One of the very Questions on Notice the Chief Minister lambasted as ‘frivolous’, has revealed it costs 14 times more to paint a green bike lane than the cost of the bitumen underneath, Alistair Coe, Shadow Minister for TAMS, said today.
The average cost of green lane marking is $100 per square metre. This is in stark contrast to the average cost of $6.76 per square metre for ‘chip seal’.
“Mr Stanhope anointed himself the ‘mayor of Canberra’ when he took over the TAMS portfolio after the last election. Unfortunately he seems to have trivialised his own Territory and Municipal responsibilities,” Mr Coe said.
“In a whingeing media release on the 10th June, the Chief Minister said the Opposition’s questions were nothing more than a ‘wild fishing expedition’ and were a ‘deliberate attempt to distract the Government and the public service from our real work’.
“Clearly, Mr Stanhope believes spending 14 times more on green paint, than bitumen, is not excessive.
“The ACT government is in the unique situation of administering both local and state responsibilities. Mr Stanhope belittles his Government’s local responsibilities by attacking legitimate questioning about the costs of basic infrastructure projects.
“The main issue that is discussed with me in the community is getting the basics right. This includes bike paths, good quality roads, buses running on time, parking, fees and fines.
“The ACT community should be concerned Mr Stanhope considers it frivolous to be asking questions about spending this much of ACT taxpayer’s money on green paint. Although, we continue to see exactly how Jon Stanhope reacts to criticism and scrutiny of his Government.
“This is yet another example of a Chief Minister who has lost the plot and becoming increasingly out of touch. Jon Stanhope needs to take a reality check, stop with the whingeing and focus on getting the basics right,’ Mr Coe said.
