Bike-sharing services that will be set up in Canberra in the future should also have a presence in Mitchell, the suburb's business group has said.
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Secretary of the Mitchell Traders Association, Julian Kusa, said the organisation has written to the territory government as part of a submission for the 2018-19 budget to call for bike-sharing to be set up in the northside suburb in addition to services in the CBD and around Lake Burley Griffin.
Mr Kusa said Mitchell would be well placed to become a hub for the service.
"This is another aspect of getting people to use more public transportation and a great way to diversify transport options in Mitchell, and parking is currently a problem," he said.
"It would be great for workers, and lots of them are working in the area and need to get from one area to the other, and they could bike it instead of driving."
The ACT government is expected to announce soon which of the three major bike-sharing companies currently in Australia will be able to be established in the nation's capital.
The service can only get the go-ahead after approval from the NCA, with provisions likely to be enforced to prevent the bikes from being dumped in public areas.
In their submission to the government, the association suggested a bike-sharing service be set up near any future light rail stops, despite the suburb missing out on getting its own station.
"A park and ride facility close to the transit nodes should also be built in Mitchell to allow workers and community members to make greater use of public transportation," the submission said. "A bicycle sharing facility in Mitchell could generate revenue for the government and members of the community working or visiting the area would certainly pay to use the bikes as another form of public transportation."
While Mr Kusa said the association hasn't spoken to the government since budget submissions closed in late October, he said a bike-sharing facility in Mitchell would also have the potential to expand with hubs at EPIC and Gungahlin along the light-rail route.
"The area will be even larger when it eventually comes, and what we're proposing is for the government to start planning now for when more businesses come to the area," he said.
Andrew Brown
I've been part of the Canberra Times since 2016, after reporting at local papers in Sydney's north-west. Since starting at the paper I've had stints on the Sunday Times, on the early morning breaking news round, and now as a general reporter, covering the ins and outs of anything and everything happening in Canberra, with a focus on health.
I've been part of the Canberra Times since 2016, after reporting at local papers in Sydney's north-west. Since starting at the paper I've had stints on the Sunday Times, on the early morning breaking news round, and now as a general reporter, covering the ins and outs of anything and everything happening in Canberra, with a focus on health.
