Page 1700 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 15 May 2019
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We have been monitoring a number of routes very carefully. The rapid 4 is very successful. We can see it across from the Assembly here and how people are getting on particularly in the evenings. That suggests a very high take-up, which we are seeing right across the rapid network.
We are monitoring very closely the capacity on two other services in particular: the rapid 5 from Lanyon and also route 32 from Belconnen. On some occasions we have been able to—and will continue to—provide, on those services and some other school services, additional capacity largely in the form of larger buses. The deployment of our articulated buses is being looked at very carefully to ensure that we can meet what has been very high demand over the past couple of weeks.
ACTION bus service—school services
MISS C BURCH: My question is to the Minister for Transport. Minister, I refer to Red Hill Primary School children who live at the Causeway, within the Red Hill catchment area, who no longer have a dedicated school bus to travel on to their local public school. Your journey planner recommends a 23 to 32 minute walk either side of a bus ride or a 57 minute, 4.1 kilometre walk for these students. Minister, noting that this is similar for hundreds of students across Canberra, is it acceptable that your only solution for many Canberra kids is to suck it up and walk?
An incident having occurred in the gallery—
MADAM SPEAKER: Members in the gallery, please, no clapping.
MS FITZHARRIS: That is certainly not the message that I have sent. Indeed, the journey planner does provide a number of options. Certainly, it is the case that it will provide options for walking, because it will provide options for walking for any journey. That is certainly not the message that I have sent in any, way, shape or form.
Transport Canberra, my office and I have been having extensive conversations over a long period about designing and delivering an effective and efficient bus network that services our whole city in the most effective way. Since the beginning of the new network there have been significant discussions as well, working particularly with schools, about how to access the services and whether or not we can make some tweaks at some certain schools. For example, some of those have been to capacity, as I mentioned earlier, on school services, the location of the bus stop itself and a number of other changes.
We will continue to have those conversations directly with schools. We have a very active schools committee. We also have a school bus liaison officer as well as our active transport and active travel school liaison officer. They have been in place for some time working extremely closely with schools right across the city.
MISS C BURCH: Minister, what are the transport alternatives to children walking without supervision for Canberra families that have relied on dedicated school buses and where both parents work full time?
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