Page 1707 - Week 05 - Tuesday, 1 May 2012
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financing costs, the government is commencing work on financing costs as part of the next stage of this project.
MS PORTER: Supplementary.
MR SPEAKER: Yes, Ms Porter.
MS PORTER: Minister, what benefits could the people of Canberra see from this project?
MR CORBELL: During the course of a normal weekday—and I thank Ms Porter for the supplementary—around 40,000 cars and around 500 scheduled buses travel along Northbourne Avenue. It is the most congested corridor in Canberra. Without improvements to public transport infrastructure, congestion will continue to increase, increasing travel times for road users and impacting on people’s quality of life and indeed their productivity.
Our initial transport modelling suggests that if BRT was in place today the proposal would cut delays in peak travel times between the city and Gungahlin from the current 16-minute delay to an eight-minute delay. The light rail option would see the delay reduced to less than six minutes.
In transport modelling, a dollar value is assigned to travel time, and each minute saved per vehicle adds to the benefits of the project.
Decongestion benefits for general traffic and public transport vehicles are just two of the benefits that are being calculated for this project. Canberrans would also benefit from reduced vehicle operating costs when people switch from car to public transport, as well as improvements in safety and in emissions reduction.
Indeed, increasing public transport usage is one of the best investments we can make to reduce our city’s greenhouse gas emissions as well as reducing air and noise pollution and helping achieve a more sustainable Canberra.
Of course there are also significant non-monetary benefits. An improvement to the public realm, the creation of a more active and attractive boulevard and entry point to the national capital and a more accessible and socially inclusive transport system are also benefits of such an investment, as indeed are the associated health benefits of more active travel.
Ms Gallagher: I ask that all further questions be placed on the notice paper.
Answers to questions on notice
Questions Nos 2178 and 2179
MR HANSON: Mr Speaker, under standing order 118A, I seek an explanation as to why answers to questions appearing on the notice paper—2178, in relation to emergency department waiting times, and 2179, in relation to the impact of the carbon tax on providing health services—have not been provided.
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