Progressive vision for Canberra means light rail for everyone

2022-12-05

The ACT Greens have reaffirmed their vision for a sustainable, accessible city for all Canberrans – a vision that has been supported by the Canberra community repeatedly.

“Canberrans want and deserve a well-connected city that’s easy to get around. They want high quality, frequent, reliable and sustainable public transport that gives them the choice to not use a car unless they have to,” said ACT Greens Leader, Shane Rattenbury.

“But this is about so much more than a light rail track, it’s about a vision for the future of our city.

“The ACT Greens have always had a vision for a sustainable, well-connected city, where people – regardless of which side of the city they live - can get where they want to go comfortably, easily, and sustainably. Of bustling transit corridors where people can choose to walk, ride or catch the light rail to get to where they want to go.  A city that is taking action on climate change by actively reducing transport emissions and reducing urban sprawl.

“We know Canberrans share this vision because they have voted for it in the last four elections.

“The Canberra Liberals have slammed the door on light rail once again. Canberra faces real challenges in the future – congestion, climate action, urban sprawl – and the Canberra Liberals have no clear plan to address these issues. Whether they lack the foresight, the imagination or the fortitude, it is untenable for the Canberra Liberals to have no vision to address the reality of these challenges. 

“Not only are they out of touch, they’re out of ideas.”

“An integrated Canberra-wide light rail network, along with frequent zero-emissions buses, is the gold standard public transport network that Canberra needs and deserves,” said ACT Greens MLA, Jo Clay. 

“With over 60% of tracked emissions coming from transport, this is an essential project to address our climate crisis. It is also essential to deal with Canberra’s congestion, which is growing at a rate three times faster than any other mainland Australian city.”