Page 1170 - Week 04 - Wednesday, 6 April 2016
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Public transport
MR COE (Ginninderra) (12.16): I move:
That this Assembly calls on the ACT Government to prioritise buses as the most effective and efficient way to serve all Canberrans by public transport.
The motion I have moved today calls on the ACT government to adhere to the experts’ advice and to invest in a public transport system for all of Canberra. This is something which a Canberra Liberals government will do. Last week we released a comprehensive and detailed policy for public transport here in the ACT.
Canberra’s transport future outlines a number of initiatives a Canberra Liberals government will implement to the ACTION network here in the territory. At the heart of these reforms is creating six new rapid routes throughout Canberra. This includes the new silver rapid, a service which runs to and from the city, Weston Creek and the developing Molonglo valley. I know that Weston Creek residents have been calling for an upgrade to the ACTION network for some time, and a Canberra Liberals government will do this.
Other new rapids proposed include the green rapid, a service which runs to the airport, a purple rapid, a service which links Tuggeranong to the city, bypassing Woden in the process. The parkway express is also a new initiative which links the Canberra Hospital to Woden with the Calvary hospital, University of Canberra and Belconnen.
Furthermore, our plan provides for the provision of express peak hour buses. Under a Canberra Liberals government, there will be no need to transfer from a bus to a tram at the Gungahlin town centre. Every Gungahlin resident will have the capacity to catch a bus from their suburb to the city. This type of express network, connecting the suburbs with the city, will be rolled out right across the ACT. The plan also looks to increase late night services on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, provide summer services and integrate intelligent transport systems into the public transport network.
I am particularly pleased to include a local technology budget in our plan. This budget will allow local Canberrans to present new and innovative ideas to government about how to improve transport in the ACT. This may include software and application-based improvements to NextBus or it could improve funding to undertake research into new route proposals or how to effectively and efficiently transition the ACTION bus fleet to an electric bus fleet in the future.
Canberra’s transport future puts the passenger first. An elected Canberra Liberals government will provide funding to upgrade and enhance bus stock and interchange infrastructure and look to improve customer experiences by upgrading the NextBus and MyWay systems. Our plan is practical, useful and affordable. Over the past week I know that we have received considerable feedback from the community about this plan.
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