Light rail is the best choice for responding to projected population growth rates in the Gungahlin to City corridor, Minister for the Environment and Sustainable Development, Simon Corbell, said today.
The increase in population in the Gungahlin to City corridor by 2031, on a business as usual scenario, is expected to be 28% (excluding the City centre) and 162% in the City centre itself. This equates to 14,261 more people living in the corridor, and 5447 more people living in the City by 2031.
The number of jobs in the corridor is also expected to significantly increase. Current employment in the corridor, including the City centre, is 81,400. This is projected to increase to 104,650, or 23,250 more jobs, in the corridor by 2031.
“These high rates of population and employment location growth show why it is so important for the government to take a long term view on the best public transport solution,” Mr Corbell said.
The development of the Capital Metro project is also expected to drive population and jobs growth in the corridor beyond business as usual projections.
By 2031, with light rail in place, the population increase in the Gungahlin to City corridor is projected to be 78%, and 237% in the City centre itself, compared to the 2012 population levels. This means 39,653 more people living in the corridor, and 7947 people living in the City Centre by 2031. It also means 22,029 more dwellings in the corridor, and 4967 in the city centre itself by 2031.
Mr Corbell said these figures demonstrate the potential light rail has to change the pattern of urban development in our city, and enable a more compact city to be developed with more people living closer to jobs, community, cultural and retail facilities, and critically, better public transport services.
“Developing light rail is clearly the best choice to cater for projected increases in jobs and population in this area of Canberra for decades to come. It can be clearly seen that light rail is also the mode best placed to drive a fundamental change in the pattern of urban development in our city, and deliver a more sustainable city structure,” Mr Corbell said.
In the 2013-14 Budget the government committed to $18.7 million to fund the ongoing work of the Capital Metro project.
“Canberra is still a growing city; Capital Metro will be a model for a future Canberra-wide network, and will play a crucial role in facilitating the territory’s growth and development as we move into our second century.”
The ACT Government continues to provide feedback to the community about the progress of the Capital Metro project. The most recent project update was released in June 2013 and is available online at
http://www.transport.act.gov.au/
Courtesy Simon Corbell MLA
Loading ...
