Posts related to 'transport issues'

Maroondah Journal: Boost trains, users urge

Published by Alex Makin on Tuesday 8th of July, 2008

Amid the recently held Eastern Transport Coalition Public Transport Summit, the Maroondah Journal has continued to explore public transport issues, particularly, in regard to the need for service improvements along Melbourne’s rail network.

Eastern Transport Coalition spokesman Cr Alex Makin said evening services would be an easy fix. “There’s nothing stopping the Government from saying tomorrow it will provide additional inter peak services. It would be instant relief for families struggling with increasing fuel prices.”

Inter peak services (services that are between the morning and evening peaks) beyond Ringwood currently operate at a half hourly frequency, severely limiting the opportunity to use public transport outside of peak hours to travel to and from the Ringwood Transit City.

Likewise evening services after 8pm operate at a half-hourly frequency limiting choices available for people that work late.

He said more frequent evening and inter peak services were critical for people to get to and from activity centres, such as the Ringwood Transit City.

The fact that weekend services operate at a 20 minute interval demonstrates that more frequent inter peak weekdays services are possible. For example, it is absurd that people wishing to travel between Croydon and Ringwood at 10am on a weekday are required to wait up to half an hour for train, when on a Saturday or Sunday they would be waiting for 20 minutes.

The government has stated that it will be revising the train timetable next year, hopefully they rectify these anomalies within our train timetables and help reinforce the importance of public transport within the Ringwood Transit City and the outer east.

Consultative Workshop for the Maroondah Forum for People with Disabilities and Carers

Published by Alex Makin on Monday 28th of April, 2008

The Maroondah Forum for People with Disabilities and Carers, which currently meets on a quarterly basis, provides an opportunity for council and the community to discuss issues relating to accessibility. While the forum has been successful in creating dialogue and improving accessibility within Maroondah, it is timely to undertake a review to strengthen this forum and the level of community dialogue.

Today’s workshop included approximately 40 community members, with a mixture of occasional and regular participants at the forum, as well as new attendees. This strong attendance provided a range of different experiences with accessibility issues within Maroondah.

The ability for networking between individuals and groups, the information that is shared and the ability to provide faces and a contact point for organisations, were identified as positive aspects of the forum. As an example, the ongoing attendance by companies such as Invicta and Connex has enabled direct communication in regard to transport and this has delivered improvements for our community.

The two-way dialogue between council and the community and the opportunity to provide either verbal or written comments were also seen as strengths. This dialogue has been critical in providing council with first-hand experience of the accessibility within the municipality and a number of infrastructure related projects, such as realigning pedestrian crossings, accessible parking improvements and the regrading of footpaths have been actioned as a direct result of this feedback.

Unfortunately the quarterly frequency of the forums has meant that some of this momentum is lost due to the delays between each meeting and also makes it difficult for people to remember issues that they wanted to discuss. As a result there was strong interest in the idea to increase the frequency of these meetings so that they are held every two months. This would also provide the added advantage of providing some flexibility for alternating meeting times, such as providing an evening forum for people that are unable to make day-time events. The forum is currently held between 10 am and 12 pm on a Monday and this makes it difficult for people who work during the day or for students to attend. While not everyone is comfortable with evening meetings, a more frequent schedule would allow for alternating times to give more people the opportunity to attend.

The need for ongoing promotion of the forum was also discussed and there is a clear need to increase community awareness. Details of the forum should be prominently featured on the Maroondah City Council website and it should also be included within council’s publications as well as the local newspapers.

There was much discussion in regard to the role of the forum in regard to whether it should include a strategic focus, such as exploring policy and advocacy, as well as providing a greater degree of structure through a terms of reference. The current informal and open nature of the forum provides an opportunity for people to attend as many or as few of the forums as they wish. Likewise the inclusion of engineering and operational issues provides mechanisms to raise issues directly with council.

It is certainly important to discuss strategic issues, particularly around the area of advocacy, such as ensuring affordable housing for people with disabilities, where local government can fulfil a critical role in lobbying other levels of government. It is important that Maroondah provides the right balance to ensure that strategic, as well as operational issues are discussed.

In this regard there may be merit in the formation of an accessibility committee, with a more formalised structure that would involve Council and the community within these broader issues. This would also provide the opportunity for peak accessibility groups to be involved in the decision making process. In addition it would mean that the forum would remain available to discuss more localised and specific concerns so that informal interaction with the community would continue.

I certainly see merit with increasing the frequency of the forum meetings with alternating times to allow for a greater level of input and to ensure more frequent dialogue with the community. Likewise I also believe there is a need for a more formalised committee that operates alongside the forum so that we can cover a wider range of accessibility issues.

Maroondah’s forum for people with disabilities and carers is generally well regarded by the community, although there is obvious scope for improvement. The discussion generated from this workshop will assist council in planning the future of this forum to ensure that we improve the level of accessibility within Maroondah.

Eastern Transport Coalition February 2008 meeting

Published by Alex Makin on Thursday 21st of February, 2008

Tonight’s Eastern Transport Coalition meeting focused on developing an action plan based upon the strategic direction established at the January meeting.

The major facet of this action plan, will be the hosting of a public transport summit later this year to explore the public transport issues faced within Melbourne’s eastern suburbs. While the State Government has invested in projects such as EastLink, it has failed to simultaneously invest in much needed public transport improvements.

Melbourne’s eastern suburbs need to be provided with transport choice, to ensure liveable communities that are able to provide economic, social and environmental sustainability. There is a stark contrast between road and public transport investment, with EastLink, consisting of 40km of new road construction, being completed within three years, while the Stud Road SmartBus, a mere upgrade of bus frequencies, operating spans and bus lanes, also required a three year timeframe.

Given that the State Government views SmartBus (a combination of bus priority treatments and service improvements) as a priority, it is surprising that a three year timeframe is required for their completion. It is clear that the State Government must drastically improve the speed in which it implements public transport improvements.

This year, with the much anticipated Eddington Inquiry into Melbourne’s transport needs, will determine the sincerity of the State Government’s commitment to public transport. The ETC will continue to hold the State Government accountable to ensure that public transport is a viable transport mode for Melbourne’s eastern suburbs.

Public Transport for Melbourne’s Southeast

Published by Alex Makin on Wednesday 5th of September, 2007

This evening I was invited by Casey, Greater Dandenong and Cardinia residents to discuss public transport issues in Melbourne’s southeast.

While the meeting was planned to proceed through the Public Transport Users Association (PTUA), the committee was unable to provide a speaker, leaving local residents in the lurch. At the request of the then PTUA Southeast branch, I attended the meeting to answer questions and to reinforce the need for outer suburban residents to speak up about the transport woes they are facing.

While it would appear that the PTUA Southeast Branch has been disbanded due to a lack of support from the PTUA, local residents are keen to establish their own organisation to ensure an ongoing presence for public transport advocacy.

Terry Hornbuckle, June Whitton both formerly from the PTUA Southeast Branch must be congratulated for their ongoing efforts and for engaging the local community to ensure a solid attendance at the meeting. Cr. Steve Beardon, a Councillor for the City of Casey, must also be congratulated for providing a meeting venue and for his support in promoting the meeting.

Melbourne’s growth suburbs should be the frontline for public transport advocacy as it is imperative that public transport in new areas is provided at the onset of new development. Failure to deliver such public transport, will only result in a similar situation to Rowville, where transport advocates are on the backfoot calling for investment in established areas, and provide major difficulties in future years.

I look forward to working with residents as they find their voices in the call for public transport advocacy.

Media Release: Transport advocacy will continue

Published by Alex Makin on Tuesday 28th of August, 2007

In announcing his resignation from the Public Transport Users Association (PTUA), Alex Makin has urged local communities to find their voice and directly advocate for much needed service improvements.

“Sustainable transport and public transport advocacy has been and will remain a passion of mine,” Mr. Makin said. “While I have resigned from the PTUA, I certainly plan on remaining active in transport advocacy and in particular focusing on the needs of middle and outer suburban residents.”

Alex Makin joined in the PTUA in 2004 when he formed the Outer East branch to represent the transport needs of outer suburban residents. Alex subsequently formed the southeast branch and undertook direct lobbying of politicians and government departments to seek public transport improvements. Alex was also a principal spokesperson for the organisation until his resignation.

“I would like to thank the many current and past Members of Parliaments and local councillors who made themselves available to myself and the PTUA. While we may not have always agreed, it was certainly encouraging to have open dialogue with a number of politicians,” Mr. Makin said. “I would also like to thank the many dedicated community members both within the PTUA and external to the organisation.”

“Lastly, I would like to thank the media for their ongoing coverage of the PTUA and transport issues in general. It is critical that our middle and outer suburbs find their voice in calling for public transport improvements. I certainly will remain active in transport advocacy and as such am more than happy to continue speaking to the media as a public transport advocate,” Mr. Makin concluded.

ALL MEDIA ENQUIRIES: Alex Makin on 0409 136 213 or email alex@alexmakin.com.au.