Released 01/09/2022
The ACT Government’s new rapid response team is gearing up for the first time, to mark the start of Canberra’s annual mowing program.
“This year’s mowing program is kicking off in the face of yet another La Nina weather cycle with vigorous grass growth expected,” said Minister for Transport and City Services Chris Steel.
“A changing climate means we need to adapt, and that’s why we’re trialling more responsive ways of delivering city services.
“This season, a new 10 person rapid response team has been funded to keep our city safe and looking good, in addition to scheduled mowing passes.
“We’ve also invested in an updated fleet including 12 replacement mowers and a new electric mower to trial zero emissions technology.”
The new rapid response team will add to the existing mowing capacity, where extra maintenance is needed throughout the season. Limiting the need to divert resources from scheduled activities, this will ensure mowing hotspots are responded to faster.
The community can report an area that requires maintenance by the rapid response mowing team by completing an online form via Fix My Street
These sites will be inspected to determine whether they fall within the programming of regular crews or the response team.
Key facts about the ACT’s annual mowing program:
- The program runs from September to March
- Suburbs and areas of open space are mowed every four weeks - with arterial road areas mowed every five weeks
- The mowing area per pass averages 4,907 hectares
- There are now 81 mowers in the updated fleet
- Each mower covers an area of 68 hectares every four weeks
All mowers have had a pre-season mechanical service and safety compliance check completed. This has included testing of the GPS systems that are used to capture data where areas have been mown.
When the mowing program is in full operation this information will be used to populate a live mowing map - that will show where crews have been and where they are intending to mow in the coming weeks.
In the 2022-23 Budget, the ACT Government invested $1.2 million to pilot a rapid response mowing team.
The mowing map and more information on the ACT Government mowing program will be available from Monday.
- Statement ends -
Chris Steel, MLA | Media Releases