Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 4 Hansard (29 March) . . Page.. 1008 ..

MR CORBELL (11.13): This motion touches on a number of issues and perhaps the most important is that of traffic management in suburbs generally, not only around school zones. As Mr Hird rightly points out, traffic issues around school zones are of great interest and importance both to the parents of children who attend schools in their local suburbs and to the broader community. Mr Hird has raised a number of issues in relation to traffic management and I think that the inquiry by the Standing Committee on Planning and Urban Services late last year, which looked at the use of a warrant system for the management of traffic, produced a very strong report which I am pleased to see the Government has adopted essentially in total.

That report, I think, identifies a range of measures that can be used to ensure that traffic in residential areas, including in areas around schools, can be managed and slowed down. Our street design, which we were bequeathed by the Commonwealth, does not always encourage slow speeds. In fact, very wide, straight roads - or at least those with very long curves, which make it quite easy to maintain speed even if you are going around a bend - in suburban areas actually do encourage people to travel well beyond the signposted speed limit.

So, Mr Speaker, I think these are issues that do need to be properly addressed and we certainly want to see the Government respond properly and, more importantly, provide the resources to make sure that traffic warrants can be properly implemented across the city. There are a range of areas where traffic issues do need to be addressed. Mr Hird has obviously highlighted one in relation to Spence, but there are many others and we would certainly urge the Government to properly consider and resource a traffic warrant system so that we can see it properly implemented.

Mr Speaker, the other issue that I would raise is in relation to the 40-kilometre per hour school zone. I note that the Government has actually already responded on this issue, so perhaps Mr Hird's motion is a little bit late in that regard. I understand that the Minister has already agreed that it is appropriate to provide for 40-kilometre an hour speed zones outside preschools where they are not co-located with primary schools. In areas where we are seeing the closure of primary schools, we may be left with a situation where there is a preschool sitting out on its own, still operational, but the actual school building is closed. So, we do need to make sure that that situation is addressed. It would appear that the Government has done this, but broader traffic management issues need to be addressed also.

MR STEFANIAK (Minister for Education) (11.16): I would like to support the motion of my colleague and fellow member for Ginninderra, Mr Hird, in relation to the Spence Preschool. It is a preschool I have visited on a number of occasions. It has quite a large number of students, who would very clearly benefit from a 40- kilometre speed zone, and the normal laws that apply around schools. I will also place on the record that a number of parents have also approached me about that issue, and I have made representations, too, to my colleague the Minister for Urban Services.

Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .