Released 25/07/2017

The ACT Government will establish an Active Transport Office to enable more Canberrans to choose walking and cycling as their mode of transport and ensure better integration of transport modes across the city.

“Active transport must be a major part of Canberra’s transport future if we are to be a healthy and vibrant city. It is one of the keys to ensuring Canberra is a city that values and prioritises people and helps them get around,” said Minister Assisting the Chief Minister on Transport Reform, Shane Rattenbury.

“The new Active Transport Office will operate as a single point of contact for walking and cycling issues and will include the creation of an ‘Active Transport Coordinator’ who will be a high profile public contact on these issues.

“This will ensure a continued focus on walking and cycling, and ensure there is a clear framework for active transport infrastructure and planning for the Territory.

“The creation of the Transport Reform portfolio highlights the Government’s commitment to confronting the challenges faced by our growing city. Offering a range of transport options is integral to how our city grows and develops into the future and it is important that we are looking to sustainable, long term solutions.

“The transport reform agenda will look at initiatives to lessen the reliance on building new and expanded roads, which is costly to the Territory’s capital budget and is costly in terms of the city’s environmental footprint.

“As well as walking and cycling, I am looking into our bus network, taxis, car-share opportunities, road networks and footpaths to find better, more sustainable ways to move people and goods around our city.

“The Government is already working on a range of initiatives to improve transport across our city.

“We are currently in discussions with National Information Communications Technology Australia (NICTA) to develop a trial of a new demand responsive transport model for Canberra. The model would use existing buses on main routes and connect people to and from their final destination via taxis.

“The ACT Government is also actively pursuing the introduction of a car sharing scheme which provides short term hire of vehicles for residents or businesses and helps to alleviate the need for people to own a car, particularly within the CBD area.

“Our growing city is at a crossroads and we need to prioritise clean, efficient, modern and flexible transport to ensure that the decisions we make know will address the future transport challenges we will face.

- Statement ends -

Section: Shane Rattenbury, MLA | Media Releases

Media Contacts

«ACT Government Media Releases | «Minister Media Releases