POST 2020 ELECTION OPINIONS
Updated April 10 2023
Letter, The Canberra Times, April 3 2023 from Gil Miller, Barton
When I went to school one of the syllabus reading requirements was John Wyndham's Day of The Triffids. For years after reading that novel, I imagined plants with long tentacles, sitting by the road just waiting for unsuspecting individuals to come by.
Well, just like the cameras on Northbourne and Barry, Canberrans can now add the "mobile detection cameras" to their fears.
Good work, ACT government. Under the guise of public safety you have craftily inserted another income-generating stream to your coffers.
The government is collecting money to pay for our progressive "world-leading' innovations", such as light rail.
Letter, The Canberra Times, April 3 2023 from Rachel Sirr, Gowrie
I object to light rail proceeding any further. It is a waste of public money that I would like spent on other more important priorities and projects such as our hospital, our parks and playground infrastructure, police, teachers and our schools.
Letter, The Canberra Times,April 1 2023 from Mike Quirk, Garran
The National Capital Authority's assessment of light rail 2A is confined to the projects consistency with the National Capital Plan ("Light rail faces federal approval test as latest design plans are revealed", canberratimes.com.au, March 28).
The funding of the project rests with the ACT government. It has failed to justify the project and has not considered alternatives including bus rapid transport. If the Brisbane (Bus Rapid Transport) metro is any guide, BRT would be, at most, two-thirds the cost of light rail. Pausing the light rail extension should enable, if the government is committed to social justice, increased funding of massive unmet needs in social housing and health and improvements to bus public transport.
The failure of the Barr-Rattenbury government to assess the project is a stain on its record.
Letter, The Canberra Times, April 1 2023 from Chris Fitzgerald, Downer
Forget light rail, what the city really needs is heavy/ordinary rail. If you've ever been caught in the train of cars heading down both Majura and Tuggeranong parkways during peak hour, there is certainly demand for a fast transport system linking town centres. Light rail is only convenient in high density areas like the inner north, where it currently is. And a heavy rail linking town centres solves the problem of the lake which is a stumbling block for the light rail expansion.
Why not have a big loop Gungahlin-Belconnen-Weston Creek-Woden-Tuggeranong, then around in the other direction from Woden-Kingston-Fyshwick-Airport-Majura Park-Gungahlin. That way you avoid the lake completely, and also the parliamentary triangle, so there are no problems with the parliamentary triangle plan. You can employ the people/companies from Sydney's rail system to build the loop (with all their experience). Then because the rail would be linked with the current station at Kingston, you can send a few Tangara trains from Sydney by rail to run along the new line.
I don't know what the cost would be, but a heavy rail system would be more environmentally friendly than trains of polluting cars looping round the parkways twice a day.
Letter, The Canberra Times, March 30 2023 from Dr Douglas Mackenzie, Deakin
Alex Crowe has identified some of the problems that could be encountered in completing the light rail link between Gungahlin and northern end of Commonwealth Avenue ("Light rail 2a faces works approval process" March 28, p3).
Any problems found in this short stretch could be multiplied manyfold in stage 3 from the lake to Woden. A new bridge at Commonwealth Avenue will probably be necessary, and there is still debate over which national exhibition centres will have nearby light rail access.
here are also likely engineering and traffic control problems between State Circle southwest and Woden. For example, there is an enormous tabular concrete pillar supporting the Kent Street overpass of Adelaide Avenue that is directly in line with stage 3 light rail and sitting on an approximately 12-15 degrees slope. Two similar pillars support the dual carriageway Carruthers Street overpass of Yarra Glen. These are also directly in the path of light rail.
In both cases, works will cause long and costly traffic disruption and even more costly construction and reconstruction. Both cases are arguably unnecessary.
Letter, The Canberra Times, March 25 2023 from Richard Johnston, Kingston
Re the article "Passenger rebound across buses, light rail despite cuts" (canberratimes.com.au, March 19), Transport Canberra says "delays on the road network related to light rail works meant the same number of drivers could deliver fewer services". Sorry, delays don't justify "fewer services".
Minister Steele lets the cat out by saying: "The timetable ensures bus services are scheduled at levels that are responsive to when passengers travel the most".
The article then says "The timetable reduces the number of [bus] services on some suburban routes by up to 10 runs on weekdays and makes cuts to some late-night services. Light rail services [Gungahlin to Civic] have continued at the same frequency." So it appears the cuts to bus services will be ongoing, to help subsidise light rail.
Don't worry about actually increasing the level of public transport service across Canberra.
Letter, The Canberra Times, March 10 2023 from Eric Hodge, Pearce
In the March edition of the ACT government CBR News for the Woden, Weston Creek and Molonglo Valley area there is a section telling people to "rethink your routine" as construction ramps up to deliver light rail.
What it doesn't highlight is that the proposed light rail service (hopefully to be canned by the Liberals) will, at a cost we pay for but are not allowed to know, take at least twice as long. That is Green progress for you. Hang the cost.
The article makes much of the fact the current rapid bus service "runs every 15 minutes".
Letter, The Canberra Times, March 8 2023 from Mike Quirk, Garran
Transport Minister Chris Steel says buses have to compete with motor vehicle traffic. He seems unaware of bus rapid transit systems operating on their own right of way. He should study their effectiveness before committing billions to extending the light rail network.
Letter, The Canberra Times, February 25 2023 from Jenny Goldie, Cooma, NSW
I was bemused by two articles in close proximity ("ACT forecast to swell to 784,000 people" and "Population boost for earless dragon", CT, 24 February).
Unless the ACT government adopts a policy of only high rise to accommodate another 230,000 people, then the grassland habitat of the earless dragon will be encroached upon and it may become extinct despite recent rescue efforts.
It's a universal problem: when human populations expand, it is usually at the expense of other species' habitats. With global populations growing inexorably, no wonder we are in the Sixth Mass Extinction.
The comments of Elena Mitchell, new resident of Dickson, should give pause for thought for those opposed to the extension of light rail to Woden. In explaining why she had not settled on the south side, she said: "There was no tramline there and you'd have to take the bus, and I don't have a car..."
One hundred years ago my grandmother bought a house on Wattletree Road, East Malvern, in Melbourne "because it was on the tramline" and she never did get a car in her remaining 50 years there.
There are studies, I believe, that show people are more inclined to use trams than buses if available. In these times of climate crisis, we have to maximise public transport use, so let's get on with building light rail if that's what people want.
Letter, The Canberra Times, February 22 2023 from Jack Kershaw, Kambah
The "Missing Middle Canberra" group, and its endorsers ("End zone own goal", canberratimes.com.au, February 21) ought to concentrate on improving the quality of "land-value-capture" residential densification along tram lines, and near shops; not push for the wrecking of our valued established suburbs.
Letter, The Canberra Times, February 17 2023 from Geoff Le Couteur, Dunlop
Mr Gentleman clearly knows nothing of commuting to work in Canberra where a commute of over one hour is the "norm".
I live in Dunlop and for many years commuted by bus to Civic (some 18 kilometres).
Using the former express service it was about one hour 10 minutes from door to desk.
With light rail, the changed timetable and loss of the express service the R2 takes about 10 minutes longer for the same journey.
By car and paying for parking with a similar departure time of 7.30 am the journey time shrinks to less than 30 minutes.
Why are bus stops every 400 metres or so making the bus trip so slow? Move them out to at least 600 or 800m and the bus travel time would be vastly improved.
Please fix the horrendous travel time issue. Dunlop to Civic should be no more than 40 minutes at peak times.
The Canberra Times could poll its readers to get a better picture of the travel times its working readers endure.
I suspect it would confirm over 60 per cent have a commute time exceeding one hour already.
Letter, The Canberra Times, February 16 2023 from Geoff Henkel, Farrer
Canberra's new electric buses will have a range of 400 kilometres.
This is surely the solution to the Civic to Woden route.
Electric buses would have flexibility in route and population servicing and an express bus travel time half that of the proposed tram.
This would avoid the building of an expensive lake bridge and save the large heritage trees on the south side of the lake.
The lowering of the bus floor and the building of a ramp and platform at bus stops would enable easy loading equivalent to the tram loading.
The installation of fast electric charging at end locations would be an outlay, without the need for expensive tram railing and overhead electric wires.
This would also have a much lower capital cost than a tram system.
Letter, The Canberra Times, February 16 2023 from Richard Johnston, Kingston
Thanks for your article "Bus fleet will grow over time, Steel says" (canberratimes,com.au, February 14).
In response to Jo Clay pointing out that there are less buses on the road now than there were in 1990, Steel says buses are now larger.
Unfortunately your analysis reveals that an older bus had a total capacity of 70 passengers, compared to 68 for a new model.
A light rail vehicle has about three times this (not four times as Steel says) but only with two-thirds of the passengers standing.
Letter, The Canberra Times, February 15 2023 from Joseph Mann, Reid
Contrary to assertions made in Dr McKenzie's letter (February 11), the $50 million a year or so the government spends on the next stages of the tram is not being diverted away from the hospital upgrades (which are also currently being paid for). The traffic he complains of will be far worse as Canberra's population increases: leading to more drivers, leading to more damage to roadways, leading to more costly and disruptive roadworks, forever.
Letter, The Canberra Times, February 11 2023 from Dr Douglas Mackenzie, Deakin
Like the Canberra Liberals, I too oppose the construction of light rail stage 2 to Woden.
The $3 billion-plus cost will mean, for example, that improvements to the ACT health system and the chaotic, labyrinthine Canberra Hospital may need to be shelved, perhaps indefinitely.
If stage 2 were to proceed a new bridge across the lake near Commonwealth Avenue would have to be built at great cost.
Traffic disruption along the route will broaden and worsen.
This is already occurring in Deakin and Yarralumla, with work on the Kent Street overpass of Adelaide Avenue causing 30-minute traffic jams along suburban streets.
Far worse and longer-lasting disruption will result from the construction of light rail beneath Kent Street, Cotter Road and Carruthers Street.
These are areas where the construction of new bridges may be necessary.
A light rail route diversion onto existing roadways may also be required.
A trackless electric tram system, combined with electric buses, would solve all these problems and save many millions.
Letter, The Canberra Times, February 8 2023 from Keith Hill, Canberra City
So, even without any sort of referendum or even a plebiscite it seems developers in Canberra have a very powerful voice to the ACT planning minister.
Anything they want they get. "You bought this site with approval for 30 units but you want us to change it to allow 60? No problem! You want to trash a public swimming pool and put up more apartments? Go for it!"
And what's the latest? Answer: apartment blocks with minimal parking plus additional parking available for sale.
You don't need to be Einstein to see through that one but it would seem to have the enthusiastic support of the planning minister. Why? Even many of the singles, students and FIFO workers who take up most of the ridiculously small apartments being built in Canberra have a need for a car.
As for the ridiculous suggestion that hotels could be approved without parking, spare me. Even if guests arrived by plane, train or bus they're going to need to get around. The light rail network and bus fleet cannot be expanded enough to ever overcome that.
Nor will the network run 24/7 to cater for all contingencies, be they late night public events and partying or emergency dashes to the hospital or to help an ageing parent.
Canberra used to be considered a great place for families. Under this Planning Minister and the avaricious developers I can't see that being the Canberra of the future.
But is this really about making apartments more affordable as has been suggested? Or is it about developers wanting to avoid having to install EV charging facilities in parking spaces in new developments?
Letter, The Canberra Times, February 8 2023 from Ian Douglas, Jerrabomberra, NSW
I was entranced by Jack Kershaw's proposed scenic route for the Woden light rail (Letters February 3) except for the suggestion commuters be catered for by trams sitting in sidings waiting for the express inter-town tram to pass through. A better alternative would be an express 17-minute bus service.
Letter, The Canberra Times, February 7 2023 from Leon Arundell, Downer
In combination with a 4 per cent expansion of Canberra's public transport coverage, stage 1 of light rail increased local public transport journeys by 15 per cent.
In the unlikely event that a slow tram to Woden will have the same impact, the proportion of Canberra's trips that public transport provides will increase by less than one third. The 2017 ACT and Queanbeyan Household Travel Survey showed that public transport provided 4.3 per cent of trips.
A one-third increase in public transport patronage will reduce car trips by less than 2 per cent.
Light rail will have only a minimal impact on the overall need for car parking spaces. So what are the other "improvements to public transport" that the Planning Minister believes "will allow the planning authority to approve plans for buildings with vastly reduced car parks"?
Letter, The Canberra Times, February 3 2023 from Leon Arundell, Downer
Canberra's first permanent service electric bus ("Canberra's first electric bus zips into permanent service," January 26) may be good news for the climate.
When Stage 1 of light rail commenced, buses from the light rail route were reallocated to other services. Local ACT transport emissions reached an all-time high in 2020. Transport Canberra's bus emissions reached an all-time high in 2021.
In 2022 Transport Canberra's 460 government-subsidised buses caused 34,000 tonnes of carbon-dioxide equivalent emissions.
If the newly-introduced electric bus replaces one of Transport Canberra's fossil-fuelled buses the ACT's greenhouse emissions will fall by about 74 tonnes per year.
Letter, The Canberra Times, February 3 2023 from Jack Kershaw, Kambah
Users testify that ACT light rail stage one is popular and operating well. Surely it is logical to continue with the citywide system, sensitively and expeditiously, for long-term benefit.
The "optics" and permanence of trams makes them appealing and reassuring, and can justify the cost. Tramline "land-value-capture" property development needs to be carried out more sensitively.
Because the Central National Area is involved, the Civic-Woden tram surely needs to service as many national attractions as possible. The current Civic to Capital Hill section, via City Hill, and Commonwealth Avenue, doesn't do that; and critically, is mired in major planning, heritage, cultural-landscape, aesthetic, structural, time, traffic, and cost problems, many of them unresolvable.
With due substantial financial assistance from the Commonwealth, the Civic to Capital Hill tram route needs to change, and be expedited, to include, say, New Acton, the ANU, Acton Peninsula's attractions, Griffin's missing CNA lake crossing, Lennox Gardens North, Flynn Drive, Coronation Drive, Queen Victoria Terrace, Windsor Walk, and State Circle.
If stage 2a (Civic to Commonwealth Park) won't be stopped, then the tramline could leave Commonwealth Avenue at a stop just south of Parkes Way, and traverse the redeveloped Acton Foreshore, to ANU south, the Peninsula, and on, as outlined above.
Rush-hour "fast" inter-town trams could be catered for, with say, lay-bys.
Letter, The Canberra Times, January 30 2023 from Penleigh Boyd, Reid
The ACT Labor-Greens coalition claim they have a mandate for light rail stage 2 as they took it to the last election and won. However, the last election was not just a single issue election and many other factors, including the lacklustre performance of the previous opposition leader, came into play.
Now we have the potential opportunity to see how light rail performs on a level playing field.
With Jeremy Hanson currently sponsoring an online "stop-the-tram" petition, Shane Rattenbury should sponsor a "continue-the-tram" petition. The public response on this single issue matter would be most interesting.
Letter, The Canberra Times, January 27 2023 from Erin Cook, Waramanga
So light rail is partially responsible for a cafe in Red Hill being closed? (Letters, January 21) Very suspicious. Do we know if the light rail visited Wuhan in late 2019? Where was the light rail during the murders in Whitehall? It wasn't a submarine that kidnapped Harold Holt, it was that dastardly light rail.
Letter, The Canberra Times, January 26 2023 from Leon Arundell, Conservation Council board member 2010 to 2016, member of the Conservation Council's Transport Working Group, Downer
The Conservation Council's 2019 announcement of support for "extending the north-south light rail route through to Woden and Tuggeranong" came as a surprise to most of its members.
I recently said that we can replace the ACT's entire fleet of polluting buses with zero emissions electric buses, and build bus rapid transit between Civic and Woden, for less than the cost of the slower and less frequent services of Stage 2 of light rail (Letters, January 12).
The president of the Conservation Council ACT Region, Sarah Reid (Letters, January 16) responded, "He did not consult the TWG. His views do not reflect those of the Conservation Council".
The president did not discuss her response with the Transport Working Group. Only two of the six organisations represented in that group qualify to be Conservation Council members. At the November 2022 annual general meeting the president allowed the other organisations to nominate - and to vote for - candidates for election to the board.
Whose views does Ms Reid represent?
Letter, The Canberra Times, January 23 2023 from M Flint, coordinator, Smart Canberra Transport, Erindale Centre
I refer to the letter by Terry Gibson "Fund the tram" (Letters, January 16). Given his last two sentences, I think Mr Gibson could do with some education on the creation of money and what that means.
Letter, The Canberra Times, January 23 2023 from Tony May, Pearce
Penleigh Boyd reminds us (Letters, January 9) of how thoughtless planning in our city centre has deprived Canberrans of the once enjoyed vistas to the mountains beyond.
Think what will be lost with the continuation of light rail down the Adelaide Avenue corridor with its proposed 10 stops - the many stops that can only be justified by high-rise development sprouting like bean-stalks along the way.
Lost will be the beautiful vista to the Brindabellas, to my mind the grandest of them all.
I have often travelled by the rapid bus system from Woden. The journey to Civic takes less than 15 minutes. The only stop of necessity is the Albert Hall (for the benefit of Treasury workers).
Letter, The Canberra Times, January 20 2023 from C Williams, Forrest
Brenton Hutchison "Silent majority backs tram" (Letters, January 15) suggests that the majority of Canberrans are happy with the tram based on the Barr government being re-elected. That's nonsense. Its re-election had more to do with the inability of the Liberals to come up with an electable alternative government.
Letter, The Canberra Times, January 19 2023 from Terry Gibson, Kambah
We need to stop believing that the tram extension to Woden must ultimately be self-funding. It does not need to be.
Provided there are sufficient idle resources of labour, raw materials and technological know-how, the federal government could easily step in and fully fund the tram extension to Woden.
It is, after all, the federal government that creates the money. Creating money to improve infrastructure is not inflationary.
Letter, The Canberra Times, January 20 2023 from C Williams, Forrest
Brenton Hutchison "Silent majority backs tram" (Letters, January 15) suggests that the majority of Canberrans are happy with the tram based on the Barr government being re-elected. That's nonsense. Its re-election had more to do with the inability of the Liberals to come up with an electable alternative government.
Letter, The Canberra Times, January 19 2023 from Terry Gibson, Kambah
We need to stop believing that the tram extension to Woden must ultimately be self-funding. It does not need to be.
Provided there are sufficient idle resources of labour, raw materials and technological know-how, the federal government could easily step in and fully fund the tram extension to Woden.
It is, after all, the federal government that creates the money. Creating money to improve infrastructure is not inflationary.
Letter, The Canberra Times, January 17 2023 from Lisa Farrance, Curtin
Light rail is operating very successfully and has performed well above expectations.
If the Canberra Liberals want to make a constructive contribution to their community in Woden Valley and south Canberra, they should get out of the way of light rail to the south. There has already been an enormous amount of work that has gone into delivering this crucial next stage of our growing, and hugely popular, light rail network.
The Canberra Liberals need to stop trying so hard to appear different and instead offer an alternative that Canberrans actually want.
Stop listening to the noisy conservatives among your group and pay attention to the last two election results. Canberrans support having a rail network across Canberra, accept it and move on to another topic.
Letter, The Canberra Times, January 16 2023 from Richard Johnston, Kingston
Bruce Paine (Letters, January 11) probably got closest to the fixation the ACT Greens have with their little red tram set. It's their toy and no one is going to take it away from them. It's tied up with their identity. The ultimate vanity project.
Letter, The Canberra Times, January 15 2023 from Dr Cathy Brown, Fisher
We don't all work in Civic. I haven't been there for years. It has become a horrible concrete jungle. Canberrans work all over town, and not just in the town centres.
I live in Weston Creek and work in Symonston. As a result of paying for the first tram it now takes at least three hours, four buses and five kilometres of walking for me to get to and from work by public transport versus less than 40 minutes by car.
We used to have two bus routes to our building of over 600 people. What do I expect from more trams? Nothing positive for me or my coworkers, and more reduction in the rest of Canberra's public transport system, which is clearly now designed for the young unemployed, and those with no other choice, because they are the only ones with the time and fitness to use it.
And don't get me started on the money that needs to be spent on Canberra's hospitals.
Letter, The Canberra Times, January 15 2023 from Brenton Hutchison, Canberra
Tony Cook (Letters, January 12) perpetrates the unsubstantiated myth the tram only has minority support.
It has been policy for multiple elections and the ACT government increased its representation at the last democratic vote.
The silent majority seem relatively content with how things are travelling and look forward to a tram not featuring in every discussion about the government's failure to deliver services.
Letter, The Canberra Times, January 12 2023 from Dr Douglas Mackenzie, Deakin
Shane Rattenbury and Jo Clay assert that "Light rail is driving Canberra into a future of opportunity". They should not be so confident: there are some serious engineering and construction problems facing their pet project.
Apart from the shambles already destined for the CBD (the raising of London Circuit and the installation of traffic lights on the southern side of City Hill, which will spoil the avenue vista towards Parliament House and interrupt traffic flow) I see serious problems along Adelaide Avenue and Yarra Glen.
Major earthworks and road works will be needed at the State Circle-Adelaide Avenue intersection to create a gentle slope that the light rail vehicles can climb.
The bridges over Adelaide Ave on Kent Street, and over Yarra Glen on Cotter Road and Carruthers Street, all have massive pylons with bases in the centre of the median strip: directly in the path of the planned light rail route.
The Cotter Rd site is further complicated by a steep slope across the median strip, which will require substantial earthworks; and a massive, very old fir tree is directly in the path of light rail at the Carruthers St site.
Have any of these problems been noted by the Barr government, and has addressing them been costed?
Letter, The Canberra Times, January 12 2023 from Maria Greene, Curtin
I agree with Shane Rattenbury and Jo Clay that we need high quality, frequent and reliable public transport. But in rejecting a 1970s model, why do we have to replace it with an 1870s one?
Buses to Barton would be good, especially for Curtin and Hughes residents who have lost theirs. Two hourly weekend buses and cancelled routes and stops have shown us Mr Rattenbury's way of getting people off public transport.
It's time for some intelligent planners to take charge.
Letter, The Canberra Times, January 12 2023 from Bruce Paine, Red Hill
The Greens' attempted defence of light rail ("Light rail is driving Canberrans into a future of opportunity" canberratimes.com.au, January 11) completely omits any mention of its huge financial cost and does not present any evidence for the government choosing light rail over express buses on major trunk routes.
Neither of these omissions is new. The ACT Labor/Green government has never shared with Canberrans the total cost of light rail. Available sources suggest the cost of the existing and proposed light rail to Woden could be as much as $4 billion. This is equivalent to about 60 per cent of all the taxes Canberrans will pay to the ACT government this financial year.
The ACT government has never presented a compelling case for choosing light rail over express buses on major trunk routes when both modes provide similar benefits in terms of transport. Might it be that light rail has been chosen because it provides more work for ACT Labor's supporters in the construction and transport industries?
I am a strong supporter of public transport, walking and cycling. But we must also fund education, health, and community services. There is a limit to the amount of money current and future Canberrans can reasonably be required to pay, particularly since the current ACT government already charges us higher taxes per person than any state government.
We need a proper and public cost-benefit analysis of all major initiatives including improving public transport.
Letter, The Canberra Times, January 12 2023 from Leon Arundell, Conservation Council Transport Working Group member, Downer
Local travel accounts for one 10th of the ACT's carbon footprint. Transport Canberra currently provides one 20th of local travel, and causes more emissions than the car travel that it displaces.
The ACT government has an opportunity to provide us with a world-class, zero emissions public transport system, before 2030. Canberrans can join the 32 million people, in almost 200 cities, who each day experience the benefits of bus rapid transit.
We can replace our entire fleet of polluting buses with zero emissions electric buses, and build bus rapid transit between Civic and Woden for less than the cost of the slower and less frequent services of Stage 2 of light rail.
Why do ACT Greens ("Light rail is driving Canberrans into a future of opportunity" canberratimes.com.au, January 11) not advocate bus rapid transit?
Letter, The Canberra Times, January 12 2023 from Brad Hinton, Garran
I couldn't agree more with Shane Rattenbury and Jo Clay's opinion piece "Light rail is driving Canberrans into a future of opportunity" (canberratimes.com.au, January 11).
Canberra's future population growth demands a mass transit system. Increasing housing density en route also makes sense to preserve existing green areas and bushland within the ACT. Extending light rail to Canberra's south for a city spine line must happen to make the rail system an integrated part of Canberrans' transport life.
Canberra is an international city that needs 21st century infrastructure. Light rail is for the future of Canberra so get on board and get building.
Letter, The Canberra Times, January 10 2023 from Brendan Halloran, Wanniassa​
The lack of planning around the impacts of the raising of London Circuit has seen the ACT government miss yet another opportunity to get more Canberrans out of their cars and onto buses. Light Rail stage 2A has been years in the planning and the approximate 15-minute peak period delays on road travel through the area are an expected consequence of the roadworks.
These travel delays should have been used as an opportunity for transport planners to establish quicker bus services in and out of Civic via dedicated slip-roads and transit lanes.
Instead of a quick bus option, the raising of London Circuit has delivered even slower public transport and yet a further reduction in bus services.
Workers who take their car to the city would have been very tempted to switch to a bus alternative that saved them petrol and parking fees whilst giving them a saving of up to 30 minutes of commuting time each day.
Letter, The Canberra Times, January 4 2023 from Mike Hutchinson, Reid
Andrew Barr asserts that there is "a powerful case" for federal investment in light rail. ("Focus on future funding", January 2). What is that "case"? So far he has not unveiled any credible, let alone "powerful", case to ACT taxpayers. Assertion, misattribution of benefits and understatement of costs do not make a case - other than for abandonment.
Letter, The Canberra Times, January 4 2023 from Albert Oberdorf, Lyons
In response to Matthew Bowes (Letters, December 31), I have never advocated low-rise buildings are better for the environment than multi-unit houses.
My point is the ACT's light rail-centric focus on intensive high-rise development, at the expense of low-rise residential development, creates extensive urban heat islands.
In my paper ACT planning not climate resilient, I support Kip Tanner who is in favour of balanced high-rise development, noting the world's most livable cities aren't packed with people - but neither are they sprawling suburbs in search of a city.
I also agree with him that "if increasing density allows more people to live close to employment opportunities and services, but also provides amenity in terms of open space and community facilities, then it can result in great outcomes ... on the other hand ... Families still need large and flexible homes, access to playgrounds and somewhere to play footy ... What we really need are housing choices that cater for everyone's needs."
I support the principles set out in the ACT Spatial Plan, which incorporates key principles for making the ACT climate resilient.
Higher density residential development will be promoted within the existing urban area, providing easy access between home and places of work, education, community services and cultural activities.
Primarily this increased development will occur in Civic, along Northbourne Avenue, Constitution Avenue, in Barton and Kingston and around the town centres with limited change to existing suburban areas. People will enjoy a choice of housing type.