Convenience, efficiency, affordability and reliability: it's the public transport gold standard to which all governments and oppositions aspire, particularly those about to face the electorate. So when Transport Minster Meegan Fitzharris announced bus services across Canberra will receive a $17 million boost in Tuesday's budget, the optimism and good cheer in her media statement was manifest. The investment (which will enable the acquisition of 20 new ACTION buses, the construction of a new park and ride facility at Wanniassa, the implementation of new services to Weston Creek and Molonglo, and an electric bus trial) would "allow people to get from one part of our city to another in a really convenient way … [and constitute] a genuine alternative to driving".
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The Barr government's light rail proposal has overshadowed other aspects of Labor's public transport policies, and Ms Fitzharris's announcement may been seen as an attempt to reassure voters outside of Gungahlin and the inner north that they're not at the back of the transport infrastructure investment pipeline. This it manages admirably.
The new Molonglo and Weston Creek services recognise the rapid growth of Canberra's western suburbs, and the reality that many of its inhabitants are over-reliant on expensive private motor vehicles – a transport alternative that's not as appealing to younger people as it once was. The electric bus trial, too, is a smart and pragmatic initiative that demonstrates the government's receptiveness to new technologies.
The government's initiatives will inevitably be compared to those proposed by the Canberra Liberals in April – and almost inevitably found wanting. Having disowned light rail for political reasons, the Liberals had virtually no choice but to demonstrate to voters they could engineer significant and measurable improvements in ACTION's services, not just for commuters but for late-night, weekend and other occasional users.
It may be argued the Liberals have payed insufficient attention to ACTION's inertia – and the willingness of the TWU to veto management or government initiatives. Its costings have also been criticised for their vagueness. However, its potential to improve services and broaden ACTION's appeal to commuters means the Liberals' plans cannot be dismissed lightly.
Canberra's well-planned, well-engineered and largely uncrowded roads ensures that cars are overwhelmingly the first choice for people moving about the city. However, their appeal will wane as parking becomes more expensive and harder to find. That inevitable prospect requires both parties to invest adequately in all forms of public transport.
Labor's contentious decision to invest heavily in light rail rests on a dubious economic rationale, but it's not without voter support. Indeed, the government's even proposing to extend lines from Civic to the Parliamentary Triangle and the airport. That said, buses will remain the backbone of Canberra's public transport network for the foreseeable future. As such, Labor can't afford to be seen to regard it as playing second fiddle to light rail. The creation next month of a new agency, Transport Canberra, will be a test of that theory.
