Page 16 - Week 01 - Tuesday, 10 February 2015
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Modernising our city’s transport system is core business for the government this year. Let me repeat what I said prior to Christmas: our city will not be fuelled by petrol forever, and it will not forever be designed solely around the motor car. We need light rail as part of a better public transport system for all parts of this city.
We need to maintain sensible and fair provision for the many Canberrans who will always rely on the family car, and we must integrate this into a city-wide transport system that works as a whole. This is the forward-looking and common-sense approach that Canberrans would expect of a progressive government—always practical and workable but never stubbornly rejecting change.
Minister Rattenbury will assist me with transport reform and Minister Gentleman has taken on the new portfolio of Minister for Roads and Parking.
A key responsibility for Mick will be a smarter approach to roadworks and parking, especially in growing suburban areas of the city like Tuggeranong, Belconnen, the Molonglo valley and Gungahlin. Something everyone in our community knows about Mick is that he is a voice for motorists and a voice for the outer suburbs, in his own portfolio and at the cabinet table. He is determined to make sure all of our roadworks are well sequenced and connected and to deliver more parking and more parking choices, particularly including expanded park and ride facilities and new technology. Our discussion paper on smart parking will be followed by a trial in the second half of this year. Tools like in-ground sensors to capture real-time information about where the empty parking spaces are and communicating that information to drivers through smart phone apps and intelligent traffic signs are part of this agenda. Anything that makes the morning commute easier is worth the work.
Minister Rattenbury and I are working together on the innovation review of the taxi industry. The right mix of strong public transport and flexible car-based services is essential for our city. A growing number of Canberrans, especially younger Canberrans, want to live without the cost and hassle of a car of their own; many families would love to be able to have one less car in the household.
New technology is already arriving in service, and we know there is significant potential for further innovation through alternative digital technologies and business models. Smart phone applications to book and track taxis, ride-share business models and regulation of user charges are all in the mix for reform in coming years. If our city is easier to get around, it is easier to do business.
These ministerial arrangements reflect how our decision-making is being renewed, but, more importantly, they reflect our government’s priorities to renew our city.
These are the big projects for Labor in government this year: accelerating urban renewal, new measures for social equality and inclusion, renewal of our business development agenda and modernising the city’s transport systems. They are reflected in much of the legislative business for the Assembly in coming weeks, along with important practical measures to address some specific issues in our community.
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