Answers to questions on notice from Amanda Bresnan MLA through the budget estimates process has revealed that the Government has conceded that new suburbs in Molonglo must be provided with public transport at the outset of development.
Greens Planning spokesperson Caroline Le Couteur MLA and Transport Spokesperson Amanda Bresnan, have been lobbying for a new approach to providing transport in new suburbs in a series of papers, questions, and a recent dissenting report on an inquiry into new Holt suburbs.
“We have been pushing for new suburbs to get public transport infrastructure and services as soon as there are residents. Instead the Government insisted that they would wait and only deliver buses when there was demand,” Ms Le Couteur said.
“Now the Government has acknowledged the importance of creating demand by investing in services first, so that people can start using public transport to get to work when they first move in, creating a good habit.”
“The Greens have been pushing the Government over the past two years about a broad range of ways to make the residential development in Molonglo more sustainable.
The Greens have outlined a sustainability strategy for Molonglo which includes:
– Bus-only priority routes on arterial roads to City/Barton/Russell
– Park’n’ride and Bike’n’ride facilities from day one
– Cycle highways connecting Molonglo to City/Barton/Russell
– Public transport infrastructure designed to adapt easily to potential future non-bus public transport options
“Nobody is going to wait for 6 months at a bus stop. Waiting for demand to develop in new suburbs was simply consigning residents to their cars from the outset, which sends the wrong message about the kind of suburbs we want to build.”
“We hope that this positive change in Government policy is the first of many as the Greens will continue pushing for more improvements to planning new suburbs,” Ms Le Couteur said.
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This page was last updated on 26 April 2021
