Month: June 2007

Eastern Transport Coalition June 2007 meeting

Posted on by alex

This evening’s Eastern Transport Coalition (ETC) meeting focused on the seven key focus areas including:

  1. Public transport interchanges;
  2. Bus services and bus priority;
  3. Train extension to Rowville and Doncaster;
  4. Rail improvements along the Ringwood line;
  5. Rail improvements along the Dandenong line, and
  6. Federal Funding of urban public transport infrastructure;

A series of factsheets are being prepared to highlight the importance of these priorities. The ETC will be utilising a number of opportunities, including the Melbourne 2030 audit, to demonstrate the importance between integrating land use planning and transport.

In regard to the federal funding campaign, the ETC will be sending a delegation to Canberrra to seek an audience with the Minister and Shadow Ministers for Transport. The Federal Parliament’s Sustainable Cities Inquiry highlighted the need for a national approach for urban transport to assist in mitigating rising congestion costs and greenhouse emissions.

While this may give the appearance of shifting responsibilities from the State to Federal Government, it in fact ensures a greater level of accountability. For example, if the Federal Government provided partial funding for the triplication of the rail line to Ringwood it would prevent the State Government from backing away from its 1999 promise to deliver the third track.

Australia remains the only OECD nation where the Federal Government does not provide funding for urban public transport infrastructure, with cities around the world investing heavily in public transport Australia runs the risk of being left behind reducing our international competitiveness.

Croydon Stroke Support Group

Posted on by alex

This morning I was invited to speak to the Croydon Stroke Support Group about my role as a Maroondah Councillor and to hear any concerns raised by members.

The discussion focussed strongly on Maroondah’s footpaths and the needs of pedestrians. Maroondah Council recently passed a Pedestrian Strategy which provides a framework to address the lack of footpaths within parts of the municipality. The Pedestrian Strategy will be reinforce by a Footpath Construction Policy which will enable Council to facilitate new footpaths particularly within areas that connect to schools, shops and public transport.

The Pedestrian Strategy also sets new standards in regard to footpath maintenance which will lead to an ongoing improvement to the condition of footpaths within Maroondah. This will lead to reduction in cracked and uneven footpaths making it easier for people to walk throughout Maroondah.

A number of concerns were raised in regard to the lack of adequate time to cross traffic lights, particularly in roads such as Maroondah Highway and Warrandyte Road. Unfortunately many of these roads are under the jurisdiction of VicRoads but council and myself personally have been advocating for longer pedestrian cycles to make it safer for people to cross the road. It is imperative that VicRoads listens to the community and realises that is responsible for the needs of pedestrians as well as vehicles.

The Croydon Stroke Support Group provides a support network for people who have suffered a stroke andprovides a range of activities for members, including guest speakers and social outings. It was a pleasure to speak to the group and I look forward to further discussions as we seek to improve the mobility of Maroondah.

Delegates' report: Community meeting at Maidstone

Posted on by alex

On the 12th and 13th of June I attended the third Future for Local Government Summit which was convened by the Municipal of Association of Victoria.

These summits are designed to help pave the way for local government within the 21st century.

I have prepared a written report for this summit which I will table with my delegates’ report.

Lastly, I would like to report on a public meeting held last Friday in regard to the park located at 47a Maidstone Street in Ringwood. The meeting organised with the assistance of the local community allowed me the opportunity to hear first hand the concerns over the proposal to sell this park. Despite the icy cold weather the meeting exceed all expectations with over 60 residents bracing the fierce weather to ensure to that they were able to voice their thoughts on this proposal.

The residents also provided a petition with over 150 signatories objecting to this proposal. I have lodged this petition as an objection to the proposed sale of the park at Maidstone Street.

I would like to commend Heidi Victoria, the Member for Bayswater and the local community, in particular Beverly Yen and Patricia Reidy for organising the meeting. It provided a crucial opportunity to hear concerns first-hand and to address the issues that were raised.

Herald-Sun: Train Pain

Posted on by alex

The Herald-Sun has reported on the worsening condition of Melbourne’s train network, as overcrowding and cancellations continue to increase.

MELBOURNE’s overcrowded train network is bracing for more than 156,000 extra commuters a day — with just 10 new trains set to ease the load.

The State Government has failed to adequately plan for Melbourne’s public transport needs with passengers continuing to experience overcrowding.

Public Transport Users Association spokesman Alex Makin said new trains would be welcome but would not meet the demand.

He said the trains could hold about 900 people per trip but he believed the Government would have to buy more rolling stock just to keep up.

With an era of rising petrol prices it should have been abundantly clear to the State Government that patronage growth would occur. Furthermore with the State Government’s goal of 20% public transport modal share by 2020 it should have comprehensively planned and delivered improvements inline with such growth.

“There has been very little proper planning. The Government has simply been reacting when there is a crisis,” he said.

“There is a strong demand for public transport, particularly in light of rising petrol prices.”

While the rail system and public transport overall is experiencing significant growth, modal share, (the proportion of trips taking by public transport versus cars) has remained relatively static. The State Government must begin to proactively manage Melbourne’s public transport system rather than simply lurching from one crisis to another.

Maidstone Street Public Meeting

Posted on by alex

This morning, along with Heidi Victoria, the Member for Bayswater, I spoke to residents at Maidstone Street Park in Ringwood to discuss the current council proposal and the best way to stop the sale from proceeding.

Despite the extremely cold conditions and a temperature of less than eight degrees, approximately 60 residents attended this meeting to demonstrate firsthand the importance of this unique community park. While Proclamation Park may be located in close proximity, it does not provide the same community atmosphere of the park located at Maidstone Street.

Maidstone Street Public Meeting

I would like to thank the many residents who attended the meeting and asked questions about the Council process. I will be lodging a petition, signed by residents who are wishing to see the park retained, at Monday’s Council meeting.

I have publicly stated my support for the sale to not proceed and I will be voting against the proposed sale. I encourage all residents who wish to see the park retained to issue an objection to council by the 6th of July. Objections need to include a name and address and can be emailed directly to me at alex.makin@maroondah.vic.gov.au or via post to Council at PO Box 136, Ringwood 3134.

Migrant Information Centre – Outer East Voices DVD Launch

Posted on by alex

The Outer East Voices project is a jointly initiative between the Migrant Information Centre, VicHealth and with a partnership including the Cities of Maroondah and Knox. The project, aimed at both primary and high school students, allowed young people to meet other people from diverse communities to promote friendship and to learn skills in filmmaking and digital imagery.

The outcome of the project, a DVD which interviewed school students on diversity and views of Australia, was launched at EV’s Youth Centre to showcase the skills demonstrated by the young people involved in the project. The DVD will be used to discuss issues such as friendship, identity and multiculturalism within the school curriculum.

The launch included presentations from the participants of the program, who demonstrated the skills and experienced gained through the project and allowed them to talk about their experiences living in eastern Melbourne. The DVD will be available from the Migrant Information Centre within the next month.

Media Release: East-West? the answer is rail

Posted on by alex

The Eastern Transport Coalition has made a submission to the East-West needs Review calling on the State Government to fix Melbourne’s capacity and congestion issues by expanding the public transport network.Councillor Alex Makin represents Maroondah City Council on the Eastern Transport Coalition and says the Coalition is calling on the State Government to fix Melbourne’s capacity and congestion issues by expanding the public transport network.

“The Eastern Transport Coalition’s submission points out the weaknesses in the current public transport network and urges the State Government to improve public transport by extending the rail network into the Eastern suburbs,” said Cr Makin.

Chairperson, Cr Mick Van De Vreede said that by expanding the rail network cars would be removed from the roads and greenhouse gas emissions would be reduced.

“The State Government are rightly concerned about the capacity of our roads to handle freight into the future, however the answer is not more roads, the answer is more public transport.

“The million residents of the outer east that our seven member councils represent do not have the access to public transport that other Melbournians do and as a result they often have no option other than private vehicles.

“The large improvement in buses that is planned will make a difference but a bus doubles the key commute time to the CBD. Train is the only answer.

“Our submission points out that the big weakness in the current network is fivefold;

  • No fixed rail to Rowville
  • No fixed rail to Doncaster
  • No plans for third rail on Belgrave/Lilydale line
  • Lack of dedicated lanes for Smart Buses.
  • Lack of up to date Public transport interchanges

“If implemented with improved facilities for commuters, these five projects would free up a lot of road space on the Eastern and Monash Freeways, space which could be utilised by freight.

“As a first step Rod Eddington should recommend the development of full business cases for each. Proper business cases would allow the State to budget funding and even seek funding from the Federal Government.

“Even the State Government’s own Sustainability Commissioner, Mr Rod Mc Phail, has pointed to the lack of extensions to hard rail as a shortcoming for Melbourne.

“I urge Sir Rod and the State Government to get serious about improving Melbourne’s liveability, now and into the future by extending rail,” Cr Mick Van De Vreede concluded.

The Third Future of Local Government Summit

Posted on by alex

Over the past two days I attended the third Future of Local Government Summit. This summit is designed to ensure best practice within local government in the areas of resource management, sustainability and governance.

Last year’s summit identified eight key principles including:

  1. Our time has come: embrace reform
  2. Speak with one voice
  3. Re-think what we do/how we do it
  4. Achieve outcomes in shared services/ economies of scale
  5. Measure ourselves
  6. Really listen to the community
  7. Deliver on local priorities
  8. Involve all levels of government in the process of change.

The goal of this year’s summit is to develop a roadmap to assist local government in delivering upon the eight principles. In this regard a number of case studies were presented which examined community planning, resource sharing and the roles of local government within other countries such as the New Zealand and the UK.

There is an increasing trend amongst councils to share resources to ensure efficiencies of share and consistent information across the sector. Waste services, IT and human resources are also examples of areas that have seen an increase in council collaboration.

With continuous pressures such as cost-shifting it is imperative that councils stand united to ensure efficient and well resourced local government sector.

53rd Ringwood Eisteddfod

Posted on by alex

This evening I attended the launch of the 53rd Ringwood Eisteddfod, the longest running cultural event held within Maroondah. The Ringwood Eisteddfod began through the Ringwood Arts and Craft Society before a separate committee was formed in 1965.

Held at Norwood Hall, the Ringwood Eisteddfod is a program that celebrates the musical talent of Maroondah’s youth through holding competitions in piano, strings, classical guitar, vocals, woodwind and brass and ensemble.

The Grand Final Concert Night for the Ringwood Eisteddfod will be held on Saturday the 14th of July at the Karralyka Centre.

Media Release: Escape to the sea at Wyreena

Posted on by alex

Exciting wildlife and seascape artwork by emerging Melbourne artist Tony Weston will be on exhibition at Wyreena Community Arts Centre until Saturday 30 June.

Councillor Alex Makin encourages the Maroondah community to visit the gallery and view the highly detailed pastels and beautiful watercolours, with a fascinating focus on wildlife and seascapes.

“The detail in Tony’s pastel collection is incredible, with many of the subjects in his paintings originating from his wife’s care of injured and orphaned wildlife in their home,” said Cr Makin.

Tony regularly exhibits at the Camberwell Rotary Art Show and the Wildlfe Art Society of Australasia, and is a recipient of the Allan McEvey Memorial Award for wildlife art.

“In addition, Tony has expanded his endeavours into the use of watercolour, creating landscapes and seascapes with an impressionist’s eye and a wonderful use of light and shade,” said Cr Makin.

Artist, Tony Weston enjoys the tension when painting with watercolour, commenting that trying to control the paint is very exciting. “Sometimes the most amazing effects will happen by accident so that every painting is an adventure.”

The exhibition of artwork by Tony Weston will be at Wyreena Community Arts Centre until Saturday 30 June. Tony Weston will be on Gallery Duty each Saturday during the exhibition.

The Gallery Gift Shop and Cafe are open from 10am to 4pm on weekdays and from 10am to 3pm on Saturday, but are closed Sundays and Public Holidays. Wyreena Community Arts Centre is located on 13-23 Hull Road, Croydon.

For more information contact Wyreena Community Arts Centre on 9294 5590.