Page 5178 - Week 12 - Thursday, 27 October 2011
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at Belconnen community bus station and Flemington Road. Two additional cages at Phillip pool, Melrose Drive, and Mawson are to be completed by September-October 2011.
Over $3.5 million over four years has been allocated to construct and upgrade bus shelters across the bus network, with a focus on frequent and rapid routes.
Some $7.3 million will construct stage 1 of the Belconnen to city transit way, including bus priority measures on Barry Drive and College Street and a new ANU bus-transit station integrated with the ANU Exchange development, scheduled to be completed in 2012. Some $8.2 million will provide a bus lane on Canberra Avenue by 2013 to support the Red Rapid corridor and cross-border travel. There is $2.5 million for new bus stations at Gungahlin and $2 million for bus stop and station improvements at the Civic bus interchange and City West. And there is $2 million over four years to improve the ways in which we communicate with Canberrans about public and sustainable transport options.
These improvements could include upgraded walking and cycling facilities across Canberra, including new signage around the major lakes, on main community shared paths, on road bicycle lanes and on off-road shared paths on Ginninderra Drive and Mouat streets and the provision of lighting around Lake Ginninderra and on the Sullivans Creek shared path.
These public transport investments will encourage greater take-up of sustainable and active transport modes such as public transport, walking and cycling. Members will be aware that the transport for Canberra plan is currently out for public consultation. The plan is a core component of the government’s vision for the city. I am encouraging my constituents to engage in the consultation process and to contribute their ideas and suggestions on how we get around Canberra.
The government has continued to plan and invest in public transport. The next phase represents a new era for transport in the city and its developing future.
MR COE (Ginninderra) (3.11): Often the expression is: it is a hard act to follow. When you have a dispassionate speech like that, it really should not be too hard to follow and it makes you wonder who actually did suggest this as an MPI. I do not think it came from Dr Bourke. Perhaps it came from the person who wrote his speech.
But one thing that we do know about public transport in Canberra is that it costs a huge amount of money. It is a huge subsidy, to the tune of about $85 million per year that the ACT government puts into the ACTION bus network. At times, I think you have got to wonder how much marginal benefit we get for every dollar we put in to the ACTION bus network. This government is very good at measuring things on inputs but not as good at measuring things on outputs.
Even if you look at the transport plan which has been released just recently, they talk about 7.9 per cent patronage, nine per cent this year and going up to an optimistic 16 per cent. If an optimistic 16 per cent, which I still believe is not going to be achieved, is as good as this government can do, it makes you wonder why we are
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