My Internet Journal is designed to provide details on my role as a Councillor for the City of Maroondah and my involvement within a variety of community organizations.
You can also subscribe to updates to stay informed in regard to community and council activities and how I am making a difference for the Maroondah community.
Your comments and thoughts are welcomed and encouraged.
A strategic planning session to manage next year’s activities was conducted for tonight’s Eastern Transport Coalition meeting, which marked the final meeting for 2006.
The Eastern Transport Coalition has had considerable success this year, with the council advocacy body being able to secure the abolition of zone three and improvements to bus services. These successes provide a powerful foundation for the ETC to continue achieving results for next year and beyond.
The substantial focus for next year will be the federal funding of public transport and to utilise the five year of Melbourne 2030 to ensure a holistic to transport and land use planning. While there is a need for federal public transport funding this will not be at the expense of allowing the State Government to avoid responsibility for its own inaction.
In fact federal funding of public transport through tied matching funding would allow the Federal Government to hold the State Government into action through ensuring that the State Government delivers on its own promises.
I am certain that the ETC will continue to achieve success as we enter 2007.
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Eastern Transport Coalition June 2007 meeting , Eastern Transport Coalition - first meeting for 2007 , First Eastern Transport Coalition meeting for 2008 , Eastern Transport Coalition May 2007 Meeting , Eastern Transport Coalition meeting - calling for State and Federal investment in public transport
Category: Eastern Transport Coalition (ETC), Maroondah
The MAV Transport and Infrastructure Group is focusing on three areas for 2007:
Working groups have been established to focus on each of the specific issues and I am within the Federal funding for transport group.
The MAV Transport and Infrastructure Advisory Group and each of the separate working groups will continue to meet throughout 2007 to ensure progress on the issues discussed.
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MAV Transport and Infrastructure Group - first meeting for 2007 , MAV Transport and Infrastructure Group (Federal Funding) - first meeting for 2007 , MAV Transport and Infrastructure Advisory Group meeting , MAV Transport and Infrastructure Advisory Group - Local Area Access Programs , MAV TIAG first meeting for 2008
Category: Maroondah
The Herald-Sun has reported on the confusion that will ensue due to service cutbacks on public transport over most of January:
The annual Christmas present from public transport operators will include slashed train, tram and bus services for at least six weeks until mid-January.
Unfortunately the persistence of the summer timetable has demonstrated the continued failure of the State Government to operate a public transport system that reflects modern needs. In particular many students, who are on holidays over January, require reliable and frequent public transport to ensure access to employment and recreation.
But the Public Transport Users Association has attacked operators and the Government for again reducing the number of services over Christmas.
“There is no basis today for the continuation of the summer timetable, particularly one that is so drastically reduced,” vice-president Alex Makin said.
“The bureaucrats aren’t keeping up with modern trends and they’re not challenging the system to reflect modern needs. Particularly with flexible working hours, Melbourne does try to function as a 24-hour city.”
Like in previous years there has been a failure to properly integrate the service cutbacks to ensure that the modified train, tram and bus services have at the very least a consistent a start and finishing date. This lack of coordination demonstrates once again the failure to view public transport as part of an integrated network.
With bus contracts to be reviewed in 2007 there is an opportunity to ensure consistency across the bus network. In particular the former National bus routes (which includes bus routes in Manningham, Maroondah and Whitehorse), operate on a completely separate to the rest of the bus network resulting in the poor integration that is rife throughout metropolitan Melbourne.
This afternoon I was invited to attend the Maroondah Heritage Senior Citizens end of year luncheon. Maroondah Heritage Senior Citizens is based at Federation Estate in Ringwood and provide regular day trips, card games, singing and other forms of entertainment for Maroondah’s senior citizens.
Maroondah Heritage Senior Citizens, like other senior citizens clubs, provides a social outlet for elderly citizens within Maroondah and has access to a mini-bus with a driver to ensure that all elderly citizens are able to participate.
I wish Maroondah Heritage Citizens Clubs another year of ongoing success as we enter 2007.
Alex Makin is a councillor for the Mullum Ward in the City of Maroondah. Alex has been a councillor since 2005, representing ratepayers, businesses, community groups and residents.
I aim to continue making a difference and welcome any thoughts you may have in regard to life, community and business in Maroondah.
Phone: (03) 9870 8202 or 0408 311 645
Email: alex@alexmakin.com.au
