Page 3494 - Week 09 - Thursday, 23 August 2018
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progress the procurement of an integrated bus and light rail ticketing system; $1.7 million for faster bus travel through bus priority infrastructure, bus service improvements and new bus stops; and $8.3 million over four years in community transport through the community transport coordination centre, incorporating the flexible bus service and special needs transport.
As members are aware, an initial phase of community engagement for the redesign of the public transport network was undertaken late last year. The first phase of consultation provided Transport Canberra officials with an opportunity to speak directly to the community about how Canberra’s public transport network is changing, including the introduction of more rapid bus routes.
The community told us that their top three priorities for encouraging more people to use public transport were faster trips and more direct routes, more frequent and reliable services, and increased services at both peak and off-peak times, such as during the evening and on weekends. The proposed bus network will make it easier for more Canberrans to use public transport by delivering on what we know people in our city have asked for, and what we know works in every bus service that is successful around the country and around the world.
Key features of the new network include 10 rapid routes, served by high frequency bus or light rail services that will run at least every 15 minutes from 7 am to 7 pm Monday to Friday, and frequently at other times; a well-connected local bus network designed to get customers where they need to go within their district, such as local shops or schools, as well as to town centres and key transport interchanges where they can connect with rapid services for longer trips; and a ground-up redesign of the public transport network to better service schools, allowing the government to provide 30 per cent more buses past schools than there are today and give more kids an opportunity to use public transport or active travel to get to school.
I would like to reiterate that the government is very conscious of the need to improve bus services in the evenings and on weekends, and the need to run a more reliable public transport network. It is critically important for encouraging more Canberrans to use public transport that services are available and turn up on time. This is why the proposed network will include better services in every district during the day on weekdays, in the evenings and on weekends.
We have heard from Canberrans that later services on a Sunday will allow them to avoid driving if, for example, they want to go to the movies at 4 pm, since there will be a bus to get them home afterwards. We have also heard from people who work on weekends and the evening in retail, hospitality and other industries that running buses later into the evening and for longer on weekends will mean that they can now get the bus to work.
Similarly, we know that frequent and direct services are key to getting more people out of their cars. We want the new public transport network to provide a genuine alternative to driving for more Canberrans and help more families avoid having to buy a second or even third car.
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