While more efficient bus services and a central bike lane along Northbourne Avenue come across as low key compared to the $939 million tram, there is an argument to be made they are what we can best afford at the moment. The $58 million reshaping of Northbourne would also provide upgraded bicycle infrastructure for the growing number of commuters currently using the existing onroad cycle paths.

On the other side, Labor is proposing a far grander upheaval of the city's transport infrastructure, a five-stage light rail network, as well as improved bus services, to be rolled out progressively over decades. The first leg from Gungahlin to the city is already under way and the party has made an election commitment to stage 2 to Woden.

The appeal of the Liberal plan is it would cost far less, potentially be delivered more quickly, and offer more flexibility. The big questions it raises, however, is whether adding yet another lane of traffic to the already busy Northbourne Avenue will just add to the area's traffic woes in the longer term.

There are potentially finite returns to be gained by adding extra lanes to busy roads, although the Liberals have also promised a fairly radical upgrade to the city's current bus networks may go some way to addressing the current failings of Action and coaxing drivers out of their cars.

While many growing cities around the world with choked arterial roads are taking another look at light rail, in Canberra the first stage of the project has proven a hard sell for the government and polarised the Canberra community. Those in favour say it will set the city up for a much larger future population and drive revitalisation of the area. Those opposed argue it will only directly assist a fraction of the population, will not materially improve travel times, and is likely to cost too much. There are serious questions about whether the ambitious future stages of the project will be viable for the city's small population, given the more than $900 million price tag of stage 1. Labor argues the project is part of a wider revitalisation of the corridor, a by product that cannot be delivered with buses alone.

Both sides agree on one thing, the need for changes to update the city's public transport system, and the resulting debate is a welcome one that we need to have. Failure to commit to a long-term plan to improve Canberra's public transport would be perhaps the worst outcome for a city with growing needs. The traffic and transport challenges faced by the city are real, complex and immediate, and without careful planning will only get worse.

The challenge for voters, now presented with a clear choice of two very different transport priorities, will be to sift through the claim and counter claim on both sides.