Page 464 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 13 February 2013
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Let us first look at the issue of additional and free buses. It was a commendable initiative, but surely there was not any belief in government that it would eliminate the parking problems. Bus travel is not a Canberra norm. My colleague Alistair Coe has raised the issue of lack of patronage on Canberra buses for the last four years. So to make them free was not going to change the habits of a lifetime. Transport economists will tell you that Canberra is not designed to encourage a modal shift towards public transport. Canberrans trip-chain in their daily lives, and that behaviour flows over to sporting events.
As writers to the Canberra Times highlighted in the days following the game, there were sound reasons why people needed their cars. For some, it was the need to take disabled family members to the game; for others, it was the need to leave early or travel elsewhere after the game. Some had come straight from work and needed to get home after the game.
While it is reasonable to argue that parking on grass verges is a potential traffic hazard, when there is simply nowhere else to go—not close, not within kilometres of the venue—what are people to do? In many instances, the cars were not causing a traffic hazard or obscuring a view. What about those who had travelled from interstate and from regional towns, as many hundreds had? They had no real way of knowing that free buses were available. And the free buses were not available from Cooma or Goulburn.
Unlike other capital cities that have buses, trains, dedicated roads, multistorey car parks and a history of traffic management, Canberra has none and has a resistance to even consider developing a parking strategy. In the 2011 estimates hearings, the opposition raised the issue particularly in respect of Manuka and the enhanced oval, and the government said it noted the recommendation that a parking strategy be developed.
We know Labor’s parking strategy. It is there in their policies. They do not believe Canberra people should drive cars. They believe Canberra workers should catch buses. Their parking strategy states that they will reduce the number of car spaces for every 10 city workers from eight to just five.
It would be interesting to have a look at the Assembly estimates in May 2011. I read from the transcript:
MR HANSON: Can I clarify: there is no intent to update the parking in the Manuka surrounds?
MR BARR: There are a number of structured car parking proposals, and park-and-ride opportunities are available. There is also the Manuka group centre. There is parking provision in other areas certainly within walking distance of Manuka but there will not be a major car parking structure built in Manuka Oval. It is certainly not part of the thinking.
MR HANSON: You have no intention of upgrading any of the ground car parking necessarily?
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