Page 2635 - Week 08 - Thursday, 14 August 2014
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That work continues, and I am certainly always looking for additional funds to ensure that we can get as much of that done as possible. Of course there are trade-offs there. We also need to keep the roads being resurfaced, and Mr Coe spoke about that as well. There is a large amount of work that goes on each year.
In terms of other roads issues, I could speak at some length about the various projects, but rather than take up the Assembly’s time by speaking about specific projects, I would simply note that there is enhanced funding this year. Roads ACT expects to spend almost $6 million repairing signs, responding to accidents and incidents and making patch repairs on roads. That is about $1 million more than in the previous year. Roads also expects to spend about $11½ million on road surfacing this year, which is almost $2 million more than in the previous year.
I am pleased that we are funding these important areas of safety. I have asked Roads to place particular emphasis on safety issues that are vital to reducing road trauma in our community and ensuring that maintenance is a high priority in our roads portfolio, so that we maintain the assets that we have.
Turning to other areas of the portfolio, I should speak about ACTION, which a number of members raised this evening—another large part of the portfolio. I think the best thing I can do is comment on upcoming improvements to the network. As I spoke about in question time today, there are additional services being added, particularly to new and expanding parts of Canberra—the suburbs of Molonglo, Harrison, Casey and west Macgregor. We will see new services being provided to those new suburbs.
We are in a phase where there is a significant number of improvements coming for ACTION. In particular, network 14 is due to be launched on 1 September. That will see a significant increase in services, around 300 new services a day. So we are seeing, with the design of the new network, more direct routes, more frequent services and better connections. These are the things customers ask us for, and that is the way that the new network is being designed. I hope that customers will see it as an improvement.
In particular, in the parliamentary triangle, with the introduction of pay parking there from 1 September, there will be more than 1,000 services a day servicing the parliamentary triangle and Commonwealth Avenue. It is the most heavily serviced part of the parliamentary triangle, and I would encourage those Canberrans who are keen to avoid paying parking fees now, introduced by the National Capital Authority, to look at ACTION and to look at the services. The full timetables will be available from this coming Monday, 18 August. I encourage people to look at those, and, if they have questions, to contact ACTION, who can provide information if people are struggling.
Mrs Dunne made an observation about the timing of the network 14 information release. My advice from ACTION was that we should not release it too early, because there is potential for customers to be confused. About two weeks out is the optimal time in terms of not confusing people between the old timetable and the new timetable,
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