Page 2739 - Week 08 - Wednesday, 16 August 2017
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
every form of transport can be improved and linked up with one another to create a seamless network. This is what the ACT government is doing, from active travel—walking and cycling—to driving, to buses and rail. It is about taking a holistic approach that considers the range of different ways that Canberrans move around our city every day.
The most basic form of transport is walking, and the ACT government has put in place a range of measures to promote and improve active travel such as walking and cycling around our city. According to the 2016 census data, my electorate of Murrumbidgee has the oldest average age in Canberra, at 39 years old. Many elderly residents, particularly retirees, are very active walking around our suburbs to the local shops, and walking the last kilometre to and from bus stops.
Active living integrates physical activity with our day-to-day life. Fundamentally, the ACT government’s vision for Canberra is a healthy, active and vibrant city. This means ensuring that our city is well connected, compact and equitable. For these residents, I am pleased to say that the ACT government is investing $1.5 million in the expansion of our age-friendly suburbs program, to deliver improvements in the suburb of Hughes, making it more accessible for older residents. These upgrades include more walking and cycling infrastructure, more road crossings, the expansion of narrow and incomplete path segments and the installation of additional seating.
Along with walking, cycling is a critical part of the government’s active travel agenda. It is a mode of transport that Canberrans embrace and use more compared to people in other Australian cities. We are working to improve cycling connections, and we have rolled out our new park and pedal scheme to assist Canberrans to cycle the final leg of their journey to work. This project facilitates people who drive the bulk of the journey to park their car and then cycle the rest of the way.
Many people in the region, including me, travel on the Tuggeranong Parkway to get to work in Civic. The initial Lindsay Pryor National Arboretum site, launched earlier this year by my colleague Bec Cody, will provide a launching pad for city commuters, and the Caswell Drive stop at Glenloch interchange provides a launching pad to Belconnen.
The government is also making using bikes around Canberra easier through $200,000 of investment in new bike racks throughout Canberra, including at some of the group centres in my electorate. In addition the government’s new bike stop scheme will partner with small businesses throughout Canberra, such as cafes and pubs, to assist cyclists by opening up at least two facilities cyclists can access, such as water, toilets, tyre pumps, irons and ironing boards, as well as hair dryers, showers, lockers, and even more.
I was very pleased to hear Minister Fitzharris in her ministerial statement yesterday when she said that bike share, ride share and on-demand services will all come under careful consideration from our government as we deliver Canberra’s integrated public transport network. Ride-share services have been used successfully in many cities around the world and are something that we should look at.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video