Page 4244 - Week 14 - Wednesday, 27 November 2013
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(c) since committing to light rail as the rapid transit mode for Canberra the Government has made significant progress in its Capital Metro project planning including:
(i) appointing industry leaders to the roles of both Project Director and Chair of the Board; and
(ii) undertaking critical consultation with stakeholders in the light rail integration study to inform the evaluation of options for the location of bike and ride and park and ride locations, for light rail stop locations, and for integrating the light rail service with the ACTION bus network and bicycle and pedestrian paths; and
(2) supports a light rail network as the best rapid transit option for the future of Canberra.
This government is working hard to create a modern and efficient city that has a diversified economy and attracts people, business and investment. We have consulted extensively with the community on the future of our city. We have consulted on our transport and planning strategies and, more recently, on the city plan that received comments from over 15,000 Canberrans. Overwhelmingly, people want us to make the city a better place to live, work and do business.
To ensure the city develops in a way that people want, we need to overcome important barriers to our future growth. As our population increases to over half a million, we cannot continue spreading outwards. We need to use our space smarter and more efficiently. Our planning and transport strategies are working together to ensure that development occurs along established public transport routes whilst balancing where greenfield expansion occurs. We need to address the declining amenity of the city’s core and accommodate people’s desire to live in the city centre close to amenities, employment and entertainment. The city plan and city to the lake initiatives are supporting the city centre to realise its potential as a vibrant, lively and attractive place to live, work and enjoy.
We need to address our dependence on the car as congestion, vehicle costs, environment and health impacts are increasingly affecting our quality of life. If we look at cities across the world, we see that light rail has a transformational effect, attracting investment and opportunities, helping to increase accessibility for the most vulnerable and creating a sense of community.
Madam Speaker, I will give you just a few examples of how light rail is rejuvenating cities. In Washington the light rail system began operation in the 1980s, and areas within two kilometres of a stop have eight times the employment density and three times the population compared to outside the area. Property values within 100 meters of the Washington metro stop have increased between 12 and 20 per cent due to their proximity to light rail. In the UK, Manchester’s Metrolink expansion facilitated over 3,000 permanent new jobs, stimulated $100 million of additional investment by business and boosted the economy of Greater Manchester by $117 million per year.
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