Category: Eastern Transport Coalition (ETC)

Maroondah Leader: Council wants fast-track for station upgrade

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The Maroondah Leader has reported on the need for the full redevelopment of Ringwood Station to be included within the upcoming 2009-2010 Budget.

Cr Alex Makin said the station upgrade would be a “catalyst for the transformation of Ringwood. We need the State Government to back up the commitment it made late last year.”

While the State Government committed $39 million for the redevelopment of the Ringwood station forecourt and bus interchange, this funding will not alter the station itself or improve accessibility for train users.

“It will stimulate local economic activity, create jobs within the region and encourage inclusion since the project would create a station that is accessible.”

The redevelopment of Ringwood Station would stimulate economic activity not just to Maroondah but throughout the outer eastern suburbs.

Furthermore, a commitment towards the station would demonstrate that the State Government has confidence in its policies for Ringwood and would therefore encourage further development to transform Ringwood into a vibrant ubran centre.

“Now is the ideal time for the Government to commit to the project in its entirety.”

A commitment towards infrastructure projects such as creating an accessible, inclusive and easy to use Ringwood Station and interchange would demonstrate a commitment to Maroondah and the regional economy.

The State Budget is due in early May.

Eastern Transport Coalition – Action Plan for Public Transport

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Tonight’s Eastern Transport Coalition meeting developed an action plan to achieve the objectives identified at previous meetings.

As Australia and Melbourne enters a climate of economic uncertainty coupled with the ongoing need to reduce rising greenhouse emissions, an expanded State Government commitment to public transport infrastructure would not only stimulate economic activity but provide alternatives to car dependence as well as enhancing social inclusion and environmental sustainability.

The Eastern Transport Coalition, comprising of one million residents as a collective of Melbourne’s seven outer eastern councils, is well positioned to advocate for these public transport improvements.

The State and Federal Budgets are both due in early May and it is imperative that there is a substantial commitment to public transport infrastructure.

Eastern Transport Coalition – discussing strategies

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Tonight’s Eastern Transport Coalition meeting focused on discussing strategies to ensure that public transport remains a key issue in the upcoming year and into the State and Federal elections which are due in 2010.

Maroondah has three key priorities for the municipality, including the redevelopment of Ringwood Station into an accessible, integrated and safe transport interchange, rail improvements and better bus services, including more frequent and readily available bus services.

These priorities were conveyed at tonight’s meeting to shape the priorities of the Eastern Transport Coalition. An action plan will be presented at the next Eastern Transport Coalition which will assist in achieving these objectives.

Media Release: Council establishes public transport priorities

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Maroondah City Council has confirmed the priorities for public transport issues to be advocated through the Eastern Transport Coalition.

Councillor Alex Makin is Maroondah City Council’s representative on the Eastern Transport Coalition, a group of seven outer Eastern metropolitan Councils.

“The Eastern Transport Coalition is an ongoing collegiate of seven Councils that advocates to the Federal and Victorian Governments for sustainable and integrated transport services in Melbourne’s outer East,” said Cr Makin.

“Each year the Eastern Transport Coalition seeks to set objectives for advocacy regarding improved bus services, more rail services and better coordination between modes of public transport,” said Cr Makin.

“At the formal meeting of Council on Monday this week, Council confirmed Maroondah’s public transport advocacy priorities for 2009,” said Cr Makin.

The three priorities are:

  • The triplication of the rail line from Box Hill to Ringwood;
  • The upgrade of Ringwood Railway Station and the bus interchange, and
  • The continued improvements to coverage and service frequency for the bus network within Maroondah.

“As Council’s representative on the Eastern Transport Coalition, I will be ensuring that these priorities are uppermost in the minds of the Coalition and in our advocacy to the State and Federal Government,” said Cr Makin.

Please continue reading to view some background information on these three priorities:

Continue reading “Media Release: Council establishes public transport priorities”

Review of Bus Services – Community Workshop

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The State Government is progressively undertaking sixteen reviews of bus services across Metropolitan Melbourne and has begun to examine bus routes within Maroondah, Knox and Yarra Ranges.

As part of the review process, the State Government holds two rounds of workshops, with the first series designed to provide feedback on the issues experienced with bus services.

Tonight’s workshop, which was held in Ringwood, began with background on the demographics and the current standards of bus services within the region. It was concerning that a number of services still do not adhere to the State Government’s minimum service standards.

Participants had the opportunity to discuss areas of improvement, with frequency improvements and operating spans being strongly supported, as well as the need for new routes within Warranwood. Mount Dandenong Road and Canterbury Road.

The feedback received from tonight’s workshop, and through written submissions, will be used to guide the State Government’s recommendations into bus routes across Maroondah, Knox and the Yarra Ranges.

The second round of workshops will be held in approximately six months time to discuss the recommendations from the review.

Maroondah Leader: Transport Coalition aims for changes

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The State Government is undertaking review of bus services across Metropolitan Melbourne with the latest series exploring routes within Maroondah, Knox and the Yarra Ranges.

The Maroondah Leader has reported on the upcoming reviews, including the public workshop which will be held this Thursday.

Coalition Deputy Chair and Maroondah councillor Alex Makin called for a two-tier service with frequent, direct services on main roads and a second tier of local bus routes to connect passengers to the main services.

A two-tiered bus network would significantly reduce travel times and ensure that Maroondah’s main roads are are provided with frequent and direct bus services.

“The average bus route in Maroondah tends to go down a lot of different side streets and that adds a lot of time to the journey,” Cr Makin said.

The success of the Ringwood to Frankston SmartBus demonstrates that people will use public transport when it is frequent, direct and readily available.

Cr Makin said residents raised several complaints about bus services at a public forum on January 29.

“People brought up issues about the frequency of the bus routes, the fact that the average bus finishes at 8pm or 9pm on a weekday and that buses are failing to make connections with other buses and with the train network,” Cr Makin said.

Given that the majority of Maroondah’s residents live beyond walking distance to the rail network, it is critical that the municipality is provided with a comprehensive bus network that enhances the mobility of our community.

“Unfortunately it’s all too common an occurance when the bus pulls up at a station, only for people to find that the train has already left.”

The feedback from council’s workshop will be used to assist council’s submission to the State Government. In addition community members should attend one of the State Government’s workshops to provide a further opportunity for input.

Improvements to bus services will help ensure an accessible municipality and reduce Maroondah’s greenhouse emissions.

Maroondah bus services review – community workshop

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The Department of Transport has announced a review of bus services in the City of Knox, the City of Maroondah and the Shire of Yarra Ranges and will be holding a workshop on Thursday the 19th of February from 6:30 pm at the Ringwood RSL.

The review aims to prepare an improvement plan for local bus services that best meets the needs of local communities and will involve the evaluation of current bus services to identify potential improvements to the network.

This workshop provides an opportunity for the Maroondah community to voice its concerns about the lack of adequate public transport within the municipality. Interested community members are asked to register their attendance by calling 9221 1952.

Maroondah workshop on bus services

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The State Government will shortly be undertaking a review of bus services across Maroondah, Yarra Ranges and Knox. These reviews, which have been progressively undertaken across Metropolitan Melbourne, provide an opportunity to highlight gaps in network coverage, as well as routes requiring service improvements or re-routing.

This evening Maroondah hosted a public workshop to provide an opportunity to hear the community’s views on bus services within the municipality.

This feedback will assist council in presenting the community’s views to the State Government’s bus review process with the aim of ensuring better public transport services across the municipality.

The need to improve connectivity between bus routes, as well as with the train network, featured prominently during the discussions, as did the need for more frequency and operating span improvements.

Accessibility improvements are also required including additional low-floor buses and improvements to bus shelters.

Ultimately bus routes should be re-routed so that Maroondah’s main roads are provided with direct, frequent and readily available bus routes. These routes would operate as a principal bus network that would assist in making public transport competitive with car travel. Outside these main routes, localised bus services would operate to connect people to the principal network.

A two-tiered bus network would enhance the mobility of our community through providing an integrated and efficient public transport network.

The State Government’s Workshop on bus services will be held on Thursday the 19th of February from 6:30 pm at the Ringwood RSL. The feedback council received from tonight will shape Maroondah’s submission into the bus review process.

Eastern Transport Coalition Presentation on Train and Tram Refranchising

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As the Deputy Chair of the Eastern Transport Coalition I was invited to present the ETC’s views on the re-franchising arrangements for the rail and tram network. The presentation provided an opportunity to highlight the needs of Melbourne’s outer suburban residents and opportunities that can be pursued through the new franchise arrangements for more a frequent, reliable and accessible public transport system.

The Eastern Transport Coalition (ETC) as a regional body representing one million residents within its seven outer eastern councils is well positioned to understand the requirements of its communities and to demonstrate the need for efficient public transport operations.

The survey data compiled by the Australian Research Group for the ETC clearly demonstrates that residents of Melbourne’s outer east would be more than willing to use public transport if services are frequent, readily available and easy to understand.

In particular the ETC believes that there is considerable scope to improve off-peak and interpeak services, as a way of shifting travel demand and mitigate worsening overcrowding during peak times. Frequency of service is a key driver to attracting passengers onto public transport at times other than peak periods. Likewise there should also be the opportunity for express services outside the traditional peak periods.

More frequent services will also assist in delivering a more reliable system since it will assist in more evenly distributing demand across the network. Likewise all rail lines should operate at a consistent service frequency and operating span to provide consistency across the network.

While bus services are outside the scope of the train and tram re-franchising proposals there is a need to improve coordination across the entire public transport system, as such the new franchising arrangements must trigger a review of connecting bus services whenever there is a modification of rail and tram timetables. Bus services generally require at least a three month lead-time to implement changes and ample time is provided so that all modes can operate in a coordinated manner.

Accessibility is also a critical factor with the State Government failing to meet targets for disability compliance on the rail network. There would be a considerable opportunity to provide the franchisee with the scope to redevelop nominated stations in exchange for commercial rights. This would provide the operator with an incentive to modernise Melbourne’s rail stations through the creation of mixed use transit hubs and also ensure higher cleanliness and safety standards.

Likewise it is also critical that the new franchise arrangements include scope to extend the rail network, such as the much needed rail extensions to Rowville and Doncaster and the tram extensions that are required to Knox and Doncaster Hill.

Local Government both individually and collectively as a region would welcome the opportunity to engage the new rail and tram operators so that services meet the needs of our community. As an example, we have actively engaged Connex through the Health, Safety and Wellbeing Committee, which has led to the reduction of vandalism along Maroondah’s rail network. Public transport is critical to the mobility of our communities and local government should be actively engaged over initiatives and timetable changes.

The new franchise arrangements for the train and tram network will begin on the 1st of December of this year. It is imperative that the new agreements assist in delivering a service that meets the needs of our community.

VLGA: Discussing advocacy within local government

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VLGA: Discussing advocacy within local government

The Victorian Local Governance Association (VLGA) is a peak body for councillors, local government and community leaders with an emphasis on governance and sustainability.

As the Deputy Chair of the Eastern Transport Coalition I was invited to speak at the VLGA’s Essential Mayors Weekend, a conference designed to assist newly elected mayors throughout their mayoral term.

The topic was ‘kicking above our weight’ with an emphasis on advocacy within local government. Three organisations formed part of a panel discussion, including the Eastern Transport Coalition, the White Ribbon Day and Regional Cities Victoria.

My presentation covered the background of the Eastern Transport Coalition and the diverse geography and demographic that it covers.

I discussed the importance of policies and procedures to ensure that transparency, such as providing ample time is provided for feedback. The composition of the ETC is also a contributor to its success whereby each council provides an elected councillor and council officer. Council officers provide the day-to-day support for the group as well as undertake research and submission development and it is therefore important that both council officers and councillors are actively involved within the organisation.

I also mentioned the need for a united approach and the strength in advocating as part of a region, since this prevents other tiers of government from trying to divide local governments. This also ensures that projects are viewed in a regional context whereby the benefits are demonstrated across local government areas thus making it easier to advocate to other tiers of government.

I presented the removal of zone three as a case study that demonstrated a number of critical success factors, including a united stance on the issue, a strong presence within the media, proactive advocacy with election candidates and the need to engage all sides of politics. Zone three fares were abolished in March 2007 after there was bi-partisan support for its removal during the 2006 State Election.

While each organisation had a different emphasis a number of common success factors emerged including the need for unity, a positive engagement with the media and constructive advocacy across the political spectrum.