Page 494 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 23 March 2022
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safe and protect other road users, particularly those who are walking, cycling or scooting.
Following passage of this bill, the ACT government will be rolling out a significant community education and awareness campaign. Our Share the Road campaign will be highly visible in public spaces, including on our buses, at petrol stations and in shopping centres. It will support the changes in this bill by providing a clear community message about the importance of respecting the rights and safety of all users on our roads. We know that it is important to communicate prominently and directly with Canberrans about the changes that we make in this place, particularly the ones that we are debating today. The campaign will put vulnerable road users at the centre of a message about sharing the road to keep all Canberrans safe.
Achieving Vision Zero is not going to be easy, and our penalties framework plays an important role by clearly outlining what we expect and require of Canberrans on our roads—that is, safe, considerate and responsible behaviour. I commend the bill and the government amendments to the Assembly as another important step towards building a culture of care and mutual respect to keep people safe whenever they are driving, riding, scooting or walking on our roads or in a road-related area.
Bill agreed to in principle.
Detail stage
Clauses 1 to 7, by leave, taken together, and agreed to.
Proposed new clauses 7A and 7B.
MR STEEL (Murrumbidgee—Minister for Skills, Minister for Transport and City Services and Special Minister of State) (11.46): I move amendment No 1 circulated in my name, which inserts new clauses 7A and 7B [see schedule 1 at page 547].
I table a supplementary explanatory statement. I have already spoken to these amendments, so I will not comment further but will allow others to speak.
DR PATERSON (Murrumbidgee) (11.46): I am pleased to stand here today in support of Minister Steel and the Road Transport Legislation Amendment Bill 2021, addressing the serious issue of dangerous driving behaviours on ACT roads. The government has committed to the realisation of Vision Zero—that is, zero deaths or other serious injuries on ACT roads. As my colleague has outlined to the Assembly today, deaths and serious injuries on ACT roads are preventable.
In 2020 there were 5,760 on-road recorded traffic crashes, which resulted in 622 casualties, including seven fatalities and 90 hospital admissions. This is despite the territory-wide shutdown of all non-essential travel and services that was implemented in March 2020 to slow the spread of COVID-19 in the community. The bill we are debating here today is one measure we can take to prevent death and serious injuries on our roads resulting from dangerous and unsafe behaviours on the road network.
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