Annual Reports are where organisations say what they did during the year.

They are a primary source of accountability.

In the ACT, the Legislative Assembly Committees hold public Inquiries into Annual and Financial Reports. These are separate to the Budget Estimates hearings.

We advocate for a range of improvements to the walking environment. We do this through submissions, participating in consultative groups, the media, policy platforms – and talking with people.

If we were asking questions of Ministers and officials about their Annual Reports, what information would we seek? (Similar questions might be asked in Budget Estimates, looking forwards of course.)

Here is a list, as it might look in Questions on Notice:

1. For the year reported, please advise:
   1. The percentage of ACT’s total annual budget spent on:
      1. transport
      2. active transport
      3. public transport
   2. The percentage of ACT’s total transport annual budget spent on:
      1. active transport
      2. public transport
   3. Number and km of new shared/foot paths installed or widened
   4. Km of shared/foot paths repaired, cleaned or otherwise made accessible & safe
   5. Km of path assessed for compliance with anti-discrimination laws, accessibility standards and Australian Standards
   6. Km and percentage of:
      1. streets
      2. paths
      3. pedestrian crossings (all types)
      4. pram ramps (kerb cuts)
         that comply with anti-discrimination laws, accessibility standards and Australian Standards – and whether these numbers independently verified
   7. Number and km of new separated bike path projects installed
   8. Km of separated bike path repaired, cleaned or otherwise made accessible & safe
   9. Number of new pram ramps installed
   10. Number of new at-level zebra crossings installed
   11. Number of new wombat crossings installed
   12. Number of new lights installed on pathways
   13. Number of lights on pathways changed so they light the pathway
   14. Number of lights on paths that meet Part 3.1 of AS/NZS 1158.3.1:2020
   15. Km of paths where lighting meets Part 3.1 of AS/NZS 1158.3.1:2020
   16. Percentage of pedestrian signals at traffic lights where:
       1. pedestrian lights change to green automatically with ‘beg buttons’ are eliminated yet audio signals are still present
       2. pedestrian waiting times are less than 40 seconds
   17. Average and range of:
       1. wait times for pedestrians in each direction at each crossing controlled by traffic lights
       2. speed of travel required for pedestrians to cross in each direction at each crossing controlled by traffic lights
       3. Are all ACT transport-related works and systems are independently verified to comply with Austroads guides, Australian Standards or global best practice guidelines (such as NACTO Design Guides) relevant to urban areas
   18. Average and range of walkscore for each suburb and other settlement in the ACT
       
2. How often are paths and crossings audited for their condition and proactive maintenance? How often are road surfaces audited for their condition and proactive maintenance?
   If there is a difference: Why are the audit frequencies different? What is stopping you aligning them?
   
3. Were all ACT transport-related works and systems independently verified to comply with Austroads guides and Australian Standards relevant to urban areas? If not, what percentage were?
   
4. How many fines were issued for:
   1. parking across or impeding paths?
   2. parking on verges?
      
5. How many rangers were allocated to randomly inspect verges for parking on verges and respond to community complaints about such parking?
   
6. For paths damaged by construction industry workers:
   1. How many km of paths damaged in this way are awaiting repair?
   2. How many km of paths were repaired by the ACT Government?
   3. What was the cost of paths repaired by the ACT Government?
   4. What was the average and range of delay before paths were repaired (by anyone)?