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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2001 Week 3 Hansard (8 March) . . Page.. 842 ..

MR HIRD (continuing):

The other issue central to all of our recommendations is timing. This government has an enviable record in recognising priorities and, where necessary, in bringing programs forward to meet those priorities.

Mr Speaker, with your leave, I will now provide members with some detail of the majority recommendations of my committee. Recommendation 1 is that an additional arterial road connecting to Gungahlin Drive be constructed. This recommendation recognises that previous studies and general opinion that show that Gungahlin is underserviced in being able to access the parkway system are correct. In other words, we say to the government that you should build the Gungahlin Drive extension.

Our second recommendation is that the Gungahlin Drive extension should make effective provision for both private and public transport. This goes part of the way to addressing one of the areas where Mr Corbell has dissented from the majority. But wait, there is more.

Recommendation 3 is that future planning for intertown public transport routes should, wherever possible, be along their own dedicated right of way, as currently indicated in the Territory Plan.

Recommendation 4 is that planning should commence immediately for an intertown public transport route between Gungahlin Town Centre and Belconnen Town Centre.

My colleague Mr Corbell accuses the majority report of failing to grasp the opportunity to effectively address the public transport issues. Three of the recommendations I have mentioned so far address public transport, as does the next one.

Mr Corbell: None of those things are new, Harold.

MR HIRD: You will get your chance in a minute. Recommendation 5 is that the Gungahlin Drive extension should incorporate a laneway reserved for intertown public transport, emergency vehicles and perhaps private coaches and taxis.

Extra ways of easing the Gungahlin bottlenecks were considered by the committee. Recommendation 6 is that the ACT government announce a timetable for constructing three northbound traffic lanes on Northbourne Avenue between Antill Street and the Barton Highway.

As well as this measure, we also recommend in recommendation 7 that the government investigate the possibility of installing lay-bys at the bus stops along Northbourne Avenue. We believe that this would not only improve traffic flows but also improve passenger and traffic safety.

While we are on the vital theme of improving traffic flows, recommendation 8 calls for the project design for the intersection of Gungahlin Drive and the Barton Highway to incorporate an elevated intersection in order to facilitate traffic flow on these two important roads. The same recommendation also calls on the government to urgently seek appropriate funding from the federal government for this part of the works.

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