Tag: broken promises

Active Communities = Active Advocacy : Communities for Public Transport featured at the Sustainable Living Festival

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Communities for Public Transport is unique in that it places communities first and foremost in its advocacy efforts.

Communities for Public Transport, the public transport advocacy group established to represent and empower local communities, will be featured at Melbourne’s Sustainable Living Festival on Sunday the 17th of February at 10am.

The Sustainable Living Festival, an annual event held at Federation Square, aims to showcase organisations that inspire and promote sustainable communities.

I have been invited to deliver a presentation on Communities for Public Transport with the aim of providing advice on community advocacy and to highlight the key issues facing the campaign for public transport improvements in Melbourne and Victoria.

The ongoing inaction over public transport is emerging as a key issue within metropolitan Melbourne and now is the time for local communities to speak up and demand much needed public transport improvements. Rising petrol prices are adding severe financial pressures to many households, particularly those living in the outer suburbs where public transport is not readily available.

Public transport is also required to ensure an equitable Melbourne, where people of all abilities are able to participate in society. The State Government must accelerate disability compliance works to ensure that it exceeds the required milestones established under the Federal Government’s Disability Discrimination Act of 1992

The State Government must demonstrate that it is serious about making public transport improvements a priority. Traffic congestion is creating a severe impost on the economy with severe inflationary pressures undermining Melbourne’s productivity. In addition, Victoria’s greenhouse emissions are continuing unabated due to heavy car dependence.

Local communities know the public transport improvements they require and are best placed to advocate for the public transport improvements that will provide for a sustainable future. It is time for local communities to demand action and to find their voice. Melbourne and its outer suburbs must no longer tolerate poor train reliability, infrequent buses, a lack of nearby stations, inaction over tram extensions and an ongoing list of broken promises over rail extensions.

I encourage you to attend the presentation Active Communities = Active Advocacy at 10am in the design tent at the Sustainable Living Festival, Federation Square.

ETC delegation to Canberra

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As the Maroondah representative on the Eastern Transport Coalition (ETC), I will be travelling to Canberra on the 14th and 15th August alongside John Bennie, CEO of Greater Dandenong and Mick van de Vreede, chairperson of the ETC.

This trip will involve the direct lobbying of Government and Opposition MPs to seek federal funding for public transport, as well as providing an opportunity to meet peak bodies such as the Australasian Railways Association and the Australian Local Governance Association.

Congestion, through delays in delivery schedules and opportunity costs, has been estimated to cost $2.44 billion for Melbourne’s eastern and southeastern suburbs and this car dependence contributes $3.2 billion worth of greenhouse emissions. While the State Government must not be excused for its poor performance and broken promises over public transport it is imperative that the Federal Government shows leadership in maintaining and creating sustainable communities.

The trip to Canberra is one facet of the ETC’s campaign to ensure a sustainable future for Melbourne’s eastern and southeastern suburbs.

Media Release: Report vindicates public transport campaign

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MEDIA RELEASE – Wednesday, 30 May 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE DISTRIBUTION

Report vindicates public transport campaign

The Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) has called on the Government to present a new vision for Melbourne’s public transport network amid an independent report citing concern over urban sustainability.

“The report commissioned by the independent Commissioner for Environmental Sustainability has exposed the Government’s failure to satisfactorily address Melbourne’s public transport needs,” said PTUA Vice-President Alex Makin. “It has been made quite clear that Meeting Our Transport Challenges is sorely underwhelming.”

The State Government’s Transport Strategy, dubbed Meeting Our Transport Challenges, was released in May 2006 and resulted in community disgust over the postponement of new train and tram extensions and the failure to radically improve the bus network.

“For someone who is internal to Government to paint such an honest and bleak picture clearly demonstrates how the Government has lost the plot,” said Mr. Makin. “The Government’s plan provides nothing more than overcrowded trains, slow trams and infrequent buses. Petrol prices are continuing to increase and the Minister must present a new vision for Melbourne’s public transport system.”

The PTUA has renewed calls for the Government to commence works on the Rowville rail line and the Knox tram extension and to ensure that public transport services are provided simultaneously with urban growth and urban renewal.

“The Commissioner’s report has vindicated the PTUA’s concerns over the State Government’s poor handling of public transport. We call on Minister Kosky to start afresh and work on a new vision separated from the failings, cost blowouts and broken promises of her predecessor,” concluded Mr. Makin.

ALL MEDIA ENQUIRIES: ALEX MAKIN ON 0409 136 213

– ENDS –

Maroondah Journal: Transport portfolio split a 'backward step'

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The Maroondah Journal has reported on the Government’s retrograde step to split the Transport Portfolio into separate Public Transport and Roads components:

While Peter Batchelor was unable to handle the Transport Portfolio, as evidenced by delivering little more than broken promises and empty rhetoric, the separation of the portfolio could further hamper the Government’s ability to deliver the public transport projects that are required to mitigate rising traffic congestion and provide an alternative to rising petrol prices.

The Public Transport Users Association, which last year called for Mr Batchelor to be sacked, said the portfolio split could simply make the imbalance between road and public transport planning even worse.

“The move to split the portfolio seems to be a backward step,” PTUA vice-president Alex Makin said. “One of the key criticisms was the lack of integration between road and public transport planning, and this could worsen under the change.”

While it is encouraging that Peter Batchelor has been replaced by Lynne Kosky, Melbourne cannot afford continued inaction and delays to much needed public transport projects.

Lynne Kosky, as the new Minister for Public Transport, must commit to delivering the broken promises, such as the Knox tram extension, the Rowville rail line, the South Morang and Merna rail extensions and other projects such as the Doncaster tram extension and much upgrades to Ringwood Station, which were all left unfunded and forgotten by her predecessor.

Eastern Transport Coalition: Planning the agenda for 2007

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A strategic planning session to manage next year’s activities was conducted for tonight’s Eastern Transport Coalition meeting, which marked the final meeting for 2006.

The Eastern Transport Coalition has had considerable success this year, with the council advocacy body being able to secure the abolition of zone three and improvements to bus services. These successes provide a powerful foundation for the ETC to continue achieving results for next year and beyond.

The substantial focus for next year will be the federal funding of public transport and to utilise the five year of Melbourne 2030 to ensure a holistic to transport and land use planning. While there is a need for federal public transport funding this will not be at the expense of allowing the State Government to avoid responsibility for its own inaction.

In fact federal funding of public transport through tied matching funding would allow the Federal Government to hold the State Government into action through ensuring that the State Government delivers on its own promises.

I am certain that the ETC will continue to achieve success as we enter 2007.

MAV Transport and Infrastructure Advisory Group

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The MAV Transport and Infrastructure Group is focusing on three areas for 2007:

  • Federal funding for Transport;
  • Freight and rail infrastructure;
  • Infrastructure issues related to growth.

Working groups have been established to focus on each of the specific issues and I am within the Federal funding for transport group.

The MAV Transport and Infrastructure Advisory Group and each of the separate working groups will continue to meet throughout 2007 to ensure progress on the issues discussed.

Herald-Sun: Tram, train, bus tangle

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The Herald-Sun has reported on the confusion that will ensue due to service cutbacks on public transport over most of January:

The annual Christmas present from public transport operators will include slashed train, tram and bus services for at least six weeks until mid-January.

Unfortunately the persistence of the summer timetable has demonstrated the continued failure of the State Government to operate a public transport system that reflects modern needs. In particular many students, who are on holidays over January, require reliable and frequent public transport to ensure access to employment and recreation.

But the Public Transport Users Association has attacked operators and the Government for again reducing the number of services over Christmas.

“There is no basis today for the continuation of the summer timetable, particularly one that is so drastically reduced,” vice-president Alex Makin said.

“The bureaucrats aren’t keeping up with modern trends and they’re not challenging the system to reflect modern needs. Particularly with flexible working hours, Melbourne does try to function as a 24-hour city.”

Like in previous years there has been a failure to properly integrate the service cutbacks to ensure that the modified train, tram and bus services have at the very least a consistent a start and finishing date. This lack of coordination demonstrates once again the failure to view public transport as part of an integrated network.

With bus contracts to be reviewed in 2007 there is an opportunity to ensure consistency across the bus network. In particular the former National bus routes (which includes bus routes in Manningham, Maroondah and Whitehorse), operate on a completely separate to the rest of the bus network resulting in the poor integration that is rife throughout metropolitan Melbourne.

Final PTUA committee meeting for 2006

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The Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) has achieved a number of successes in 2006 such as ensuring that public transport was seen as a key state election issue. The final committee meeting for the year provided the opportunity to reflect on these accomplishments while ensuring that a sold foundation is established for 2007.

In particular residents of Melbourne’s eastern suburbs made their voices heard in the November State Election with the government losing six outer eastern seats. The tight contests in a number of seats, such as Kilsyth and Ferntree Gully, clearly demonstrated the importance of public transport as an election issue.

In fact the government may have been able to such these seats had promises, such as the Knox tram, the Rowville rail line and service improvements along the Belgrave and Lilydale lines, been honoured by the and not simply forgotten by the now former MPs.

The PTUA was pleased with the discussions held with a number of candidates and newly elected MPs and we will continue this dialogue to ensure that these new MPs honour their commitment to public transport issues.

Melbourne’s southeast is also finding its voice on public transport issues with regular meeting at Springvale for what is currently a south-eastern sub-branch. In 2007 steps must be taken to formalise a southeastern branch and ensure that these residents in these areas have the same opportunity as Melbourne’s east in demanding public transport improvements.

The work of branches must be commended as they directly contributed to the PTUA’s successful lobbying efforts in the lead up to the State Election. This momentum however must not stop as it needs to continue throughout the four years to ensure that more than just rhetoric is delivered.

Eastern Transport Coalition: Integrating Transport and Planning

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Tonight’s Eastern Transport Coalition meeting featured a presentation from Associate Professor of Environment of Planning, Michael Buxton of RMIT University.

Professor Buxton urged the Eastern Transport Coalition to view the Melbourne 2030 five year audit as an opportunity to push for truly integrated transport and land-use planning. Melbourne 2030, while containing sound theory, has been largely flawed in implementation due to the State Government failing to provide the necessary public transport and community infrastructure required to mitigate traffic congestion and improve environmental quality.

Furthermore Melbourne is vastly becoming home to very different cities, with a vibrant and diverse inner city area and sprawling middle and outer suburbs that lack necessary transport and community infrastructure.

Unfortunately the Government seems intent to continue its poor record of public transport projects with no rail or tram extensions being forecast for the next ten years. Furthermore while $7.2 billion was spent on major roads over the past seven years, just half on the $10.5 billion promised by the Government’s Transport and Liveability Statement (known as Meeting Our Transport Challenges) will actually be allocated towards public transport.

Melbourne 2030 and Meeting Our Transport Challenges have failed since they lack cross-sectoral integration between land use planning and transport. Furthermore the Department of Treasury and Finance (which controls the budget process) has refused to sign off on the goals of Melbourne 2030, including the goal of increasing public transport modal share to 20% by the year 2020.

As a classic example of the failure with Melbourne 2030, Ringwood, despite being designated a Transit City, is still without a firm commitment towards the desperately needed redevelopment of Ringwood Station.

The Eastern Transport Coalition, as a regional council grouping that includes almost one million residents, has a great opportunity to call for public transport improvements and a coordinated State Government approach on behalf of residents.

Delegates' Report: Community Partnerships in Removing Zone Three

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Tonight I will be reporting on the Eastern Transport Coalition meeting held on the 19th of October and the outcome of our ‘fair fares’ campaign.

The Eastern Transport Coalition’s campaign in seeking the abolition of zone three was obviously a success with both major parties; first the Victorian Liberal Party and then copied by the ALP to commit to the remove the inequitable existence of zone three fares.

This campaign and this wonderful outcome was only possible due to the support of the wider community. I am pleased to say that the survey results at Heatherdale undertaken by Maroondah City Council, received one of the highest level of responses.

I’ll table the analysis from the Eastern Transport Coalition but over 60% of people chose Heatherdale Station simple due to the cheaper zone two fare.

ETC survey results for Heatherdale Station
Securing the commitment from the State political parties to abolish zone three demonstrates the success that can occur when council’s work both together with other like-minded councils and with the community.

The successful outcome of this campaign was due to each and every person that responded to the Eastern Transport Coalition’s survey, the advocacy of Maroondah City Council and the strong partnership that has been established with the eastern council’s through the Eastern Transport Coalition.

This outcome demonstrates the strength and power of advocacy when councils work together with the community to ensure positive outcomes. I would like to thank everyone that completed the survey and did their bit to remove zone three.

To any sceptics out there, it is worth remembering that there was a time when people said zone three would never be removed. Proactive partnerships with the community, councils and the region ensured that zone three will soon be history.