Page 2937 - Week 08 - Wednesday, 14 August 2019
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We have to do a lot more community consultation but also look at how it is physically going to work. We have to consult with the bus drivers and work out what capital upgrades will be needed to allow the buses to safely move along Cowlishaw Street as an alternative on a permanent basis.
This is why I am not going to be supporting Ms Lawder’s motion. It calls for the buses to be taken off Anketell Street immediately without allowing further work or consultation. This is not going to be good for bus passengers and it potentially is not going to be good for people who use Cowlishaw Street. It is a significant deviation. While some people would use that stop, most, I assume, would go through. We need to make sure that what we do does not delay bus passengers. Cowlishaw Street is also narrow. As I said, it was never designed to be a permanent, high volume bus route. The library is used by older people and young children. Again, having that on the major bus route into Tuggeranong may have some issues. We need engineering investigations to check that it is safe for permanent, high volume bus operations.
The ALP amendment is better. It is very clear that they are taking the Tuggeranong Community Council’s concerns seriously. The amendment is talking about actually doing the work first.
In conclusion, I do believe that more work is needed before buses are taken off Anketell Street permanently. And there needs to be a real effort put into making changes in a way that does not delay bus passengers, that does not disadvantage bus passengers. Our previous debate has been all about encouraging the buses. I would like to encourage us to talk about buses in Tuggeranong seven days a week, not just talk about weekend bus services. We need to make sure that whatever is done to Cowlishaw Street will be safe for older people and young people under the permanent, high volume bus operations. This is why the Greens will be supporting the ALP amendment.
MR WALL (Brindabella) (4.53): I am proud to rise to add my support to the motion brought by the opposition today and support a position that the opposition has long supported. It is not just Ms Lawder’s bringing of this motion here today; it is also worth reflecting that Mr Parton presented a petition in this place some two years ago calling for this to happen. That was well before network 19 was even implemented. It would have given the opportunity for the interim traffic measures during the construction phase to have been continued and rolled out as part of a new network. We are not asking for heaven and earth to be moved. We are asking for buses simply to be diverted down an alternative street.
The minister has jumped up and said that it is much more complicated than members think and that there are a bend, a fence and a divider at the northern end of Cowlishaw Street opposite the 55 Plus Club. If the minister were familiar with the area, he would know that there is another workaround that has much better movement for buses if buses are heading northbound: Reed Street North into Cowlishaw Street into Pitman and then straight into the interchange, which is the route that they were taking during the construction phase. To avoid the northern end of Cowlishaw Street where the divider is, you go onto the northern part of Anketell Street between Cowlishaw and
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