Page 1812 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 5 May 2010

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Motion, as amended, agreed to.

Active transport

MS LE COUTEUR (Molonglo) (5.30): I move:

That this Assembly:

(1) notes that:

(a) the Government released a Sustainable Transport Action Plan in 2004, however:

(i) the Government did not implement many of its recommended actions and priorities;

(ii) road transport in the ACT creates about 24% of the ACT’s total greenhouse gas emissions, which remains the highest per capita CO2 emissions of any capital city in Australia; and

(iii) Canberra has the highest use of motor vehicles (84%) and lowest level of public transport usage of any Australian capital city (8%);

(b) increased levels of active transport—which is primarily walking, cycling and catching public transport—bring health, environmental and economic benefits to the community; and

(c) there remain many barriers in Canberra for walkers, riders and public transport users, especially as government funding strongly favours car travel; and

(2) calls upon the Government to:

(a) prioritise pedestrians, cyclists and public transport in planning, traffic and urban design policies and fund appropriately;

(b) formalise the principles from the Healthy Spaces and Places design guide and the International Charter of Walking into the Territory’s planning rules, so that active transport and healthy living are prioritised in new developments and in upgrades for existing areas and this includes ensuring that active transport networks link people’s homes, shops, schools, public transport interchanges and other important destinations;

(i) converting appropriate areas into pedestrian priority spaces;

(ii) removing the mandatory minimum car parking requirements for new suburban developments, but encouraging space for car sharing; and

(iii) introducing a sustainable transport contributions fund to allow developers to limit parking spaces in city and town centres;

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