Page 194 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 28 November 2012
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
The focus in Tuggeranong at the moment is on upgrading Ashley Drive, which carries in excess of 18,000 vehicles. The ACT government has funded $7 million for the first stage of its duplication and a further $19.6 million over the term of this Assembly to construct the second stage.
On the issue of street sweeping, the ACT already has a comprehensive program of street sweeping which means every street is swept a minimum of twice per year. This resulted in approximately 17,600 kilometres of streets being swept in 2011-12 and the removal of some 14,000 cubic metres of debris from ACT streets. I understand Mr Coe’s interest in this area as street sweeping contributes to the look and feel of Canberra. It is also important for keeping paths free of glass and other obstacles.
Currently TAMS allows members of the public to report isolated debris on road shoulders and cycle paths, and these will be cleaned within three working days of the report. I appreciate that Mr Coe wants to enhance street sweeping and that he has asked for the street sweeping program to be made public. This is already on the TAMS website, so I encourage Mr Coe to help distribute it to his constituents, perhaps along with the TAMS mowing program, which is also available on the website, and I know he has taken a significant interest in that as well. I note that currently 83 per cent of residents who responded to the most recent TAMS customer service survey were satisfied with the existing street sweeping program.
For the interest of the Assembly’s new members, Mr Coe tabled a motion just before the election that was about the installation of flashing lights at schools, and he has spoken to it at some length again today. The ACT government does not support the blanket introduction of these flashing lights at schools. Safety at schools is absolutely a key issue. Certainly it is something the Greens have pursued, and it featured strongly in the active transport plan that my former colleague Caroline Le Couteur released in 2009.
The reality is that it is not the best approach to simply adopt a blanket treatment implemented in New South Wales and apply it to the ACT. It does not necessarily guarantee any better or safer outcomes. Traffic conditions around schools are different in New South Wales. Many schools are on or near major arterial roads. ACT schools are generally located within residential areas and clear of major roads but for a few exceptions. Hence, our schools do not generally affect major or high-volume traffic routes.
ACT school zones operate between 8 am and 4 pm on school days. This is again different than in New South Wales where the zones generally operate between 8.30 and 9.30 in the morning and then 2.30 to 4 pm in the afternoons. The all-day performance and safety record is one of the features of the ACT system and, on the basis of this, the ACT government has no plans to change the current policy.
I am perfectly happy to look at targeted locations where installing lights will have merit. TAMS is currently considering the circumstances where flashing lights will assist road safety in the vicinity of schools or other areas of high levels of pedestrian activity, such as pedestrian crossings in town or group centres.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video