May 2 - Queensland will draw on the experiences of Winter Olympics host city Vancouver as it shapes its Commonwealth Games bid, Premier Anna Bligh said today.



Bligh, in Vancouver on a trade mission, says the city will share details of its preparations with Queensland to aid the Gold Coast's bid to host the 2018 Commonwealth Games, where they face competition from the Sri Lankan city of Hambantota.

After touring the Olympic Village, she said Vancouver had shown how investing in Games infrastructure could have long-term benefits in terms of catering for future growth.

"Vancouver raised the bar on the Olympic global stage with its world-leading Winter Olympics infrastructure for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics," Bligh said.

"Queensland has the opportunity to draw upon the Vancouver City Council's sustainable urban residential planning model, which was employed to develop housing for the world's Olympic athletes, and then for Canadian residents following the Games.

"The idea of using the athletes village to deliver a world-leading sustainable community, with its own energy source, was proposed at the Queensland Growth Management Summit, and I am very interested in how we can make this idea a reality."

She said the Gold Coast could also learn from Vancouver's transport system, which includes a light rail system in place since 1985.

"We can learn from international examples like this to make sure the Gold Coast rapid transit system is second to none," she said.

The $1.3 billion (£790 million) rapid transit project - a partnership between the state and Federal Governments, and the Gold Coast City Council - will link the commercial and retail centres of Southport, Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach.

It is expected to replace up to 75 million car trips and reduce local greenhouse gas emissions significantly in the first 10 years of operation.

"Between 1992 and 2005, Vancouver was the only Canadian city in which the time taken by the average resident to get to and from work declined," Bligh said.

"The Vancouver light rail experience shows how new major public transport investments can help manage regional growth more effectively and tackle congestion."


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