Page 1813 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 5 May 2010
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(d) improve safety for active transport users by:
(i) implementing a “safe routes to school” project, involving children in the planning process; and
(ii) reviewing lighting for paths and at public transport stops;
(e) investigate building improved cycling infrastructure in Canberra—including cycle highways, Copenhagen-style cycle lanes, paths that are compatible with increased use of electric bikes, green waves of traffic lights for cyclists, and more convenient, secure bicycle parking—as well as locations for this infrastructure;
(f) engage in projects to benchmark walkability and cyclability in Canberra as compared to other cities around Australia and the world;
(g) provide improved active transport facilities at bus stops and interchanges and provide bike racks on all ACTION buses;
(h) redesign Northbourne Avenue to improve transport options, including more efficient and safe travel for bus and bicycle commuters; and
(i) report to the Assembly on the progress of these items by December 2010.
This motion is about active transport. The Greens are calling on the government to take actions to help achieve a change in Canberra’s transport patterns so that more transport is done by active transport.
“Active transport” is a term to describe physically active travelling. This mainly means walking and cycling. It also includes public transport that is effectively integrated with walking and cycling. People generally need to walk or cycle, of course, to get to public transport stops.
A key feature of active transport is that it replaces trips by private cars with transport that is healthy, sustainable and beneficial to community life. Increasing the percentage of trips made by active transport is critical to help address some of the biggest challenges we are facing, such as peak oil and climate change. Active transport is one of the keys to sustainable transport.
There is a clear need for action in the ACT in the area of transport. As we know, we are facing a climate change emergency. On top of this, the most recent research says that peak oil occurred two years ago. So we need to ensure that we have a resilient city to adapt to life with constrained petrol supplies.
To sum up the situation, the Greens want to see real, strong action on transport issues. When it comes to addressing these problems, the government is good at rhetoric: it identifies the need for change. But when it comes to actually implementing the difficult political and funding decisions on the ground, we are not seeing real action.
Take these examples of the government attitude. In their election policies they said:
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