Page 3597 - Week 11 - Thursday, 23 October 2014
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The level boarding will make it more accessible for those with mobility issues and for families with prams. You only have to look at how light rail is rolled out across Europe. I look at some of the experiences I have had. In Freiberg, for example, in Germany, when you are exiting the light rail system there are two buttons on the exit aisle. The first button is for a normal exit; the second button is for a pram. As you press that button at the stop, the doors open and a ramp comes out to make it easier for you to exit the carriage.
Light rail offers an attractive, convenient, reliable and frequent service that has the capability to get people out of their cars and onto public transport. If we look at recent projects in other cities, we see that patronage figures are well above predictions. The Gold Coast light rail has already achieved over one million passengers, with public transport use increasing by 13 per cent. In Sydney, the inner west light rail extension was immediately full in the peak during its first weeks of operation. And the Glenelg light rail extension in Adelaide has helped to increase public transport passengers by 40 per cent.
We expect that Canberra’s light rail network will be the much-needed catalyst to break our car dependency.
Following consultation, it is clear that cycling is a major priority for Canberrans; the Capital Metro Agency is requesting that vehicles have the capacity to accommodate bikes and that stops have secure storage facilities.
The bus network will strongly integrate with light rail, with feeder buses serving suburbs and delivering people to a light rail interchange. As we have heard, the vision is to have a city-wide integrated network where people can access a feeder bus from anywhere in the city to be taken to the light rail interchange, hop on the frequent light rail, and take a feeder bus to their onward destination. These interchange points will be seamless and safe, with real-time information. And let us not forget the free wi-fi on vehicles and at stops so that you can stay connected while you travel across the city.
We want public transport to be easy, reliable, frequent and attractive, and we are making the right investment, at the right time, to make sure this happens.
Now is a time when the territory is suffering through federal government cuts to the public service. These cuts demonstrate two issues for us to take note of and act upon. Firstly, the local economy is dependent on the public service; secondly, the territory government needs to provide economic stimulus to ensure that the ACT economy remains strong and we invest for our future. Capital metro will help address both of those issues.
Firstly, the investment in light rail will help to diversify the economy. Canberra’s largest economic sectors are government administration and defence, representing between one-quarter and one-third of jobs in the territory. In June 2011, for example, public service jobs represented 51 per cent of all employment in the territory.
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