Page 3840 - Week 13 - Tuesday, 4 December 2007
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The second appropriation provides for a number of road safety initiatives, including a road safety advertising and communication program. Funding will be provided to enhance awareness of items under the ACT road safety action plan, with particular reference to measures to support the ACT traffic camera program and integrated transport strategy. Road safety is an important issue for the community. There are nearly 30 crashes every day in the ACT. The economic cost of crashes in the ACT is some $180 million per year.
A proactive media strategy to support the ACT road safety action plan is being developed and this will need funding to implement. In particular, part of this increased funding will be used to upgrade advisory signage for the fixed-speed camera program to counter public perception that these cameras are for revenue-raising purposes. This additional funding will allow awareness, or encouragement, elements of the road safety action plan to be managed in a more proactive and effective manner. Road safety advertising campaigns will be highly visible to the ACT population. Targeted education and publicity programs are crucial in engaging the community to share responsibility for road safety in partnership with government actions.
As a further safety initiative the government will be introducing the Nightlink taxi scheme. Funding will be provided for security cameras and security guards at two special Nightlink taxi ranks in Civic. This is for those people fixated on security around Civic. We will have security guards at the taxi ranks. There will be a subsidy for the first 12 months to taxis providing the Nightlink service to ensure minimum earnings for drivers and operators. Funding will also contribute to the cost of providing nightly marshals, who will collect fares and coordinate ride sharing for people travelling in the same direction, and will provide improved lighting and signage at the Nightlink ranks. The scheme will be highly visible to clubbers and other young people out in Civic late at night, as it will have its own taxi ranks that will operate differently from standard taxis, using flat fares rather than metered fares and no exclusive use of the vehicle.
Funding is also provided to install electronic signs at several ACT government service car parks in Civic to advise motorists of the number of parking spaces available in the car park, to save them driving around car parks that are full. Directional signage will also be installed, which will make it easier for motorists to find government and non-government parking areas in Civic. Parking signs will help reduce motorists’ frustration associated with the pressure on parking availability in some parts of the city.
Motorists will have access to real-time information on the number of spaces available in surface car parks and better directions on the location of parking facilities. This initiative will provide improved access to unused existing car parking spaces. The electronic signs will be installed at the two surface car parks on either side of Northbourne Avenue, at the intersection of that road and London Circuit. A third sign will be provided at the large long-stay surface car park on the east side of London Circuit close to Constitution Avenue. It is expected the work will be completed by June 2008.
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