Page 186 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 12 February 2020
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built so a full-size bus can run there. While a full-size bus cannot fit down there, a minibus could. It could run up Stockman Avenue, down Solong Street, through Bellbird Loop, into Pipeclay Street and back out then through Stockman Avenue.
If we do this, it would have an added benefit that Lawson could be an excellent test location for the kind of last-mile demand responsive services that we need to get across Canberra to solve problems like services for older people, who cannot walk 400 metres to their nearest local bus stop. I urge members to look at all of the parts of Lawson’s transport problems by supporting my amendment to Mrs Kikkert’s amendment.
MR STEEL (Murrumbidgee—Minister for City Services, Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Minister for Recycling and Waste Reduction, Minister for Roads and Active Travel and Minister for Transport) (3.56): I am very pleased to have the opportunity today to speak to Mrs Kikkert’s motion in relation to access to parking and public transport for residents in Lawson, and I acknowledge her amendment to her motion.
It is important to note first and foremost that, when it comes to getting to and from work and to other places around our city, residents of Lawson stage 1 are benefitting from access to the ACT’s bus network. Locals can utilise bus stops on Baldwin Drive to catch the route 30 bus service to Belconnen or Dickson before connecting to the city and other town centres via buses and light rail. Alternatively, they can catch the Route 31 bus directly to Belconnen, Dickson, Braddon and the city. Residents can also utilise nearby bus stops at the University of Canberra campus, and I understand that they are doing that quite a lot. That is one of the reasons why there is a focus on providing better pedestrian access, which I certainly acknowledge.
I also want to reiterate that the government is committed to fully servicing the suburb of Lawson through the bus network in future, and I thank Mrs Kikkert for acknowledging that commitment in her amendment. Mrs Kikkert’s amendment also touches on foot and bike paths in Lawson and highlights missing connections in the active travel network in this region. The amendment also highlights some of the desire lines that have been created as a result of people walking to and from where they want to go, which I think we will be able to look at in further detail and see what solutions might be available to address these issues.
The government has been taking a proactive approach to improving walking and cycling connections in Lawson and will continue to do that, including the issues raised today. One of the examples recently was that Transport Canberra and City Services installed bicycle racks at the bus stops at the intersection of Baldwin Drive, Stockman Ave and Maribyrnong Avenue to make it easier for Lawson residents to connect to the bus network. We are also undertaking design and construction of a path connection to the underpass of Baldwin Drive at Kaleen High School to help students travelling to and from school.
In August last year, a new three-metre-wide shared path was opened to pedestrians and cyclists, providing access to a missing link in the community path network on the south side of Ginninderra Drive between Aikman Drive and Allawoona Street. This path can be accessed by residents of Lawson via Wanderlight Avenue and provides
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