Page 1626 - Week 05 - Thursday, 8 May 2008
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I am well aware that there is no support for light rail in the ACT government, but in the context of the climate change challenge we share at a time of relative—and perhaps short-term—fiscal generosity I am keen to put my support for that initiative on the table. I would like to see it considered in terms of a whole of Canberra transit strategy. That is what we need. We need to stop looking at these things as isolated parts. Indeed, I am already on the record encouraging the commonwealth government and the airport to contribute the first elements of a light rail network for Canberra’s centenary.
But it is not all about light rail or buses. An attractive transport system needs to deliver people from and back to their door. Our appalling taxi system needs to be part of the transport solution, not the problem. Many times over the past few years we have heard from transport experts and taxi operators alike that the taxi system as it exists in Canberra particularly is not going to last. It is not sustainable. There is not a consistent market that can support enough drivers in quiet times to provide an adequate service if ever it gets busy.
Although the ACT government has released more taxi plates, too many cabs are already off the road as there are not enough drivers available. Funnily enough, that is the same problem we have with our buses. It is a bit like building a dam when there is no rain. It is not a solution to the existing problem. The long-awaited night cab scheme will finally get pushed along this year. It is a tentative step in the direction of linking cab and minivan scale transport to our public transport system.
There are, of course, models of better integrated systems all around the world. An autonomous dial-a-ride transit—ADART—program was introduced in 2003 by the Regional Transportation Authority of Corpus Christi, Texas—that oil-rich state—which has a population of 300,000 people. It is a small, car-based city not unlike Canberra in terms of its transport demands. It links with cabs to improve the cost effectiveness and efficiency of demand-responsive transit. I could not find any such thinking embedded in this budget for the future, yet we could give you scores of excellent examples of innovative yet easy to implement transport solutions.
This budget includes about $40 million all up for parking and riding in the outyears, but not this year, except for one small park and ride project at Mawson—and Mawson residents tell me that even this is not a new idea. A comprehensive transport strategy for Canberra would have some immediate investment in safe and convenient park and ride infrastructure across Canberra at all major nodes.
Development in the city has accentuated the problem for Canberra residents. New roads such as the Gungahlin Drive extension might be making it easier for some people to drive into the city, but when they arrive they can find themselves driving around for a long time looking for a car park. The privatisation of so much of the city’s public space is now coming home to roost. The Queensland Investment Corporation now own huge swathes of Civic, with the result that much of the car parking is under their control and is significantly more expensive.
With oil now $128 a barrel and expected to rise further, with transport emissions being a key component of Canberra’s giant carbon footprint and with urban infill
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