Tag: advocacy

Maroondah Leader: Point of no slick churn

Posted on by alex

The Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) is a community based organisation that promotes improvements to public transport.

I served as the founder and Convenor of the Outer East Branch until 2008, forming the branch to provide local advocacy on public transport issues affecting Melbourne’s eastern suburbs. Since 2008 Jeremy Lunn has served as the branch convenor and has performed tremendously in continuing to raise public transport issues effecting the the eastern region.

The Maroondah Leader has reported on ongoing concerns regarding the lack of frequent rail services along the Belgrave and Lilydale lines beyond Ringwood. I joined Jeremy in calling for more frequent services:

Public Transport Users Association outer east convenor Jeremy Lunn said passengers travelling on the Belgrave/Lilydale line beyond Ringwood were receiving services below urban standards.

Maroondah Mayor Alex Makin said consistent 10 minute services were essential, given Ringwood’s status as a Central Activities District.

The use of sustainable forms of transport is critical to the success of Ringwood’s transformation into a Central Activities District and the current half services beyond Ringwood do not encourage public transport usage.

“For example, people are waiting up to 30 minutes for an eight minute train ride to and from Croydon,” Cr Makin said. “It is completely unacceptable to have long gaps in frequency, particularly when we want more people to use public transport in Ringwood.”

The Frankston line was recently provided with a consistent 10 minute off-peak service, providing a frequent service linking the Frankston Central Activities District. This a welcomed step and provides public transport services that minimise waiting times.

Ringwood and Box Hill are both Central Activities Districts and served by the Belgrave/Lilydale lines, it is clear that these services require similar frequency improvements. Outer eastern residents should not need to wait up to half an hour to connect them to Ringwood or Box Hill.

Eastern Transport Coalition – September 2010 meeting

Posted on by alex

The Eastern Transport Coalition is a regional based council advocacy group, which includes Melbourne’s seven outer eastern Councils. I attended tonight’s meeting to provide members with an update on Council’s campaign to secure the redevelopment of Ringwood Station into an accessible, safe and integrated interchange.

The Eastern Transport Coalition is planning a series of candidate forums across each Council to provide the community with an opportunity to discuss public transport issues in the lead up to the State Election. Maroondah’s Candidate Forum will be held on Wednesday the 13th of October at 6.30 pm at the Karralyka Centre in Ringwood East.

This date will coincide with Maroondah City Council’s launch of its Ringwood Station – the missing piece campaign, where we will be calling on all political parties to commit to delivering an accessible, safe and integrated transit interchange for Ringwood. The current station, which fails disability compliance standards, is an essential part of Ringwood and must be upgraded to ensure the creation of a vibrant urban centre.

The Ringwood Station – the missing piece campaign will be held at 6pm at the Karralyka Centre on Wednesday the 13th of October.

Media Release: Video highlights Ringwood Station inadequacies

Posted on by alex

Maroondah City Council has stepped up the Ringwood Station advocacy campaign launching an online video highlighting major accessibility issues at the station.

Maroondah Mayor Alex Makin said the video highlighted the shocking state of the station.

“The video really shows how bad the station is and how inaccessible it is for those who rely on wheelchairs or scooters as a mode of transport. Viewers will be able to see what these people go through every time they use Ringwood Station,” Cr Makin said.

“I have met with and spoken to many people in the past few weeks and they have all expressed their fear of using the station because of the accessibility issues,” Cr Makin said.

“In one case the ramps were so steep that the rear support wheels on their wheelchair lifted two or three centimetres off the ground while going down the ramps. Others cannot stop on the ramps because the brakes are not strong enough to cope with the inappropriate gradient,” Cr Makin said.

“These cases just highlight the station’s inadequacies and shows the personal impact it is having because it is not compliant with the State Government’s own Disability Discrimination Act. It is time that Ringwood Station receives the upgrade it deserves,” Cr Makin said.

“Since the start of the advocacy campaign, the amount of support and feedback Council has received has been phenomenal. This is something that the people of Maroondah feel strongly about, and Council has listened to their concerns and is doing everything possible to ensure our concerns are heard,” Cr Makin said.

Maroondah City Council is conducting a petition calling on all state political parties to commit to an upgrade of Ringwood Station within the term of the next government.

The video will be available via Maroondah City Council’s website from Tuesday September 13.

Go online to watch the video, to complete an online submission or to download a copy of the petition:
Maroondah Council website – www.maroondah.vic.gov.au
Maroondah Youth Services website www.maroondahyouthservices.com.au

To sign the petition:

Visit one of Council’s service centres:
City Offices Service Centre
Braeside Avenue, Ringwood

Eastland Service Centre
Level 2, Eastland Shopping Centre, Ringwood

Croydon Service Centre
Civic Square, Croydon

Visit one of Council’s facilities:
Arrabri Community Centre
Allambanan Drive, Bayswater North.

Croydon Library
Civic Square, Mount Dandenong Road, Croydon.

Karralyka Centre
Mines Road, Ringwood.

Maroondah Federation Estate
Greenwood Avenue, Ringwood.

Ringwood Library
4 Ringwood Street Mall, Ringwood
(Adjacent to Eastland Shopping Centre).

Wyreena Community Arts Centre
13-23 Hull Road, Croydon.

– ENDS –

Eastern FM – discussing Council’s advocacy role

Posted on by alex

Radio Eastern FM is a community radio station that broadcasts on 98.1 FM from studios at Wyreena Community Arts Centre. The radio station has a variety of programs, including interviews with Councillors on the first Friday of each month.

This month I was interviewed on Radio Eastern FM to discuss Council’s role in advocating on behalf of the community and to provide further details on Council’s campaign calling on all political parties to commit to the upgrade and redevelopment of Ringwood Station.

The State Election in November provides the ideal opportunity to secure a commitment towards Ringwood Station, so that it becomes an accessible, safe and integrated transit interchange. While the State Government has committed $39 million to redevelop the bus interchange and station forecourt, further funding is required to improve the station itself, including ramps that fail disability compliance standards.

The redevelopment of Ringwood Station is essential to transforming it into a vibrant, sustainable and accessible urban centre. Ringwood will only be successful as a Central Activities District if it is provided with public transport infrastructure and services that are accessible, safe and easy to utilise. The current station does not meet this criteria and needs a State Government commitment to secure its redevelopment and upgrade.

Council is working in partnership with the community to secure the upgrade of Ringwood Station. A petition is available at Council Service Centres, as well as online at www.maroondah.vic.gov.au so that community members can demonstrate their support for the redevelopment of Ringwood Station.

In addition, I will be writing to community groups to outline how they can get involved in the campaign and assist in securing a commitment from all political parties towards the vital redevelopment of Ringwood Station.

Council will be continuing this campaign in the lead-up to the State Election and will be holding an official launch in mid October. Regular updates will be provided on the progress of this Campaign and I look forward to working with the community to advocate for a safe, accessible and integrated Ringwood Transit Interchange.

Signing the Ringwood Station Petition

Posted on by alex

The ongoing need for the redevelopment of Ringwood Station is a major priority for the Maroondah community and Council will be advocating very strongly to secure funding through the State Election in November.

The steep ramps at Ringwood Station do not meet disability compliance standards and the station itself does not provide the amenities required to encourage public transport usage.

It is critical that Council secures a commitment so that Ringwood Station is transformed into an accessible, integrated and safe transport interchange.

The Maroondah community has waited for far too long for a safe, accessible transit interchange. The current layout of the station fails disability compliance standards – meaning it is difficult to access for people with a disability, the elderly and parents with prams.

Alex Makin adding the first signature to Maroondah City Council's petition for the redevelopment and upgrade of Ringwood Station.
Alex Makin adding the first signature to Maroondah City Council's petition for the redevelopment and upgrade of Ringwood Station.

This morning Council launched a petition calling on all political parties to commit to the redevelopment and upgrade of Ringwood Station. As the Mayor of Maroondah, I had the honour of being the first to sign the petition and I look forward joining with the community as we advocate for a safe, integrated and accessible transit interchange.

Please visit www.maroondah.vic.gov.au/StationAdvocacy.aspx to complete the online petition, or visit Council’s Customer Services at Braeside Avenue, Ringwood Eastland or the Croydon Civic Centre.

Combined Meeting for Central Activities Districts

Posted on by alex

The State Government’s Planning at 5 Million Policy envisaged a network of Central Activities Districts throughout Metropolitan Melbourne, with these centres offering a range of employment, housing and community facilities.

These Central Activities Districts include:

  • Box Hill,
  • Broadmeadows,
  • Dandenong,
  • Footscray,
  • Frankston
  • and Ringwood.

While Local Government has largely supported this direction through developing masterplans to create a vision for these areas, there is a need for a State Government to assist in the implementation. This afternoon I joined the Mayors of Melbourne’s five other Central Activities District to discuss our priorities and a common approach to advocacy.

These six Central Activities Districts are required to provide a sustainable population and employment base for Metropolitan Melbourne. The ongoing cooperation between the Mayors and Councils of each Central Activities District will assist in underlining the importance of these centres to future of Melbourne.

Maroondah Disability Action Group – Meeting with the Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities, Carers and the Voluntary Sector

Posted on by alex

The Maroondah Disability Action Group was formed to provide a community based advocacy group for people with disabilities. This morning the group was addressed by Senator Mitch Fifield, the Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities, Carers and the Voluntary Sector.

The Senator discussed the Coalition’s policies for people with disabilities and carers, including the need for streamlining the provision of services between all levels of government and an emphasis on individual based care packages.

The Maroondah Disability Action Group meets on a monthly basis and includes a range of guest speakers to advocate on behalf of its members and people with disabilities.

Public meeting with Common Equity Housing Limited

Posted on by alex

Common Equity Housing Limited (CEHL) are the managers of the affordable housing development at 4-10 Larissa Avenue in Ringwood. The organisation has held a series of public meetings with prospective members of the 80 unit development and tonight’s session discussed the vision for Ringwood as a Central Activities District.

The presentation covered the plans for the transformation of Ringwood into a vibrant and accessible urban centre and also highlighted the pedestrian and cycling improvements, such as footpaths within Ringwood and the new Creek to Lake trail, which will connect Ringwood Lake with the Mullum Creek trail.

As part of the presentation I discussed the importance of public transport in providing an alternative to car dependence and to deliver sustainable forms of transport. In particular, I highlighted the need for ongoing advocacy to secure a State Government commitment for the redevelopment of Ringwood Station into a safe, accessible and integrated transport interchange.

While the State Government will shortly begin works to create a new station forecourt and bus interchange, there is a need to redevelop the station itself, given that the ramps fail disability compliance standards and the platforms lack modern passenger amenities.

Maroondah Council will be undertaking a community based advocacy campaign calling on all political parties to commit to the creation of safe, integrated and accessible transport interchange for Ringwood. It was encouraging to this vision shared by the participants at the meeting and I look forward to them joining us in Ringwood.

Maroondah Leader: Most like Council

Posted on by alex

Each year the State Government undertakes a survey measuring community satisfaction levels across each local government within Victoria. The survey, which was distributed through the State Government in February and March, asks 350 residents their thoughts on their relevant council.

The surveys measure community satisfaction across a number of different Council areas and were tabled at the July Council meeting. Council will use this information to assist in identifying areas of improvement, such as advocacy, which is an area Council needs to enhance.

One of Maroondah’s strengths is its recreational facilities, as well as health and human services, where Maroondah has consecutively scored highly as reflected through these results. The proposed new Maroondah Leisure and Aquatic Centre will further enhance the municipality’s performance in this area.

The Maroondah Leader has reported on the outcomes of the community satisfaction survey:

Mayor Alex Makin said the results for recreational facilities showed the city had a “wealth of top-class sporting and leisure opportunities”. He said he was pleased with the ratings, which generally remained unchanged, but that the council would use the feedback to prioritise resources.

One of the areas requiring improvement is advocacy and Council will be embarking on a significant campaign seeking a commitment towards the complete redevelopment of Ringwood Station in a safe, integrated and accessible transport interchange.

Give Our Streets the Green Light

Posted on by alex

Maroondah residents are being asked to sign an online petition, Give Our Streets the Green Light, to lobby the government to fund a changeover to energy-efficient street lighting.

In Maroondah the upfront costs of replacing more than 5500 mercury vapour globes currently lighting Maroondah’s streets is about $2million.

The goal is to reduce Council’s greenhouse emissions and create a sustainable and more energy-efficient future:

  • By changing all local road street lights from the mercury vapour 80W lamps to a more energy efficient lighting it would not only benefit the environment but it would save on electricity costs.
  • Council estimates that 36% of its green house gas emissions and 39% of its electricity costs are generated by street lighting,
  • Electricity is predominately generated by burning brown coal which results in significant greenhouse gases.
Alex launching Maroondah City Council's Give Our Streets the Green Light Campaign
Alex launching Maroondah City Council's Give Our Streets the Green Light Campaign

The Give Our Streets the Green Light campaign aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 78,000 tonnes over the life of the lights. That equates to about 31.2 billion black balloons or 341,917 cars off the road for a year.

Pledge your support by signing an online submission at www.greenlightourstreets.org.au or by sending a letter to your local Member of Parliament.