Transport Canberra and City Services has produced a Draft Active Travel Plan. This sits under their Active Living Principles which were developed in 2015. Some of these principles have been included in variations to the Territories Planning and Development Act. The Government’s Active Travel Map includes equestrian trails although it is less than accurate.
This last consultation effort is aimed at providing cyclists and walkers the opportunity to tell TCCS where they want more infrastructure with the view to getting more people out of cars. If this was confined to high density urban spaces it would not matter but it applies to the whole of Canberra.
There is no consideration anywhere of the impact imposing new cycling routes on top of equestrian trails.
ACTEA’s attention was drawn to this plan by some of the professional planners and designers with whom we have worked over the years. They expressed dismay at the fact that equestrian routes, despite appearing in the Active Travel map, do not rate a mention in the 40 pages of new Plan. A group of these people, developing a joint submission in regard to the Draft Plan, invited ACTEA to submit some words for inclusion in their document.
This Plan, depending on how TCCS consults with existing open space users has the potential to make it even harder for equestrians to use some of our designated riding trails.
ACTEA has now prepared its own submission and written directly to Minister Chris Steel about our indignation in being completely ignored in this process.
You can read the Draft Active Travel Plan at https://yoursayconversations.act.gov.au/active-travel-plan
