31 March 2008

ACT Light Rail Public Meeting - April 3rd, 2008

| Jonathon Reynolds
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ACT Light RailThe next public meeting of ACT Light Rail will be held Thursday 3rd April 2008 (18:30-19:30).This meeting will be held at the Belconnen Community Centre, Swanson Court, Belconnen (view map). For more information about the campaign for Light Rail in the ACT please see our comprehensive website at www.ACTLightRail.info

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Lightrail in Canberra is an utterly absurd idea. Utterly.

1. It would cannibalise ACTION partially.
2. It would cost a hell of a lot to establish and run.

Gungahlin Belconnen City Woden Tuggeranong Lanyon. If the ACT government can’t afford all of it, then bring in business or the federal government, maybe?
It would create jobs, be good for the environment etc etc. There is an opportunity for somebody with money to invest. Though I wouldn’t want it to be 100% privately owned.

ACT light rail, I have learnt this is a town of vested interest and double speak. Also, no one in a position of influence ever really says what they think. Ever. While the responses are illogical, you are p####ng into the proverbial breeze with any notion there will ever be a light rail in Canberra.

@ bigred, i agree with caf, it makes no sense for the twu to be against light rail to protect bus drivers livelihoods when a light rail system would have to be backed up by a bus system, and i’m as for the idea that the cfmeu would be against a project that gains more work for their members; thats so ridiculos it doesn’t need debunking.
Hargreaves lack of support is more likely due to the fact that light rail is unnecessary and there are better uses for publis funds (schools, hospitals, statues of al grassby etc) than any union cartel forcing his hand.
Next time you want to union bash at least pick a target that makes some sense.

bigred: While the postured TWU suspicion of light rail has the ring of truth to it, I reckon they’re being a bit shortsighted there – after all it can’t be much of a leap from bus driver to tram driver, and if light rail was going to be popular enough to be worth building, it should increase overall bus patronage (even as it decreases it on the intertown routes).

As for the CFMEU, surely building rail lines is just as good a job as building roads?

if only canberra had a few heavy hitters like eddington to advocate real mass transit in the capital.

Proove it ACT Light Rail

ACT Light Rail11:08 pm 01 Apr 08

Big-Red

Thank you for your comment.

Interestingly though, what you indicate doesn’t represent the nature and content of discussions that occurred when members of the ACT Light Rail Executive met with Union representatives.

Hey Tom-tom, TWU have coverage over ACTION and back Hargreaves – hence his anti stance. CFMEU cover road builders. Just don’t waste your energy even dreaming a light rail will happen in this town while that cartel is in charge.

An electric powered light rail system combined with increased deployment of green power would decrease carbon emissions.

With “being green” being fashionable right now, the right marketing would make this very popular

I’ve used the bus from Curtin to Civic, its ok, but I’d prefer to drive.

I’d definitely use a light rail system if it went up Adelaide and Commonwealth Aves.

Coming from the east of Melbourne where PT is crap, and everything has been built-up so much there’s no room for an expanded PT system, I reckon they could do much better here.

sorry that should read; b.) action’s major problem is that not enough people use busses so costs per user are far too high

light rail is a nice idea but thats all, it’s far too expensive for a city as spread out as canberra and would be perhaps only be viable as a link between major transport hubs, serviced by the existing bus system; this raises two issues; a.) busses already run; theres no need for a light rail system and b.) action’s major problem is that not enough people use busses so costs per user are not far too high, adding an expensive light rail system isn’t going to change this.
In a fantasy world world were the govt. didn’t have to fund schools and hospitals and what not then sure a shiny, expensive, wasteful light rail system would be cool but in the real world priorities are somewhat different.

oh and @big red a.)no. just no.
b.) even if that were true, why would the cfmeu care about lightrail?

TWU and CFMEU run ACT Labor. They don’t like light rail so it won’t happen. No point running any arguments either way.

Look 75% of the voting public “strongly agree” that light rail should be built.

Krudd will listen and spend money building it.

Stanhope won’t as he has said several times.

Liberals, well Jonathon at least, can promise what they want: they will never see government again.

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