The current global financial crisis has imposed fiscal strictures everywhere, and we will have to cut our transport coat according to our cloth. Nor, in such a climate, can the Federal Government or large corporate interests be relied on to pony up money for construction of a light rail network not that Canberra's population even remotely approaches the critical mass necessary to sustain a viable system.

A bracing dose of reality is just what Canberra's transport policy-makers need; and while some may throw up their hands in despair, the ACT already has in place most of the cornerstones of an efficient and viable public transport system. Moreover, it enjoys natural advantages which ought to enable government to achieve reasonably rapid progress to that end, and perhaps position Canberra as a national leader in public transportation. It is a compact, planned city whose lay-out includes corridors for future transport links; and its single tier of government means there is less likelihood that future transport initiatives can be stymied by political or other vested interests.

On the other hand, the development of a system that is more sustainable and likely to attract greater patronage faces a very large barrier: Canberra's excellent road transport network. With no point in ACT more than 30 minutes' journey by car, 87 per cent of Canberrans choose as their primary mode of transport the private vehicle, with just 13 per cent relying on walking, cycling or ACTION buses.

But with petrol prices certain to rise in the medium term, and parking in the ACT's town centres (particularly Civic) becoming steadily scarcer and more costly, greater numbers of people will look to leave their cars at home and travel by bus or bike. And indeed, they should be encouraged to make the switch given the future necessity of living in a carbon-constrained environment and the fact that natural population growth is adding to the congestion and wear- and-tear on our roads.

For more, pick up a copy of today's Canberra Times