Page 2823 - Week 08 - Thursday, 11 August 2016
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
Madam Deputy Speaker, the way we move around Canberra is changing. As our city grows, we need to ensure that it continues to be the most livable city in the world. This means planning for Canberra’s long-term future transport needs now. An integrated public transport system is vital to ensure that the Canberra community has a frequent and reliable means of getting around: getting to work and getting home again in the evening, to study, to school drop-offs, to child care pick-up and drop-offs and going out on the weekend.
On top of the light rail development, this budget also provides a $70 million investment in better public transport with more buses, new bus services and better walking and cycling paths. Matched with a focus on offering a more fulfilling customer experience, I am confident that our various transport budget initiatives over the next four years will make daily travel around Canberra more convenient, more affordable and more reliable.
The newly introduced Transport Canberra city loop, as I mentioned earlier today, is a terrific demonstration of this government’s intent to better service our community through innovative public transport choices. The city loop has been designed to provide high frequency transport across the CBD in an effort to reduce traffic congestion and activate links between key parts of the city such as the Canberra Centre, the ANU, New Acton and Braddon. The city loop, which is a free service to commuters, provides a service at least every 15 minutes from 7 am to 7 pm, Monday to Friday.
Many people have spoken to me about this service. I have travelled it a number of times myself. People have mentioned to me that this a route that you could walk in a lunch time. Interestingly, the highest patronage times on this service are very clearly in the lunch hour and also between five and six in the evening as people end their work day. I would note that transport systems matter to everyone. They matter to different people in different ways. They matter to men and women differently. I have noted that this service has been criticised mostly by men, who have not often contemplated trying to walk two kilometres in their lunch hour—that is the length from Braddon to New Acton—in high heels, Madam Deputy Speaker. That is just a comment on public transport appealing to the needs of people. Your own needs may not necessarily reflect the needs of everybody else who wants to use our public transport system.
Within the budget we will also see our government commencing a 12-month trial to assess the capability of electric buses in Canberra. We expect this to commence in early 2017, and $900,000 has been allocated for this very exciting trial. There is also $10 million for 20 new buses as part of our ongoing fleet replacement program. There is $1.5 million—Madam Deputy Speaker, I know you spoke in great support of this before it was announced and subsequently since—for a new park and ride facility in Wanniassa to really open up the blue rapid service for many more people in Canberra’s south. There is $3 million to begin the process of procuring an integrated ticketing system that makes it easier than ever before to use public transport and to switch easily between modes: light rail and buses, park and rides, bike and rides and potentially many more services.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video