Month: January 2006

Southern Rocycling

Posted on by alex

I have had a number of residents contact me today regarding the operations of Southern Rocycling and the noise they are causing throughout the night resulting in disruption for residents. I can assure residents that council is investigating this issue and that I will be contacting all residents that have raised concerns with me once I receive the details of this council investigation.

I realise the situation with Southern Rocycling is not satisfactory and I will follow up with residents who have contacted me once I receive further information from council.

Rhetoric and reality

Posted on by alex

This letter was sent to The Age in response to State Government claims that public transport is allocated according to need:

IT IS hypocritical for the acting Premier, John Thwaites, to claim that money allocated for public transport would be spent “where it was most needed” while denying the people of Greater Dandenong weekend bus services. With the City of Greater Dandenong having a higher percentage of no-car households (11 per cent, against the Melbourne average of 9 per cent) and part of a designated growth corridor, it is clear that Greater Dandenong is one of the areas of most need.

The situation in Greater Dandenong is symptomatic of wider inaction from the State Government towards Melbourne’s lagging bus network. The fact that Melbourne’s bus services offer the worst service levels compared to other capital cities is evidence of this inaction.

Alex Makin, Outer East Branch Convener, Public Transport Users Association

An Open Letter to the City of Greater Dandenong

Posted on by alex

Dear Councillors of the City of Greater Dandenong:

RE: COUNCIL FUNDED WEEKEND BUS SERVICES

I write as the Outer East Branch Convener of the Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) in urging you, as an elected councillor for the City of Greater Dandenong, to continue in supporting and funding the weekend council funded bus services.

While I acknowledge that the funding of public transport is typically a State Government responsibility, I do respectfully ask for your support to continue council funding of the two services through to June 2006. The continuation of these services through to June 2006 would provide sufficient time to lobby the State Government to fund these and additional services as part of its upcoming Transport and Liveability Statement.

As a resident of Melbourne’s outer east, I can personally attest to the benefits that these services would provide to the people of Greater Dandenong through enhancing social inclusion and ensuring mobility to employment.

The Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) stands ready and willing to assist the City of Greater Dandenong in lobbying for better public transport, including extending the operating hours and frequencies of the bus network. Recent successes achieved by the PTUA include a government commitment to the Ringwood to Frankston SmartBus, a service that was seen as a priority for both the Cities of Knox and Greater Dandenong.

Time is required however to mobilise a strong advocacy campaign for these services and other much needed improvements in Melbourne’s southeast. I therefore ask again ask for your support in securing the funding for these two council funded services until June 2006.

I welcome further discussion on this and other transport issues. I can be contacted on 0409 136 213 or via e-mail alex.makin@ptua.org.au.

Yours Sincerely,

Cr. Alex Makin
Outer East Branch Convener
Public Transport Users Association

Maroondah Leader: Call for new Ringwood station

Posted on by alex

The Maroondah Leader on the 10th of January reported on the need for the government to commit to an upgrade of Ringwood Station:

MAROONDAH residents want a new Ringwood railway station, not a cosmetic overhaul of the existing “unsafe, dark and antiquated facility”, says a Maroondah transport group.

It is imperative that Ringwood Station is redesigned and rebuilt to ensure the construction of a world-class facility that delivers upon the needs of the community and becomes the centrepiece of a revitalised Ringwood.

The current Ringwood Station is poorly lit, perceived to be unsafe and does not have proper conveniences on the two main platforms.

Furthermore Ringwood Station is not accessibility compliant this means that the station currently violates the Federal Government Disability Discrimination Act of 1992. There are approximately 13,500 people with a disability within Maroondah; this translates to roughly 14% of Maroondah’s population.

I am committed as a councillor to lobbying the State Government and the Opposition to ensure that the much needed redevelopment of Ringwood Station becomes a reality. We must have a station that is safe and accessible to all people.

The people of Maroondah have waited long enough for a world-class station; Ringwood cannot afford to wait much longer.

The Age: Anger grows over plan to halt buses

Posted on by alex

The Age has reported today on the City of Greater Dandenong council funded bus services and the State Government reluctance to fund these services. As The Age reports this is despite the fact that buses are considered a government ‘priority’:

The Government says its transport priorities are improving bus services in outer Melbourne and lifting public transport capacity in the fast-growing Dandenong corridor. But two bus routes – which meet both of those goals and have carried 900,000 people in the past year – have been axed because the Government does not want to pay for them.

The City of Greater Dandenong is unique within Melbourne as it took steps to ensure mobility for residents on the weekends to access local services:

The council took the unusual step after research showed people needed weekend public transport to libraries, shopping centres and swimming pools.

While the funding of public transport is clearly a State Government responsibility the City of Greater Dandenong is to be congratulated on initiating these services. Unfortunately the hypocrisy from the State Government and reluctance to fund these services will serve as a detriment to the communities of Dandenong and Springvale:

Public Transport Users Association spokesman Alex Makin said it was vital that the Government reverse its decision. “A failure of the State Government to fund these services will demonstrate a complete hypocrisy and a lack of regard for Melbourne’s south-east,” he said.

“Greater Dandenong Council has demonstrated that public transport works. The State Government must now deliver on its rhetoric and fund weekend and evening services.”

As Councillor Roz Blades clearly states it is simply abhorrent that the outer suburbs are without weekend bus services:

City of Dandenong Councillor Roz Blades said losing the buses would be a blow for disadvantaged people.

“It’s really a joke that people don’t have a bus on the weekend,” she said.

Bus Service Rests in Government Hands

Posted on by alex

Media Release – Tuesday, 10 January 2006
FOR IMMEDIATE DISTRIBUTION

Bus Service Rests in Government Hands

The Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) has accused the State Government of hypocrisy in denying evening and Sunday bus services for Dandenong and Springvale.

“The City of Greater Dandenong is to be applauded for funding bus services in the face of continued inaction from the State Government”, PTUA spokesman Alex Makin said. “The council clearly saw that its residents were being neglected and funded these services to provide people with the basic right of mobility.”

While the funding of public transport is a State Government responsibility, the City of Greater Dandenong, in a first for Melbourne’s east, voted in 2004 to fund two integrated public transport bus services to ensure evening and weekend bus services in areas that had previously lacked such coverage. There was a clear expectation at the time that the State Government would fund the services after an initial trial period.

“The ultimate goal should be the seamless transition from council to State government funding, as such it may be necessary for the council to fund the services until June. This will ensure that there are no excuses from the State Government in providing funding within the next budgetary cycle”, Mr. Makin said.

The City of Greater Dandenong found that 18,000 trips had been made since the service started in December 2004 with an average of 330 passengers each weekend. 11% of households within the City of Greater Dandenong do not have access to a car, a higher percentage than the Melbourne wide average of 9%.

The State Government, despite its aim to increase public transport modal share to 20% by the year 2020 and its continued acknowledgement over the need to improve Melbourne’s bus network, has currently refused to fund the services. John Pandazopoulos, Member for Dandenong stated that it would be ‘pretty silly’ for the government to fund these extended services.

“The Minister for Transport must commit funding from June through the upcoming budget. A failure for the State Government to fund these services will demonstrate a complete hypocrisy and a lack of regard for Melbourne’s southeast. Greater Dandenong Council has demonstrated that public transport works, the State Government must now deliver upon its own rhetoric and fund weekend and evening services”, Mr. Makin concluded.

About the Public Transport Users Association (PTUA):
Founded in 1976, the PTUA is the recognised consumer organisation representing passengers of public transport. The PTUA is a non-profit, voluntary organisation with no political affiliation, which lobbies governments and public transport authorities in the interest of all users of public transport.

ALL MEDIA COMMENTS: ALEX MAKIN ON 0409 136 213
ENDS

Summer Timetable Cutbacks Must Be Permanently Removed

Posted on by alex

Media Release – Tuesday, 3 January 2006
FOR IMMEDIATE DISTRIBUTION

Summer Timetable Cutbacks Must Be Permanently Removed

The Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) has called for a permanent end to the Summer bus timetables and corresponding service cutbacks.

“There is currently no consistency between the summer timetables used on the train and tram network and the summer timetables used for buses”, PTUA spokesman Alex Makin said. “The detrimental service cutbacks experienced on buses during the summer holiday period means that an already poor service becomes, in effect, unusable.”

While other bus operators generally operate a summer holiday timetable on just Christmas Day, National Bus Company, the main operator within Maroondah operates a Summer Holiday Timetable for two weeks, due to differing contractual standards.

“Since all metropolitan bus contracts will be renewed in 2007 it is imperative that the State Government removes the use of detrimental summer holiday timetables”, Mr. Makin said. “Current arrangements simply make it difficult for Maroondah residents to use public transport during the summer timetable period. The government must through these new bus contracts ensure that bus frequencies operate to a similar standard to that experienced on the tram network.”

While Melbourne’s train and tram network operates on an altered timetable from the end of December to mid January generally only peak hour services are affected. The summer bus timetable experienced in Maroondah on National Bus routes roughly cuts off-peak services by 50%, meaning that a 30-minute service becomes hourly. In comparison the tram network operates at a 15 to 20 minute service frequency during the summer period

“While demand for travel to educational facilities and employment may decrease over the summer and Christmas period demand for recreational travel, particularly for students on holidays, increases. During the summer holiday period our youth and the rest of Maroondah still require mobility. Cutbacks to bus services simply creates social isolation and encourages social miscreants due to chronic boredom and despair”, Mr. Makin concluded.

About the Public Transport Users Association (PTUA):

Founded in 1976, the PTUA is the recognised consumer organisation representing passengers of public transport. The PTUA is a non-profit, voluntary organisation with no political affiliation, which lobbies governments and public transport authorities in the interest of all users of public transport.

ALL MEDIA COMMENTS: ALEX MAKIN ON 0409 136 213
ENDS