Page 2148 - Week 10 - Thursday, 26 October 1989
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transport strategy. The Government wants to make public transport a more attractive proposition to the commuter, thereby reducing the use of private vehicles within a financially responsible framework. People are often unaware of the very high expenditure incurred simply in maintaining the current road system, which costs $16m annually. Building more and bigger roads would increase this cost.
Similarly new car parks are very expensive - up to $3,000 per space in a sealed carpark or $10,000 per space in a parking structure, in addition to land costs. Commuter car parking in residential areas is a matter where the Government must balance the competing interests of protection of residential amenity and the need of all the community for access to town centres and Civic. The Government therefore proposes further restriction of commuter parking in residential streets and introduction of fees in some cases. Improvement of traffic management to encourage the use of public transport, multi-occupancy vehicles, and giving pedestrians priority in town centres is also an important priority.
My colleague the Minister for Housing and Urban Services, Mrs Grassby, and I have today announced new public transport charges and parking fees which are consistent with the overall policy direction proposed.
Future planning is an integral part of the Government's transport proposals, and there will be a need to address the transport implications of new developments and alternative employment centres. The early reservation of road and public transport routes will be an important part of incorporating transport planning in new developments.
The Government will also be releasing a discussion paper on the issue of contributions by developers or leaseholders to the costs of additional town centre access and providing parking. Total metropolitan transport matters and issues such as arterial and regional road location will be addressed in the Territory plan currently being developed by the Interim Territory Planning Authority.
It is appropriate that our discussion paper is being released at the same time as the National Capital Planning Authority is releasing the outcome of the Gungahlin external travel study. The Government has not yet considered the National Capital Planning Authority proposals, but will do so over the next few months against the framework of community response to our overall transport strategy.
The development of transport access to Gungahlin through public transport and through new and improved roads is a major financial issue. The full range of decisions is not required for several years, depending on the rate of settlement of Gungahlin. A critical consideration will be the extent to which the Commonwealth assists in financing the national capital aspects of these proposals.
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