Page 2754 - Week 08 - Wednesday, 16 August 2017
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We have now started work on stage 2 from the city to Woden. The budget commits $53.5 million to the design and procurement of stage 2, and a consultation summary report on community views is currently being drafted.
It is unfortunate that the Canberra Liberals were not able to perceive the significant benefits that light rail would bring to Canberra, despite the overwhelming support of the Canberra community for this project. The Liberals’ preference to rip up the contracts for light rail would have wasted $250 million of ratepayers’ money and denied our city the significant benefits that would have flowed from this project.
We continue to focus on improving our bus network across the city. In addition to the network remodelling, we will have more routes, more stops and better buses. The rapid bus routes have proved extremely popular as a quick transport option that requires minimal planning. I am a frequent user of the blue rapid 300 series, and I can personally attest to this. The frequency of these buses means that people do not have to plan their time around their bus schedule; they can simply show up, knowing that a bus will come by every 15 minutes, usually better.
We are now expanding the rapid bus options across the city, including introducing two new rapid routes. In my electorate, I am excited to see that there will be a new black rapid route between Belconnen and Gungahlin. These two town centres have both experienced substantial growth in recent years. This new rapid service will answer the need for a quick and easy cross-city connection for those who work or relax across the two town centres. Even better, the government has committed $150,000 to allowing people to travel for free on the new rapid services for the first two months.
There are a range of other projects underway to continue improving our bus services. The bus replacement program is ongoing, and it was announced this week that two electric buses and one new hybrid bus will hit Canberra roads next month as part of a 12-month trial. The free city loop will be continued, and we are investing in the community transport coordination centre, which incorporates the flexible bus service and special needs transport.
As my colleague mentioned, active travel is also a priority for this government. The environmental and health benefits of active travel are no secret. We are working on making active travel safe and accessible, to minimise barriers to participation and encourage more people to use the best energy source available to fuel their transport: their own bodies.
I am so pleased that this budget will fund the design and construction of the Belco bikeway, a Belconnen town centre master plan recommendation that will help our community to get on their bikes. The $4.7 million bikeway will link suburbs around Belconnen town centre with key landmarks, including UC, Radford College, CIT Bruce and Bruce stadium.
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