12 August 2024

Greens pledge $140 million plan to build and maintain paths

| Ian Bushnell
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footpath

Canberra’s footpaths need more maintenance and better connections, say the Greens. Photo: Region.

The ACT Greens have announced a $140 million election plan to build new paths and keep existing ones in good order, including establishing a new team within government to cover all path maintenance.

The current junior partner in government says it will dedicate $20 million every year to new paths and connections and boost investment in path maintenance to $15 million every year, up from the current $5 million to $6.5 million.

Greens MLA and candidate for Ginninderra Jo Clay said the plan would deliver a rolling maintenance and audit program that sets a timeframe of six months for repairs, up from the current 18-plus month wait time.

READ ALSO Government plans big land release for community facilities across ACT

She welcomed the government’s partial insourcing of path maintenance but said this core public service work should be delivered quickly and routinely by public employees.

“We will establish an ACT Government path maintenance team to fully insource all maintenance,” she said.

“This will ensure we aren’t relying on private contractor capacity for basic repairs.”

The government has allocated $5.81 million over four years to establish a new crew to replace sections of concrete paths that are at the end-of-life and are trip hazards for pedestrians and runners instead of hiring contractors.

Greens candidate for Brindabella, Sam Nugent, who has multiple sclerosis, said better paths were needed for Canberra to be a disability-friendly city.

“As a person with MS, I have to allow additional time to investigate the safety of paths around places I need to go, including my workplace, to ensure the safest walking routes,” she said.

“This process is time-consuming but is a self-management practice common for people with disability.

“I have heard from those in the disability community that many fear leaving their home because of unsafe paths between home and their local shops. This becomes a barrier to independent shopping, socialising and access to public transport, and increases their isolation.”

woman wearing glasses

Greens candidate Sam Nugent knows how challenging footpaths can be for some people. Photo: ACT Greens.

Ms Nugent said accessible and well-maintained paths were a simple but frequently forgotten solution for people with a disability or mobility challenges.

She said unmaintained paths could damage mobility aides, wheelchairs or supportive equipment, depriving people of independence and causing stress and increased expenses for people just trying to live an everyday life.

“The ACT Greens plan is about supporting independence and creating communities where people are connected, regardless of their abilities,” said Ms Nugent.

Ms Clay said the ACT’s path network was not up to scratch and had many missing connections.

“When I’m out doorknocking, one of the most common things I hear is that our city needs better paths,” she said.

“Whether you’re walking, riding, pushing a pram or in a wheelchair, you should be able to get to your local shops or bus stop safely and conveniently.”

Ms Clay said the Greens would also invest in more raised crossings and crossing supervisors at schools so more families could walk or ride to school safely.

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ACT Greens leader Shane Rattenbury said that despite his party’s best efforts, footpaths had not been a priority for the government.

“The ACT Greens want Canberra to be a place where people are connected within their neighbourhoods and can get around safely and easily,” Mr Rattenbury said.

“In order to achieve that, we need a network of well-connected, well-maintained footpaths so that people can get from A to B without the challenges of navigating cracked and uneven paths or big gaps in the path network.

“The ACT Greens plan will make footpaths a priority and make walking and cycling a genuine option for more Canberrans.”

Canberrans go to the polls on 19 October.

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Leon Arundell9:25 am 13 Aug 24

Surely the Greens will commit more than $500 million to support for the greater health benefits of ‘zero emissions’ walking and cycling. Canberrans walk and cycle two thirds as far as we travel by polluting public transport. Over the next 4 years the government will spend over $750 million on public transport ($320 million to subsidise operating costs, about $140 million for new buses, and $300 million plus interest on repayments for light rail stages 1 and 2a). The greens want to spend another $billion on light rail stage 2b

My OA inflicted left knee (Richard, or Dickie for short) tells me this is a very important promise. On bad days, Dickie gets really stiff and sore from negotiating the path to the local bus stop or shops. He also gets really annoyed when he has to leave the path because some unthinking buffoon has left a vehicle on the pathway.

The greens can promise anything because they know they will never govern in their own right and can blame Labor for breaking promises.

Margaret Freemantle4:52 pm 12 Aug 24

I am also a person with a disability. I have lived in Canberra for my 72 years of life. When every person who lives in my city has a home, I will then worry about footpaths. Get a grip

This is so needed- I cycle all over Canberra using these paths on a road bike. They would probably be ok with a mountain bike with good suspension- but they are damn dangerous for someone on a bike without suspension and, also, I am sure, for people using mobility scooters and for walkers with poor balance. There are so many tree roots that have caused major humps- they are usually hidden in the shadow of the tree which means you may not see them until the last second and so hit them at a fair pace. Many of them have been spray painted for many months- but no action has been taken to repair them. It’s not surprising that confident cyclists often use roads instead and that less confident people avoid active transport because of the risks. This level of degradation would never be tolerated on a road – and, yes, I own and drive a car as well when I have to. I’d like to see bipartisan support for this. While the Greens have been in partnership with government for a few years now, the Labor party has held most of the power and has mostly controlled the agenda – a combined commitment (and action) to properly maintain paths is really important- this should not be politicised- it’s a safety issue that affects everyone in our community who wants to use the paths.

The problem with all the Greens’ policies is that they get watered down to almost nothing when they sit down to negotiate with Labor after the election, so we should knock a zero off everything they’re promising here.

Just look at their public housing policy from 2020. They promised 1000 new public housing properties, the Liberals 1200 and Labor 400. In their coalition with Labor, they accepted Labor’s target and the actual net increase over the term is about zero as they sold off as many properties as they constructed.

GrumpyGrandpa7:13 pm 11 Aug 24

As an older couple who do a lot of walking, we regularly see damaged paths. Sometimes the tip of raised concrete joins has been ground off with an angle-grinder and the hazard painted yellow. Pretty much a band-aid fix. We also see problem that haven’t been addressed and ocassionally a new section of concrete.

Inevitably, the problems are caused by the roots from from the government planted gum trees.

Planting less destructive trees might be a good start?

Michael Cameron1:13 pm 11 Aug 24

lol.. So who neglected the paths…THE GREENS!

Greens, you’ve had 16 years to fix the paths, instead you broke the budget, and we have nothing to show for it.

After the 2008 election Shane Rattenbury told the ABC “You know the community can rest assured that the Greens are here, we put down our commitment to Canberra last week, very clearly before the election to assure voters we are committed to a balanced budget over the economic cycle, we are committed to stable minority government and we are also committed to building a city for the future, a city that’s innovative in its employment base.”

The Pegasus Economics review of the ACT budget projects interest payments will be $832 million in 2027-28. The people have to pay that annual bill via an array of taxes, and we get no services in return for that expense.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2008-10-20/stanhope-signals-greens-reservations/547188

Do the Greens have a single policy that is focussed on the bush capitals trees, green spaces or nature? All I see here is free this, free that, more empty buses on our roads, more concrete being poured, support for the next empty tram we don’t need, more spending our taxes and rates. I genuinely wish we had a party that we could vote for that cared about nature and our natural environment.

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