Extracts from the Moving Canberra 2019-2045 Integrated Transport Strategy regarding the Movement and Place Framework.
Context
The future of the urban development in Canberra will be shaped by the Movement and Place Framework. The Movement and Place Framework is not in itself new, but rather new to Canberra. In a series of articles, we will consider what this could mean for Canberra.
This article captures the Movement and Place Framework from one of three ACT strategic documents.
- 2020 Transport Strategy (pre-election)
- 2018 Moving Canberra 2019-2045 Integrated Transport Strategy
- 2018 Planning Strategy
Comments
Moving Canberra 2019-2045 provides detailed explanation of concepts that are understandable to the uninitiated. Many of the things the ACT Government does, people do not know about, not least because it is explained in a way that is not engaging. What may be acceptable communication within a directorate will not echo with the broader community. We are all impacted by planning. The general population benefits from knowledge of the direction of the developments.
The ACT Transport Strategy 2020 is a much shorter document in comparison, and the concepts are sprinkled across it and poorly explained. A reader who shows first interest in urban planning, is likely to struggle to appreciate the content.
The Moving Canberra strategy document has the weakness that it does not explain how the goals are to be achieved or allocate the goals as a strategy should. This has been a major problem with strategies in the past, particularly in planning, where strategic documents had little effect on the day-to-day decision-making.
The intention is that the ACT Movement and Place Framework should be fleshed out in a guideline. This would be most welcome, but in the three years since the publication, a draft for the new framework is still missing. This delay could throw into question the priority of a Movement and Place Framework. Considering the rapid development in Molonglo, it would be better to have the guideline sooner rather than later.
Moving Canberra 2019-2045 is a strategy document authored by ACT Transport but recognises that a Movement and Place Framework cannot be implemented by one directorate alone. It is going to be a group effort with collaboration between directorates.
The ACT Movement and Place Framework requires Whole-of-Government awareness and buy-in.
Moving Canberra 2019-2045 Integrated Transport Strategy, 17.
We propose to apply the ACT Movement and Place Framework to integrate transport with land use planning
Moving Canberra 2019-2045 Integrated Transport Strategy, 38.
The second concern is that ACT Transport has grown from a culture of traffic engineering, which has strived for decades to make the road networks more efficient. This paradigm assumes the primacy of the motor vehicle. The Movement and Place Framework assumes the primacy of the person and community. However, in this strategy, one has the impression that ACT Transport are reluctant to let go of that.
Under a Movement and Place Framework, all road users will continue to have access to roads. However the severance created by road traffic will be reduced, and the integration with adjoining developments for local residents, businesses and their customers will improve. This ensures there is a closer relationship between traffic volumes and urban amenity along road corridors.
Moving Canberra 2019-2045 Integrated Transport Strategy, 17.
The way engineers have traditionally considered roads is in terms of “traffic volumes“. Movement and Place has the intention of shifting the focus away from traffic to place making. It is about people and community. Currently, in Canberra, nearly 80% of the households have at least one or two cars. If cities are built in a way that favours other modes of transport and walking, cycling and public transport become more common. Along Northbourne Avenue, in 2020, it had already shifted to 7% pedestrians, 7% cycling, 30%, public transport, and 56% private motor vehicle. This is the dramatic change since the launch of the light rail. Further shifts can be expected.
We will focus on making cycling attractive for women and girls (only 28 per cent of works trips by bicycle in 2016 were made by women), and make school environments safer for cycling and walking.
Figure 14: Future integrated network. Moving Canberra 2019-2045 Integrated Transport Strategy, 49.
Extracts from Moving Canberra 2019-2045
Selected quotes from the strategy related to movement and place.
ACT Movement and Place Framework
An ACT Movement and Place Framework underpins the strategic thinking and future directions contained in this document and other strategies, such as the new ACT Planning Strategy. The Framework provides a basis for balancing the dual function of streets: moving people and goods, and enhancing the places it connects. Streets are both movement corridors and places and destinations within themselves. The Framework ensures we are creating a more lively, functional and accessible city through our transport network. Many other jurisdictions are already promoting Movement and Place as a method of ensuring road network operation decisions support integrated land use and transport planning.
Our network is composed of a range of street environments that have different “movement and place” functions that need to be considered:
Parkways/Motorways – strategically significant roads (such as Tuggeranong Parkway, Barton Highway, Federal Highway and Majura Parkway) that move people and goods rapidly over long distances and do not interact with the places the road passes through;
Movement Corridors – main roads (such as Belconnen Way, Parkes Way, Barry Drive and Canberra Avenue) providing safe, reliable and efficient movement of people and goods between regions and strategic centres;
Local Streets – part of the fabric of the neighbourhoods where we live our lives and interact with our communities;
Vibrant Streets -facilitate a high demand for movement as well as a sense of place, so need to balance varying demands within the available road space. They range in scale from the large boulevards of Northbourne Avenue to the smaller but lively Lonsdale Street in Braddon; and
Places for People – combined higher pedestrian activity and lower levels of vehicle movement, for example City Walk and Garema Place. They create streetscapes which attract visitors, where people can linger and are places communities value.
Moving Canberra 2019-2045 Integrated Transport Strategy, 17-18.
Roads need to cater to a broad range of users. As our economy and population grows, the demands on our roads will also grow and diversify. Meeting this variety of demands from different road user groups can create competition between uses, such as managing congestion where a road passes through activity centres and entertainment districts.
Over time, road users can expect:
– a resilient network of strategic roads, such as better alternatives for freight and through-traffic bypassing activity centres;
– improvements to vehicle flows through implementing transport technologies and incident management information systems;
– greater priority being given to public transport on designated Rapid routes;
– more opportunities for cycling and walking, such as protected bike lanes and quicker, safer pedestrian crossings, especially within major centres;
– servicing new development areas;
– improved urban amenity and more vibrant connected centres; and
– improved road safety, such as the safe sharing of space within local streets.By endorsing a Movement and Place Framework to guide all future planning and design, Canberra joins the ranks of leading cities in moving towards a more forward-thinking, innovative approach to integrated transport and land use. The ACT Movement and Place Framework requires Whole-of-Government awareness and buy-in to ensure that new master plans, development plans and capital works consider Movement and Place at the earliest stages of design.
Moving Canberra 2019-2045 Integrated Transport Strategy, 17-19
An integrated network
What we need to consider
Our transport network is undergoing significant transformation, both physically, with the integration of the light rail and our new bus network, and philosophically, with the introduction of an ACT Movement and Place Framework.
This Strategy outlines the strategic policies that underpin our future transport networks. Future alignments of public transport are subject to further analysis that considers technical issues, patronage projections, and environmental and economic impacts. The new bus network has undergone community consultation; the final network design was launched in October 2018 and reflects the feedback received during the consultation process.
Moving Canberra 2019-2045 Integrated Transport Strategy, 17-19
Transport that is part of our city
Future directions
We propose to apply the ACT Movement and Place Framework to integrate transport with land use planning and create a more compact city that connects people and places. We will invest in public transport services and support the Planning Strategy’s vision of a diverse range of housing choices along our rapid transit corridors and hubs.
Moving Canberra 2019-2045 Integrated Transport Strategy, 38
INTEGRATED TRANSPORT FOR SUSTAINABLE SUBURBS
Areas experiencing urban renewal will see priority investment in improvements that address safety, permeability for active travel and access to public transport.
New suburbs in Canberra, including new residential developments in established areas, will be expected to identify locally appropriate transport solutions that:
– prioritise permeability through a road network where speed, traffic volumes and active travel infrastructure provide an integrated and homogenous environment for all;
Moving Canberra 2019-2045 Integrated Transport Strategy, 38
– consider access to existing or planned public transport networks; and
– take into account emerging transport trends such as ride-share and zero emission vehicles.
Becoming Australia’s cycling capital and most walkable city
Future directions
ACCESSIBLE COMMUNITIES
We propose to prioritise accessibility, particularly for walking, walkable communities by building and planning at a human scale. Accessible communities are places with lively centres, clear
and direct connectivity between homes and key destinations, and public transport links. Quality footpaths with good wayfinding and safe crossing points benefit all users, be they on foot, in a wheelchair or on a mobility scooter. The application of Movement and Place will see local roads prioritise pedestrians and will ensure communities revolve around vibrant public spaces where people meet and where there is activity.We intend to put people first in higher-order places (e.g. the City, Parliamentary Zone and Town, Group and Local Centres). Suburbs will be age-friendly through improved infrastructure, traffic calming, and better connectivity to schools, services and public transport.
NEW CYCLING NETWORK
Future investment will have a stronger emphasis on route planning and infrastructure selection that is cognisant of surrounding land use types, potential customers and different uses. This will be achieved through the development and sharing of the Active Travel Infrastructure Practitioners Tool.
Our new cycling network identifies a system of principal and main cycle routes that connect major destinations. The new network will link together existing off road paths with new paths, protected
bike lanes and quiet streets to develop an integrated cycling network suitable for riders of all ages and abilities. Integration with public transport at key stops and interchange sites will encourage Bike & Ride trips, while access to the cycle network is also encouraged at key Park & Pedal sites.We will deliver the cycle network over the next 10 to 15 years in line with future land development and urban growth.
We will focus on making cycling attractive for women and girls (only 28 per cent of works trips by bicycle in 2016 were made by women), and make school environments safer for cycling and walking.
We propose to work with EPSDD to support the implementation of a revised Bicycle Parking Code and develop a new Guide to incorporate quality end-of-trip facilities for cyclists and demonstrate best practice in ACT Government tenanted buildings and facilities.
Figure 14: Future integrated network. Moving Canberra 2019-2045 Integrated Transport Strategy, 49
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