An ambitious program of infrastructure improvements will lay the foundation to encourage more Canberrans to take up walking and cycling for their commute and leave their cars at home, the ACT government believes.
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A new active travel plan consultation draft outlines 12 key actions the government intends to take - including updating infrastructure requirements that would give Canberra streets a more European feel - to reduce the number of car trips made in the ACT.
The government will also next year consult on dropping the speed limit on suburban local streets from 50km/h to 40km/h, the plan reveals.
Transport Minister Chris Steel said the plan's first priority was safe and separated infrastructure for walking and cycling, which the government thought was the fundamental barrier to getting more people taking up active travel modes.
"We're also proposing to prioritise better walking and cycling connections, secure bike parking and a range of targeted programs to encourage people to use active travel and public transport more often," Mr Steel said.
"We want to hear from Canberrans on the priorities outlined in this draft plan. We also want to know the gaps or hotspots in our city's cycling and walking networks that most need to be improved to make active travel easier and more attractive."
Mr Steel said it was important for the government to hear from people who did not presently use active travel modes.
"We particularly want to hear from people who aren't walking or cycling regularly at the moment. What would it take to get you out of the car, not just on your morning commute, but on a local trip on the weekend?" he said.
The draft plan's key actions include installing trip counters on key active travel routes so the government can measure how many people are using the infrastructure, along with converting more on-road cycle lanes to separated cycleways.
The government wants to use path condition information to plan a program of upgrades to the network and build missing links so it is easier to move on a bike between town centres and suburbs.
"Canberrans recognise that our city is a great place to walk and ride for recreation, but it's not always the easiest choice. People face barriers to walking or riding to meet every day needs, even for short trips," the draft plan said.
"However, with the right infrastructure, design and attention to diverse needs, active travel can be for everyone."
The plan also includes working with shared e-scooter operators Neuron Mobility and Beam to introduce concession pricing on the service, which is to be rolled out to all Canberra regions by the end of the year.
The government also intends to explore whether a shared e-bike scheme can be introduced in the capital, as well as providing parking cages in every town centre for people to lock up their own bicycles. Free bike repair stations would also be installed in all town centres.
A new set of infrastructure guidelines would go beyond old minimum standards, the draft plan said, and ensure new green field suburbs have good working active travel infrastructure in place as people move to the area, so they can form long-lasting travel habits from their arrival.
"In the future Canberrans can expect to see significant changes to the design of key streets and intersections that make them more reminiscent of European cities - which are safe to walk and cycle," Mr Steel said.
The plan acknowledged historical design choices made in Canberra's development have made it hard in parts to walk or cycle in the low-density city, which has "led to many people being reliant on the private motor vehicle, even for short trips".
The draft plan said walking and cycling made up almost 20 per cent of all trips in the ACT five years ago, but the territory's climate strategy estimated an extra 40 to 45 per cent of car journeys would need to shift to active travel and public transport by 2045 for Canberra to reach its net-zero emissions target.
"Seeing more people choose walking or cycling for work and school trips will make the biggest difference, as relatively few of these trips are taken by active travel today," the plan said.
Consultation on the draft through an online survey is open to August 24.
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Jasper Lindell
Jasper Lindell joined The Canberra Times in 2018. He is a Legislative Assembly reporter, covering ACT politics and government. He also writes about development, transport, heritage, local history, literature and the arts, as well as contributing to the Times' Panorama magazine. He was previously a Sunday Canberra Times reporter.
Jasper Lindell joined The Canberra Times in 2018. He is a Legislative Assembly reporter, covering ACT politics and government. He also writes about development, transport, heritage, local history, literature and the arts, as well as contributing to the Times' Panorama magazine. He was previously a Sunday Canberra Times reporter.
