as sports or hobbies, and male-dominated ones at that. Walking and riding are fun. They are good for your mental and physical health. There are many events and groups you can join to do them for pleasure or competition. But walking and cycling are also essential means of transport and are the original zero-emissions transport. We should not forget that. Some of our newer forms of zero-emissions transport are also being dismissed in the same way. A few commentators have talked about e-bikes and scooters as fun. They have not yet recognised them for the primary mode of transport that they will soon become, and great ways to replace cars.
There are a lot of knock-on effects from viewing active travel as a hobby rather than as an essential municipal service. If we think of active travel as a hobby, we do not fund it, we do not build it and we do not maintain it the same way we do our roads. We do not support it with the facilities people need to make active travel a daily habit. We do not provide the road safety and separated paths and lanes that people want. We do not provide the programs and education we put into other core municipal services.
Canberra is a great cycling city, and we have higher uptake than in other parts of Australia, but it is still lower in many other countries. And women cycle here much less than men. I am really happy to be working with my colleagues Dr Paterson and Minister Steel on these issues. And I am really glad to see new funding for active travel in this budget.
The big opportunity is that if we build our footpaths and shared paths the right way and support them with programs, we will not simply increase active travel; we will help a lot of people in society who cannot or choose not to drive—parents with prams, those in wheelchairs or using walking frames, those who cannot afford a car or do not have a licence, older Canberrans who do not drive any more. They will all benefit from wide, well-maintained paths and paths that have are perfect for prams, bikes and wheelchairs because they have ramps for access. They will all use safe, separated infrastructure and get the benefits of a real culture of care.
Dr Paterson’s motion and report also look at barriers for women using public transport. Now some of these barriers are the same as for active transport. Women need convenience. They have difficulty with trip-chaining, when running errands, buying groceries and dropping off their kids. They need good paths and connections to get to the bus stop or light rail. They constantly feel time poor. The ACT Greens, understand this. We were the original advocates for a convenient light rail system to service Canberra. We are great advocates for better buses, hourly weekend services and a network that genuinely meets the needs of our people.
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