The following residents of the ACT draw the attention of the Assembly the following:
In 2011, the ACT Government commissioned and released the Belconnen to City Transitway Stage 1 option report, which analysed the bus priority options for the ‘Belconnen to City transitway’.
The ACT Government subsequently delivered bus priority measures in the city and on College Street and Haydon Drive to support better public transport.
The Belconnen district and Belconnen Town Centre are continuing to grow, with the Town Centre being a hub of community services, employment, businesses and residents.
The Belconnen to City Transitway is one of the busiest public transport corridors in Canberra, with three popular rapid bus routes and an array of popular local bus routes.
The ACT Government has identified the Belconnen to City Transitway as a priority transit corridor, including as a planned stage 3 of the light rail network.
Public Transport along the Belconnen to City Transitway provides our community with access to key education, health, and community infrastructure along the corridor.
Your petitioners, therefore, request the Assembly to call on the ACT Government to:
1. Design and construct improved bus priority measures between Belconnen and Canberra City, specifically along Haydon Drive and Belconnen Way, as an interim solution to improve public transport outcomes for Belconnen prior to the delivery of Light Rail Stage 3;
2. Implement separated cycleways as part of these works, such as delivering the future priorities along Haydon Drive and Belconnen Way, as shown in the ACT Government's draft proposed cycling network;
3. Preserve and plan for Light Rail Stage 3 as part of these works;
4. Investigate opportunities for improving connections between bus stops and key infrastructure and services, such as early education centres, North Canberra Hospital and the Belconnen Community Centre; and
5. Consider any other opportunities to enhance public transport and other transport modes between Belconnen and the City.