Page 3622 - Week 10 - Wednesday, 13 September 2017
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The government is aware that the walking trails accessing the summit of Mount Taylor attract around 7,000 visitors per week. Access to the nature reserve is available from a number of suburbs on its perimeter, and indeed a number of locations right along Sulwood Drive. For the access at Mannheim Street and Sulwood Drive, the safety records at that intersection are positive and show that this part of the network is performing well. The safety of the ACT’s transport network is continuously monitored by Transport Canberra and City Services.
As has been noted, at the moment there is no formal car park on Sulwood Drive; instead, people using the reserve are parking on the road reserve adjacent to the pedestrian access. Of course there is scope to improve the community’s ability to easily and safely access the services provided by Mount Taylor, and this is an issue which the government will seek to address. Road safety and supporting physical activity such getting out into our nature parks is a really high priority for me as minister, as well as for the broader government. New facilities which can improve access to our open spaces will encourage more people to walk and cycle, which in turn will meet many of our policy objectives.
It is worth highlighting that TCCS receives over 200 requests per year for upgrades or new community paths across the territory, in addition to requests for new car parking facilities and intersection upgrades. Clearly there is a strong role for government to consider these requests and balance the priorities across the city. We recognise the importance of improving community paths and cycling facilities to provide safe and attractive routes and facilities for people in our community to use. Connecting residents to nature reserves will inherently support our community being active.
That is why we will continue to seek improvements in our existing network to provide a number of access options for people, including the provision of on-road cycling facilities. These are an important way that we can more broadly promote active travel options. For many years Transport Canberra and City Services and its predecessor agencies have adopted a strategy to take opportunities presented by the extensive annual road resurfacing program to extend our on-road cycling network. Each year, all of the roads identified for resurfacing are investigated to assess the feasibility of installing lane markings to provide for these new on-road cyclepaths.
As has been noted by Mr Parton, the provision of on-road cycling for the length of Sulwood Drive would be a fairly significant undertaking, requiring upgrades at a number of intersections to ensure an uninterrupted and safe facility for pedestrians. These upgrades will be considered, as will the opportunities to align any planned resurfacing work with the delivery of improvements in the most coordinated and efficient way we can.
To provide for those people who feel more comfortable in an off-road environment, work has already been initiated within City Services on the provision of community paths, together with appropriate crossing facilities for pedestrians and cyclists. This includes the connection or extension of the existing community path along Mannheim Street, from MacKay Crescent to Sulwood Drive. It also includes considering the safety of users, links to community facilities such as from residential areas to schools,
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