Rebecca Vassarotti, Shane Rattenbury and Soëlily Consen-Lynch of the ACT Greens want bus shelter bunkers to be a permanent fixture around Canberra again. Photo: Supplied.
The ACT Greens have pledged to bring back Canberra’s iconic bus shelter bunkers if they lead government after the October election. It’s part of a suite of initiatives aimed at preparing the capital for a “hotter and drier” future.
“The old bus shelters were terrific for actual protection against the weather. Some of the new ones put up by advertisers are a bit flimsy, they don’t provide much shade or protection for the wind or the rain,” ACT Greens leader Shane Rattenbury said.
“[They were popular] because of their design and shape but also because they provided genuine protection.”
Concrete circular-shaped bus shelters were designed by Queensland-born architect Clem Cummings in 1974 as part of a program to improve the fledgling city’s public transport.
The initial structure cost $2000 to build and about 500 were erected and placed in suburbs across the ACT between 1975 and 1995. Loved by some, described as ugly by others, the shelters were gradually phased out and replaced by more compact alternatives.
But the ACT Greens say a future of more erratic weather conditions means they need to come back.
“Our climate is changing and we are already experiencing the impacts of climate change through more frequent heatwaves, more intense bushfires, more severe droughts and increased intensity of rainfall events,” Mr Rattenbury said.
“We need to put in place measures across the city to adapt to the changing climate and prepare for these extreme weather events. It’s important that we protect the most vulnerable in our community as we do this.
“With good preparation we can ease the impact of these extreme weather events on our community and make sure our city remains beautiful, safe and liveable.”
To “build resilience to the unavoidable impacts of climate change” the ACT Greens have also pledged to:
- Plant at least 20,000 street trees each year to increase urban canopy cover with a focus on suburbs with the least tree cover, ensuring tree species are climate appropriate and non-invasive.
- Establish a Chief Heat Officer to coordinate responses to extreme heat events, and develop a Climate and Health Strategy.
- Work with the community to trial and implement city cooling interventions, including active measures such as misting systems and awnings, or passive systems such as water features, street plantings, green roofs and facades.
- Increase funding for the Emergency Services Agency and ACT Parks and Conservation Service to reflect the increased bushfire risk, longer bushfire season and increased likelihood of severe weather events.
Could these bus shelters be making a comeback? Photo: Nick Goncalves.
Deputy Leader of the ACT Greens, Rebecca Vassarotti said the ACT Greens would plant the extra trees to protect the status of Australia’s bush capital and reintegrate the environment back into its suburbs.
“In a climate crisis, planting more trees isn’t just an option – it’s a crucial part of making Canberra a more liveable city,” Ms Vassarotti said.
“But for too long, Labor has treated it as a second order priority, rather than a foundational element to building a sustainable and liveable city. For years, developers have been given a free pass to make a quick buck rather than creating leafy, green, liveable suburbs – and we’re still feeling the impact now.
“All this has done for Canberrans is turn our newer suburbs into hot, dry concrete jungles in the middle of summer. As the climate crisis deepens, these conditions are only going to become more extreme unless we take urgent action now.”
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