Month: October 2006

The Age: Rail line 'would replace 10,000 cars'

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PTUA launches Destination Doncaster

Public Transport Users Association launches the Destination Doncaster Campaign

This afternoon the Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) launched its Destination Doncaster campaign, calling on all political parties to commit to the delivery of a plan to provide transport choice to Manningham, the only municipality in metropolitan Melbourne that lacks any form of rail or tram access.

The Age reported exclusively on the Destination Doncaster campaign:

The Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) is calling on all political parties to commit to a future rail line before next month’s election and invest in sustainable transport.

Due to continued transport neglect, public transport patronage in Manningham is just 7.3 per cent, below the Melbourne average of 8 per cent and less than the neighbouring municipalities of Banyule (10.6 per cent) and Whitehorse (11.6 per cent), which have fixed rail.

PTUA vice-president Alex Makin said Doncaster, the hub of the City of Manningham, was the only municipality in Melbourne without any rail or tram access.

“As a result, public transport patronage in Manningham is depressingly abysmal and will forever be minimal unless fixed rail infrastructure is provided immediately,” Mr Makin said.

The PTUA is calling on all political parties to support the immediate extension of tram 48 through to Doncaster Shoppingtown and the construction of heavy-rail along the Eastern Freeway by 2010.

Ringwood Precinct Plans on Display

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Tonight Queensland Investment Corporation (QIC – the owners of Eastland) and Maroondah City Council presented the precinct plans for the Ringwood Town Centre to the Ringwood Chamber of Commerce.

The precinct plans are intended to provide a strategic framework for the Ringwood town centre, which is the area north of Maroondah Highway and bound by Ringwood Street and Warrandyte Road. The precinct plans envisage the transformation of Ringwood into a pedestrian friendly and vibrant suburban centre lined with much needed hospitality and entertainment such as cafes and restaurants.

The revitalisation of Ringwood is long overdue and it was encouraging to see the members of the Ringwood Chamber of Commerce supportive of the concept. While most of the community appears eager for the revitalisation of Ringwood to begin it is unfortunate that the State Government is still dragging its feet by failing to provide a solid commitment to the redevelopment of Ringwood Station. The station forms a centrepiece the new urban centre and it is imperative that the existing facility, which fails disability compliance legislation and is perceived to unsafe, is redeveloped into a modal interchange fitting of the new image for Ringwood.

To view the precinct plans please visit the Maroondah City Council Website. Submissions commenting on the plans need to be received by the 10th of November.

Maroondah Leader: Transport lobby puts case for zoning zap

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The Maroondah Leader has reported on the Eastern Transport Coalition’s survey and continued campaign to seek the abolition of zone three public transport fares.

Commuters from as far as Lilydale are driving to Mitcham to avoid paying zone three prices.

As part of the Eastern Transport Coalition’s campaign for fair fares, I surveyed people at Heatherdale Station least Tuesday.

Maroondah coalition representative Cr Alex Makin reviewed consumer behaviour at Heatherdale railway station in Mitcham, which is the last zone two station on the Lilydale line.

Cr Makin said the results further strengthened calls for zone three to be abolished.

“People are driving to Heatherdale from as far as Chirnside Park and Lilydale, just to avoid the extra costs,” Cr Makin said.

Due to the abstract nature of the public transport zoning system many commuters are driving excessive distances to park at Heatherdale Station causing traffic congestion through the centre of Ringwood and chaos at car parks.

“Ringwood is 23km from the CBD but is closer to the city than other stations in zone two,” Cr Makin said. “The ETC will continue to lobby for a revamp of the system in the lead-up to the November state election.”

Cr Makin said the fact that Ringwood was in zone two under the previous system showed revamping the zones was viable.

Ringwood as well as suburbs such as Dandenong, Lilydale and Belgrave were in part of zone two in the first zoning system that was introduced between 1981 and 1983. The fact that Ringwood was previously within zone two demonstrates that the abolition of zone three is not only possible but also entirely feasible.

Rather than continue to excessively burden outer eastern residents with the cost of zone three fare, all political parties must pledge to reform the current inequitable zone structure.

Delegates' Report: Enhancing opportunities for our youth, elderly and commuters

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On Saturday I had the great pleasure of being able to launch Enjoying Planned Retirement’s (EPR) Art and Craft Exhibition. EPR are located in Norwood Park and have over 490 members enjoying life and the opportunities provided to them to the absolute fullest. EPR provides an amazing range of social activities including, but definitely not limited to, dancing, bocce, trivia nights, theatre, art, day trips and drama. EPR had over 500 attendees to their weekend-long exhibition and are continuing strongly with the celebrations of their 30th anniversary.

On Tuesday the 10th of October I was conducting surveys as part of the Eastern Transport Coalition’s campaign for fair public transport fares. The existence of zone three is an oddity that only occurs in the eastern and southeastern suburbs of Melbourne and is due to the experimentation of the now aborted ‘neighbourhood zones’ in the mid 1980s. In fact prior to the introduction of the neighbourhood system back in the mid 80s Ringwood and the outer east was located within zone two, demonstrating that the removal of zone three is both possible and feasible.

I would to take this opportunity to thank everyone that completed the survey and also to thank the two Connex station hosts at Heatherdale Station who were both incredibly supportive and friendly.

The existence of zone three limits the opportunity for outer eastern residents to use public transport due to excessive financial burden that the arbitrary zoning system places on the outer east. It is also limits the opportunity to enhance the amenity of Heatherdale due to the excessive demand of car parks.

Lastly I wish to speak upon Community Safety Week and the Croydon Community School Mosaic, which featured as part of this program. Croydon Community School, which has classes for students in Year 7 through to Year 13, provides an alternative for secondary students that have experienced difficulties in other schools. The Croydon Community School provides an opportunity for such students to learn within a supportive environment and reinforced by apprenticeship programs and career guidance. The mosaic helps increase the understanding and cooperation between traders, students and the wider community and as such demonstrates that everyone has the opportunity to excel.

After the launch of community safety week I took the opportunity to speak to a number of youth at Croydon and unfortunately the opportunities they are able to seize are limited due to poor mobility and this is something I plan to raise at the next Eastern Transport Coalition meeting. Train services beyond Ringwood operate at a half hourly frequency during off-peak times causing a source of frustration of our youth, of which many are trying to use public transport to attend employment and educational opportunities.

Mobility is a key factor in enhancing the opportunities provided for our youth. The people of Croydon deserve more frequent rail services. On weekends the train line operates at a twenty minute frequency and there is no reason why our off-peak services which begin at 10am during the week should operate at a poor half hourly frequency.

Local Government Focus: Maroondah goes the extra mile

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Local Government Focus is a newspaper for councils and that aims to highlight examples of best practice in local government.

In this regard it was great to see the work of Katie Goodrope, Maroondah City Council’s MetroAccess worker featured in the newspaper:

In July, Maroondah City Council’s MetroAccess Coordinator, Katie Goodrope, received Vision Australia’s ‘Making a Difference’ award for best practice.

Making a Difference awards recognise organisations and individuals that go the extra mile to ensure that people who are blind or vision impartied are able to live life to its fullest.

MetroAccess is an initiative designed to make communities more inclusive and welcoming for people with disabilities.

Maroondah Councillor, Alex Makin, said was also instrumental in the development and publishing of a brochure for businesses in Maroondah that provides information on recognising and welcoming assistance dogs.

“Council is very proud to know that one of its officers has recived the recognition that comes with award”, he said.

Katie Goodrope received the award for actively engaging people with disabilities and for the production of a booklet titled, Communicating with People with Disabilities.

Enjoying Planned Retirement (EPR) Art and Craft Show

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Enjoying Planned Retirement (EPR) a community group with over 490 members, is based in the Senior Citizen’s Centre located in Norwood Park in Ringwood North. To celebrate their 30th anniversary EPR organised an art and craft show highlighting the many talents of members and the activities undertaken by the group.

Through providing a mixture of different activities, such as, dancing, bocce, trivia nights, theatre, art, day trips, drama, as well as many more, EPR is able to offer a truly vibrant, enjoyable and friendly atmosphere for people that are of retirement age.

This morning I was invited by EPR to officially launch their first art and craft exhibition. With over 500 people attending the two- day exhibition, the weekend was truly a success and allowed EPR to showcase that that it truly does provide an enjoyable atmosphere for not only its participants but also the wider community.

In addition I spoke to the Ringwood Arts Society, which is also based at Norwood Park. The Ringwood Arts Society includes a number of excellent artists and holds regular art exhibitions throughout Maroondah, including a display that is beginning next week at the ground floor of Eastland.

With such a strong and active membership I am sure that EPR is going to have many more years of enjoyment and success.

Community Safety Week – Bridging the gap between traders and our youth

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This afternoon I had the pleasure of viewing a public art mosaic created by the Croydon Community School and facilitated by Maroondah City Council.

Croydon Community School, which has classes for students in Year 7 through to Year 13, provides an alternative for secondary students that have experienced difficulties in other schools. The Croydon Community School provides an opportunity for such students to learn within a supportive environment and reinforced by apprenticeship programs and career guidance.

The mosaic created by the Croydon Community School will enhance the perceptions of Croydon and help demonstrate a common interest in the community between traders and students.  The mosaic through increasing the understanding and cooperation between these two groups helps demonstrate that everyone has the opportunity to excel in their own endeavours.

Unfortunately such opportunities are stymied through the limitations our youth have in regard to mobility. Public transport services beyond Ringwood operate at a half hourly frequency during off-peak times causing a source of frustration of our youth, of which many are trying to use public transport to attend employment and educational opportunities. While Maroondah City Council is helping to provide beneficial opportunities there is a need for the State Government to also play its part.

Mobility is a key factor in enhancing the opportunities provided for our youth. The people of Croydon deserve more frequent rail services. On weekends the train line operates at a twenty minute frequency there is no reason why our off-peak services which begin at 10am during the week should operate at a poor half hourly frequency.

Campaigning for Fair Public Transport Fares

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This morning, at Heatherdale Station, I conducted the Eastern Transport Coalition’s survey to ascertain the extent in which commuters drive to avoid paying the excessive cost of a zone three fare.

The overwhelming support for the Eastern Transport Coalition’s campaign for the abolition of zone three was extremely encouraging with a significant majority of commuters mentioning that they regularly drive to avoid the cost of the additional cost of a zone three fare.

The existence of zone three is an oddity that only occurs in the eastern and southeastern suburbs of Melbourne and is due to the experimentation of the now aborted ‘neighbourhood zones’ in the mid 1980s. In fact prior to the introduction of the neighbourhood system Ringwood and the outer east was located within zone two, demonstrating that the removal of zone three is both possible and feasible.

It is clear that the existence of zone three is causing excessive traffic congestion through the center of Ringwood, as commuters are clearly choosing to drive to avoid the additional cost of zone three. This also has a detrimental effect on bus services as commuters from as far away as Chrinside Park, Lilydale or Bayswater are choosing to drive to avoid zone three rather than catch buses to their nearest rail stations. As a result the amenity of Heatherdale is affected due to the excessive and unnatural demand for car parking simply due to the fare boundaries.

Hurstbridge is located further from the CBD than Ringwood or Belgrave and yet is located in zone two, demonstrating that the Government appears intent to place an additional financial burden on the eastern suburbs. The continued existence of such inequity makes a mockery of the government’s catchcry of creating ‘a fairer Victoria’.

Melbourne needs fair public transport fares, which do not unfairly penalise the eastern and southeastern suburbs. Furthermore there is a need to remove the high additional cost that exists when travelling between more than one zone since the current additional cost creates a strong disincentive for using public transport.

I would to thank everyone that completed the survey. Your participation in this campaign will help Maroondah and the Eastern Transport Coalition in its fight for fair public transport fares.

I would also like to thank the station hosts at Heatherdale who were incredibly supportive and understanding of the ETC’s campaign. The commuters of Heatherdale Station are fortunate to have such friendly station hosts that truly understand the value of customer service.

Maroondah Business Week – 2006 Business Excellence Awards

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Maroondah Business Week came to a close tonight with a cocktail function to announce the Maroondah Business Excellence Awards. The business excellence awards provide a way of recognising Maroondah’s many successful businesses particularly those that are innovative and supportive of the local community.

A total of 29 nominees were entered with eight being presented an award. The categories and the respective award recipients included:

  • Best Micro Business (LOTE Marketing)
  • Best Small-Medium Business (New Water)
  • Best Large Business (MEGT)
  • Best Franchise (The Cheesecake Shop)
  • Excellence in Innovation (Internet Vision Technologies)
  • Women in Business (Bank of Queensland)
  • Best Maroondah Business (MEGT)
  • Mayoral Encouragement Award (Compleat Angler)

The Business Excellence Awards allow Maroondah to showcase the many successful businesses that operate within the municipality. For details on Maroondah Business Week and the Business Excellence Awards please visit www.bizmaroondah.com.au.

Maroondah Business Week – HomeBiz Business Panel

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As part of Maroondah Business Week, Maroondah HomeBiz a non-profit organisation representing home based businesses, presented a panel of successful home based businesses to highlight the themes that are crucial to the success of small and medium businesses.

The panel consisted of four very different home businesses however several key themes emerged including the need for ample preparation, patience and the identification of key target markets. Through such events, Maroondah HomeBiz provides a supportive and informative environment for people both considering and undertaking a home based businesses and is in itself an essential network organisation for such businesses.

Maroondah Business Week, aided by groups such as Maroondah HomeBiz has provided a wealth of information for all types of businesses.