The transport sector is one of Australia’s leading sources of green house gas. It accounts for 18.9% of the country’s emissions, and is still showing an upward trend. One of the main strategies to curb the sector’s carbon footprint is to encourage usage of public transport. However, 8 out of 10 Australians still use cars to travel to work and school, according to a Climate Council report.
If more people are going to be persuaded to use public transport more often, our mass transit systems need to be upgraded. In Canberra, the ACT Government is pushing major updates in their public transport network. This includes 692 extra bus services each weekday—providing citizens with more direct routes and more frequent services.
Part of ACT’s network update is a new bus layover in Turner, which can accommodate 25 buses at a time. The new facility will be planted with approximately 25 trees for landscaping, and will also provide widened footpaths to accommodate foot and bicycle traffic to Australian National University.
The facility has also been fitted with a stormwater detention system by SPEL. With a capacity of over 2 million litres, the SPELChamber installation will reduce the impact and frequency of flooding on site. As part of the stormwater treatment train, the SPELChamber is a great solution for promoting water sensitive urban design.
With its open bottom design, the SPELChamber harnesses the soil’s natural properties in capturing and breaking down pollutants carried by stormwater runoff. It also allows for clean water to seep into the ground, recharging the groundwater and maintaining base flows to streams, ponds, lakes, or wetlands.
Click here to learn more about SPELChamber and its capabilities for stormwater treatment
