Page 1685 - Week 06 - Wednesday, 13 May 2015
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
With increasing traffic congestion and travel times from Gungahlin to the city blowing out to more than an hour, light rail offers a solution that 70 per cent of respondents said they would use for their daily commute. These results demonstrate the need for light rail, which will provide an improved, integrated, high quality mode of transport for Canberrans and visitors alike. Most importantly, it will help ease congestion and take pressure off the whole road network, benefiting thousands every day.
Over the next 15 years the average peak hour commute from Gungahlin to the city is estimated to take nearly an hour—but that is just the average. Many commuters find they spend that long in their cars now. But, as the population grows, the answer is not simply more roads. Roads are, of course, a vital part of our transport system, but the future lies in an integrated transport system that includes roads but must also include public transport, buses and light rail, as well as good walking and cycling options. These options will reduce our travel times, but this is just the beginning of their benefit. They will increase productivity as less time in transit means more people being productive for more of the time. They will increase family and leisure time as less time in transit means more people able to spend time with their family, help with homework, volunteer for local sporting clubs or get some exercise.
If you believe there is an increasing congestion problem along our major gateway—Northbourne Avenue—and for residents of Gungahlin and east Belconnen, you must have a solution. Investing in light rail will provide our city with an attractive, modern, sustainable public transport system.
We all know Canberra has a love affair with the car, based on our urban sprawl, the original planning of our city and probably in no small part the past reluctance, still present in some parts of our community, to embrace medium and high density living. As more people live in higher density communities, they are starting to have a say in how important and enjoyable higher density living can be. In the last decade the territory has spent over $1.2 billion on road infrastructure alone. Our car dependency is now becoming an issue, with increasing congestion, health and environmental impacts. In fact, congestion is already costing Canberra more than $100 million every year. This is something we must address sooner rather than later.
One of the main objectives of the capital metro project is to offer people a convenient alternative to the car, encouraging Canberrans to get more active and use public transport. Light rail will help ease congestion and reduce pollution as our city grows. It will reinvigorate the wider transport network by providing a high frequency and highly attractive spine service between the city and Gungahlin. It will integrate with the existing bus network, which is absolutely critical to the success of the project. It will help to revitalise the Northbourne Avenue corridor.
Over the next 20 years our city centre will house 10 per cent of the territory’s population growth. To accommodate this growth, our city needs housing, community and recreation facilities, together with retail, lifestyle and other services. Capital metro will help the city centre realise its full potential as a vibrant, lively and attractive region. It will be pivotal to the much-needed rejuvenation of our gateway to Canberra—Northbourne Avenue.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video