Tag: bus services

Delegates' Report: Advocating for public transport improvements and an update on the Ringwood Spiders

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On the 18th of June and the 16th of July I attended the Eastern Transport Coalition, as Maroondah’s delegate to the committee. The Eastern Transport Coalition is a regional body, that consists of Melbourne’s seven outer eastern councils and this includes the City of Maroondah.

One of the priorities for the group is to engage with the wider community and provide advocacy for the needed public transport improvements within the region. As part of this program, the Eastern Transport Coalition will be launching a regional petition, which will be circulated throughout the member councils and the wider community.

The Petition will be launched tomorrow and I would like to thank our Mayor for confirming his attendance at this important event.

The petition is calling for much needed public transport infrastructure improvements and has six key requests including several which are relevant to Maroondah:

  • A full and public feasibility study for an increase in capacity on the Belgrave/Lilydale and Glen Waverley lines,
  • Improved facilities for passengers, particularly at interchanges located in central activity districts – Ringwood, Dandenong and Box Hill,
  • Fully accessible public transport facilities and vehicles

Among those requests is the need for the redevelopment of Ringwood Station into a safe, accessible and integrated transport interchange, recognising the regional importance of Ringwood to Melbourne’s outer eastern suburbs.

On the 22nd of June I attended the second series of workshops for the review of Maroondah’s bus network. These workshops are an initiative of the State Government and aim to make recommendations to improve the configuration of bus routes, their frequencies and service spans.

It is encouraging that the network recommended for Maroondah consists of largely positive proposals, including the need for more direct and frequent services. While the final report still needs to be prepared, it was somewhat disappointing that details were vague in regard to the implementation of the recommendations.

This is an issue the Eastern Transport Coalition will be following in coming months to call on the Government to commit to the timely implementation of the bus route reviews, particularly since parts of the reviews conducted in other regions of Melbourne have already received commitments.

On the 28th of June I attended the Ringwood Spiders Home Game against Parkside. The Ringwood Spiders are a football club for people with disabilities and is supported by the Ringwood Football Club at Jubilee Park. The game coincided with the Ringwood Spiders Sponsorship Day Afternoon and it was great to see the team playing some of its best football all year.

The Spiders had a tremendous victory against their competition and the development of the team over the season was clearly evident. What is always amazing about the Spiders is their focus on providing a sense of community and opportunities. This was reinforced by the player who was awarded the Best Player of the Match and who spoke about what the Spiders meant to him and how it helped him realise his potential.

The Ringwood Spiders now sit at the top of the division ladder and are playing their next home game on Sunday the 26th of July from 11am at Jubilee Park in Ringwood.

Maroondah Journal: No rail cash – funding uncertainty for station upgrade

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One of the most important community issues within Maroondah is the much needed redevelopment of Ringwood Station. The station fails disability compliance standards and is perceived to be unsafe by the wider community.

While the State Government has committed $39 million over four years to redevelop the Station forecourt and bus interchange, the current funding omits any works to the station itself.

The Maroondah Journal has reported on the ongoing uncertainty surrounding Ringwood due to the lack of a full funding commitment towards Ringwood Station.

Cr Alex Makin said the station’s update was a critical part of the Ringwood Central Activity District Project. He described the station as an eyesore and in urgent need of attention.

Ringwood has been designated as Central Activity District by the State Government, meaning it is supposed to be a priority for urban revitalisation and transport projects.

“The upgrade is required to ensure an accessible and safe means of public transport for the community. It fails in regard to safety requirements and fails disability standards thus preventing people with a disability from using the station.”

Ringwood Station currently fails disability standards, as designed by the Commonwealth Government’s Disability Discrimination Act of 1992, which established guidelines for the width and gradients of ramps and accessways.

This means that efforts to encourage sustainable transport and inclusiveness within Ringwood are hampered due to the fact that Ringwood Station does not meet these standards.

Cr Makin said Ringwood was one of the busiest stations outside Melbourne’s CBD, adding that there was “all the more reason for it to be upgraded.”

Ringwood is a major transport hub of regional significance within Melbourne’s eastern suburbs. The station serves as the junction of the Belgave and Lilydale lines and provides access to the community facilities within Ringwood.

The full redevelopment of Ringwood Station is needed to ensure that the vision of a vibrant future for Ringwood can succeed.

Review of Bus Services – Second Community Workshop

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The State Government is undertaking a series of bus service reviews across Metropolitan Melbourne and is currently reviewing services within Maroondah, Knox and the Yarra Ranges.

These reviews consist of two community workshops, the first which was held back in February and provided an opportunity for participants to raise their concerns. Issues that were discussed included the need for additional routes to cover gaps in network coverage, as well as the need for more frequent and longer running services.

Tonight’s workshop provided an opportunity to respond to the first draft of recommendations that will be made into the bus network covering Maroondah, Knox and the Shire of Yarra Ranges.

The recommendations were largely positive and included a number of improvements from the written submission I made to the bus review process.

These improvements included a proposed new bus service along Canterbury Road from Camberwell through to Ringwood, a new bus service along Mount Dandenong Road providing accessible and direct access to Karralyka and Maroondah Hospital and improving the directness of routes to make it easier for people to use public transport.

Unfortunately, there was an omission of new services for the Warranwood area and some of the changes for Ringwood North, which included a telebus service operating in a loop to Ringwood Station needs further refinement to provide better connectivity and to ensure quick travel times.

In addition, there was a lack of detail over service frequency and operating span improvements, although there was the recognition that more frequent services were required particularly along main roads such as Maroondah Highway.

Overall the recommendations were largely positive, although these initiatives will only come to fruition if government funding is forthcoming.

The review of bus services has been a positive initiative and it would be a shame if funding was not made available to use this opportunity and demonstrate a serious commitment to providing fast, frequent and readily available bus services across Melbourne and its outer suburbs.

Maroondah Combined Probus Club

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Probus Clubs, which are initiated through the support of a local Rotary club, provides an organisation for retired or semi-retired community members.

The Maroondah Combined Probus Club is one of the largest within the municipality and meets at the Ringwood RSL. The club organises a range of speakers to cater to the diverse interests of its members.

This morning I was invited to speak to the Combined Probus Club members to discuss the vision for Ringwood, as well as the need for public transport improvements.

I discussed the plans for the redevelopment of Eastland, which will result in the creation of a new town square and park, to assist in restoring a sense of community into Ringwood. I also spoke about the current plans for the Ringwood Station and the need for further funding so that the station itself can be redeveloped into an accessible, safe and integrated transport facility.

While work is expected to commence on the station forecourt and bus interchange during the course of next year, there is still need for a State Government commitment to redevelop the station itself. Ringwood Station currently fails disability compliance standards and as a result the station is not accessible and is in fact avoided by many people in our community.

The redevelopment of Eastland is also expected to commence next year and I spoke about the transformation of Ringwood into a vibrant urban centre. While this development will bring positive changes to Ringwood, there is a need to ensure that community facilities are enhanced to meet the growing needs of our municipality.

I have requested that council undertake a management plan for Jubilee Park so that we can develop a vision and strategy for the sporting clubs within the municipality. Likewise, there is a need for similar strategies in regard to community space, cultural facilities and green open space.

The town centre within the middle of Ringwood will be complemented by a park and play equipment in Nelson Street, providing additional open space for the community and catering to the young families that are moving into Ringwood.

Public transport improvements, such as the Ringwood to Frankston SmartBus have enhanced the mobility of our community and I discussed the need for further improvements to provide transport choice for our residents.

More frequent, accessible and readily available public transport services will provide our community with alternatives to car travel and I congratulated the Probus Club for its strong interest in public transport and attendance at the bus review workshops that were held in February.

Announcement of the Second Local Area Bus Review Workshops

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The Department of Transport has announced a series of second workshops in regard to the review of bus services within the Cities of Knox, Maroondah and the Shire of Yarra Ranges.

The second series of workshops aims to seek community feedback on the draft bus service improvement plan, which has been developed following the workshop consultations in February and March.

The agenda is as follows:

  • Report-back on the responses received from the stakeholder and community input received
  • Presentation of the revised bus services plan
  • Input from participants to determine the prioritisation of proposed changes

While workshops are scheduled throughout the region, a session will be held in Ringwood on Monday the 22nd of June from 6:30 to 9:30 pm.

These workshops provide an opportunity for the Maroondah community to discuss the need for improved services. I strongly recommend that Maroondah residents attend to ensure that their concerns are heard by the State Government.

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”

Delegates' Report: advocacy, fundraising and annual general meetings

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Firstly, I would like to report that the Maroondah Partners in Health, Safety and Wellbeing Committee has been reconvened for this year and held its first meeting on the 17th of February.

The primary objective for this year is to oversee the development of Council’s new Wellbeing Plan, which will guide Maroondah’s approach to health, safety and wellbeing initiatives within the municipality. The committee involves a broad cross section of organisations and is well positioned to provide this input.

On the 19th of February I attended a forum on bus services, convened as part of the State Government’s review into bus routes across Metropolitan Melbourne. It is encouraging that the Government is investigating bus routes within Maroondah as there is a need for more frequent bus services and better connectivity across the network. The government has called for public submissions and has extended the deadline for submissions until the 3rd of April. A second workshop will be scheduled for later this year.

I attended two annual general meetings over the past month, including Maroondah Homebiz on the 3rd of March where it is encouraging to see the organisation continuing to strongly represent the growing numbers of small and homebusiness owners within Maroondah. I also attended the Croydon Conservation’s Society AGM on the 12th of March. The organisation is enthusiastically entering its 45th year and maintained a budget surplus over the past twelve months.

Lastly, I participated in a fundraiser for the bushfire appeal through the Rotary Club of Ringwood on the 20th of February, collecting coin donations at the Maroondah Highway and Mount Dandenong Road intersection. I am pleased to say that Rotary raised in excess of $10,000 and would like to thank our community for giving so generously.

Submission – Maroondah bus service reviews

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The State Government is currently reviewing bus services across Maroondah, Knox and the Shire of Yarra Ranges and has called for submissions into the bus network within these municipalities.

The initial deadline for submissions was Friday the 27th of February but this has now been extended until Friday the 3rd of April, since several workshops within the Yarra Ranges have needed to be rescheduled due to the bushfires.

I have completed a submission in regard to bus services within Maroondah, focusing on the need to rectify gaps in coverage, as well as increased frequencies and operating spans.

The City of Maroondah, with a residential population of approximately 100,000 residents, is located in Melbourne’s outer east, 25 kilometres east of the Melbourne CBD.

The City of Maroondah includes the activity centres of Ringwood and Croydon, with Ringwood identified as a Transit City and Central Activity District. State Government planning and transport policies have acknowledged the need for public transport to underpin the designated Central Activity Districts.

Accessibility is of critical importance within Maroondah, since the municipality has one of the highest proportions of people with a disability. As such infrastructure, in the form of bus stops and vehicles need to be accessible so that they can be used by people with a range of mobility aids and disabilities.

Likewise service levels need to be of a standard that does not restrict the mobility of people that are reliant on public transport services and takes into account the urban revitalisation that is being encouraged within Ringwood and Croydon.

Specially, the submission calls for a new bus route along Canterbury Road from Ringwood to Box Hill, and a new route along Mount Dandenong Road providing a direct connection between Ringwood, the Karralyka Centre, Maroondah Hospital and the associated medical precinct.

In addition there is a need for localised services through Warranwood, where houses reside beyond reasonable walking distance to bus services.

The success of the Ringwood to Frankston SmartBus, where patronage has increased by up to 80% due to increased frequencies and service spans, demonstrates that public transport will be utilised if services are direct, frequent, readily available and accessible.

Bus services that travel along Maroondah’s main roads, should have a level of service comparable to the SmartBus network to deliver a comprehensive public transport system within Maroondah.

Lastly there is need for comprehensive bus route reform to ensure that Maroondah’s main thoroughfares are serviced by frequent public transport routes. Localised services could operate in residential areas and connect to these main routes. Such reform will provide efficiency savings on the bus network and will also lessen confusion over bus routes and minimise travel times.

To view the full report, please read my submission made to the bus services review for Maroondah.

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.