Page 2717 - Week 08 - Thursday, 24 August 2006
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MR HARGREAVES: The upgrading of Lanyon Drive will also commence with $5 million sourced from the roads to recovery program, another one for Mr Pratt. Rest easy, Mr Seselja: I will get you a pothole. I will put a pothole outside your house. Mr Speaker, $4.2 million has been committed to the construction of Harrison school access roads to meet future access needs to both the school and the oval. A further $800,000 has been allocated to the Harrison neighbourhood oval. To reduce the risks to motorists using our rural roads network, $600,000 has been allocated in both 2006-07 and 2007-08 for the continuing removal of a number of potentially dangerous trees adjacent to rural roads.
These roadworks are part of a large works program currently being undertaken by the government, such as the GDE, which is progressing well. Mr Speaker, $3.55 million has been committed to the continuation of the neighbourhood improvements and roads and bridges programs. These funds will see the provision of new streetlights, residential street improvements, except the pothole that I promised to give to Mr Seselja, road barriers, traffic safety measures at schools, traffic calming measures, bridge strengthening and road pavement rehabilitation.
This government is committed to road safety. We will spend nearly $2 million in 2006-07 on expanding the mobile speed camera network and $2.4 million over the next four years on operating the cameras. This initiative will see the installation of two new mobile speed cameras, two fixed red light speed cameras and four fixed speed cameras at locations with a history of road crashes and speeding offences. Mr Pratt showed his ignorance of the road rules earlier when he talked about cycle lanes and that sort of stuff. I promise to get him the learner drivers booklet and an L plate so that he can stick it on his car and show everybody that he is still learning the rules of the road. I promise to deliver it to his office.
It is crucial that we have a safe and efficient wheelchair accessible taxi service in Canberra. To ensure continuation of this vital service, $814,000 will be available over the next four years to improve taxi services for people in wheelchairs. This government is committed to improving taxi services in the ACT, as has been seen. We have already released 20 new general taxi licences. Ultimately, we expect 40 new licences to be issued. I will be doing something about that next year, because the legislation prevents me doing it straightaway.
The sum of $1.866 million has been allocated over four years for the installation and operation of cameras on ACTION buses and around ACTION depots. In addition to this security upgrade, $635,000 over four years has been provided for the installation of CCTV in strategic public locations across the ACT. The installation of these cameras will assist the government and ACT Policing to plan and manage major events.
Members are aware that the drought has had an adverse effect on community sporting programs. This budget includes $3.6 million for improvements to and maintenance of our sportsgrounds. The sum of $500,000 has been allocated to improve the condition of many drought-affected playing fields across Canberra. In addition to this rehabilitation work, funding of $1.1 million has been provided for improvement to sports facilities, news to Mr Stefaniak. Lights will be installed at Jerrabomberra Oval in Narrabundah
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