Page 5160 - Week 14 - Wednesday, 18 November 2009
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When we hear the next speaker in favour of Redex, either from the Labor Party or from the Greens—one of the defenders—perhaps they can take us through it. They can take us through these details and tell us why they are wrong. If they cannot take us through these details and tell us why they are wrong, they will be exposed. They will be exposed for simply defending it because they think it looks good—simply defending it because they believe it to be a good thing, despite the facts. We look forward to it.
MR RATTENBURY (Molonglo) (11.25): Having listened to all of this debate, I would like to stand up this morning to welcome the Redex trial. This is an interesting initiative. I am not sure if it is going to be the perfect solution, but I think it is appropriate to begin to trial these kinds of services. What we know from all the experts, from all the studies and from looking at other cities around the world is that one of the things that public transport users find key is frequency of services—frequency, regularity, knowing that if you turn up and miss your bus another one will be coming along in a short time frame and you will not have to wait nearly an hour. The principle behind this trial is one to be welcomed.
What has not been mentioned in this debate this morning is that Mr Coe’s analysis has been entirely about transport between Gungahlin and Civic. Mr Coe has failed to take into account some of the other possibilities around this service. For example, I would be interested to see how many families take the approach of perhaps driving to the Gungahlin Marketplace—
Mr Hanson: Have you ever been to Gungahlin, Shane?
Mr Coe: That is the problem. Where is the park and ride?
Mr Hanson: Have you ever gone beyond the inner north?
MR RATTENBURY: Have you finished yet?
Mr Coe: Where are they going to park?
MR RATTENBURY: Do you want to hear the rest of the sentence?
Mr Coe: Where are they going to park?
MR RATTENBURY: Of taking the opportunity to drive to Gungahlin Marketplace, park, take a rapid bus to Civic, work for the day, come back, hop off, do their shopping at the Gungahlin Marketplace—we have a number of large after-hours supermarkets that are not available in the suburbs—do their business in the Gungahlin Marketplace, maybe then drive and pick their child up from sport on the way home and then go home. There is a possibility that Mr Coe has failed to mention this morning, which his direct bus No 51 from Nicholls will not deliver. But that is okay because Mr Coe wants to make a certain point.
Mr Coe has also failed to undertake any sort of analysis about people that work somewhere other than the city. The Redex service runs down Constitution Avenue,
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