Page 190 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 28 November 2012
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As stated in the motion on the notice paper, the government has failed to maintain and improve the road network in pace with Canberra’s growing population. Now that the government has expanded to include Mr Rattenbury, a red-green coalition government, the centre of gravity in the government is moving even more to the left, even more against families using their cars, putting even more pressure on the cost of living.
All members of this place, especially those on this side of the chamber, remember the travesty of the GDE and the government’s woeful and irresponsible management of the associated works. Whether it was the fact that it took more than a decade, the cost skyrocketed from $53 million to $200 million, the ridiculous single lane—the grade separated road that was single lane—the road that was inadequate on day one, the bridge collapse, the poor quality pavement, the misleading signs at Glenloch Interchange, the insufficient slip lanes onto Parkes Way, the botched speed limits and more, the GDE was iconic of this government’s failure to manage our city’s infrastructure and to design roads to keep pace with our city’s growth.
The Canberra Liberals announced policies that would help alleviate some of the chokepoints and overall deteriorating conditions of the territory’s road network. Included in the suite of policies we took to the election was a commitment that a Canberra Liberal government would inject an extra $125 million to fast-track and upgrade Canberra’s roads, bringing the total roads capital works budget to $700 million. We unashamedly want to reduce travel times, relieve congestion and improve safety.
As Mr Seselja said back in September, we make no apology for committing more money to roads and to upgrading our roads before they become too congested. Much of the focus would be in Gungahlin, the fastest growing part of Canberra, and Tuggeranong, the most neglected part over the past decade.
ACT Labor’s short-term thinking on infrastructure has left Canberrans not only footing the bill for their budget blowouts but also having to cope with inadequate road infrastructure. The ACT Labor government continues to apply an outdated, scattergun approach to infrastructure delivery, and Canberrans are left with poorly planned, late and over-budget roads as a consequence.
The Canberra Liberals understand the importance of proper planning and would ensure road infrastructure is done properly from the start by engaging what we proposed, the infrastructure Canberra commissioner, backed by an industry board. I was very proud to be part of policies to duplicate three critical single-lane roads that carry thousands of Canberrans every day. The duplication of William Slim Drive in Belconnen, Horse Park Drive in Gungahlin and Athllon Drive in Tuggeranong would all improve travel times, leading to greater productivity and therefore improving the quality of lives for Canberrans.
The different approaches to road policy are stark. The Canberra Liberals support motorists and accept cars as a part of life in the nation’s capital. The Labor-Greens government think that cars are bad and people should feel guilty for driving them.
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