Tag: melbourne 2030

Delegates' Report: Community involvement through advocacy and participation

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There are several items I wish to discuss this evening:

Firstly, I would like to congratulate Enjoying Planned Retirement for their second Art and Craft Exhibition, held on the 12th of October. The exhibition, which marked the conclusion of Maroondah’s Seniors Week, attracted approximately 500 visitors and provided an opportunity to demonstrate the fun and energetic nature of Enjoying Planned Retirement. Last year’s art and craft exhibition received a grant from council and it was great to see EPR continue the exhibition for a second year.

On the 18th of October I attended the monthly Eastern Transport Coalition meeting. I’m pleased to announce that the group appointed me as Acting Chair through to the end of this year. This will allow Maroondah to strengthen its leadership role in advocating for sustainable transport in the eastern suburbs.

On the 29th of October I attended Maroondah’s forum for people with disabilities and carers. This is a quarterly forum which provides an opportunity for attendees to raise accessibility issues directly with council. The forum continues to experience strong community involvement and I would like to thank these attendees for willingly giving their time to create a more successful and accessible municipality. Community attendance at these forums does make a difference and the outcomes produced by the Maroondah Pedestrian Strategy and the Public Footpath Trading Policy, which is listed in this council agenda tonight, are testament to this.

On the 1st of November I met with Eastland Centre Management to follow up on a number of items that were discussed at the Bar None Expo that I reported on last month. It is encouraging that Eastland has already pursued recharge points for motorised mobility aids. The Recharge Program was developed in collaboration between Maroondah’s Scoot Wheel N Move Group and traders to provide facilities for motorised scooters and wheelchairs to be recharged. This improves the level of accessibility for people with motorised mobility aids. It is great to see that Eastland, as a major retailer and shopping destination, is now part of this program.

On the 13th of November I attended as council’s delegate a meeting of the Melbourne 2030 Councillor Reference Group. As part of this meeting I delivered a presentation on the Eastern Transport Coalition and an analysis of ‘Creating a City that Works’ a report commissioned by the State Government’s Commissioner for Environmental Sustainability. The presentation focused on the key areas that the ETC is pursuing, including the need for public transport improvements to enhance the liveability of Melbourne’s eastern suburbs. While it is clear that the MAV, as the peak body for local government, sees the ETC and hence Maroondah as a leader in the advocacy for sustainable transport, this an area we need to continue expanding upon particularly if we want to ensure the very best outcomes for the Ringwood Transit City and the Croydon Activity Centre.

Also on the 13th of November I attended the graduation evening of the FReeZA program at EV’s. FReeZA is a program that provides a dozen young people with the responsibility of organising, promoting and managing musical gigs and is just one of a wide array of programs supported by Council’s Youth Services team. It was great to hear each of the graduates provide an overview of their experiences of the FReeZA and particularly with the forthrightness they delivered. While the program may have been stressful at times, each of the participants certainly did learn something from being part of FReeZA and I would like to thank Youth Services for their continued dedication and support for our youth.

On the 14th of November I attended a Heatherdale Community Action Group meeting. It is pleasing to see that the Heatherdale community appreciates the ongoing work of council in regard to issues along Heatherdale Road. These issues have involved a wide cross section of council, including environmental health officers, building inspectors, planners and corporate services and I can assure this council that these efforts are definitely appreciated by the Heatherdale community.

Lastly, I was invited to officially launch Campaign Enable on the 14th of November. This campaign, which is organised by local community members and the Australian Federation of Disability Organisations, marks a turning point in advocacy with the campaign being managed, organised and conducted by people with a disability.

The campaign currently has three central aims including:

  • Financial help for people with a disability looking for work or trying to keep a job.
  • The development of a National Disability Employment Strategy.
  • The introduction of a nation wide Access to Premises Standard.

It is important to note that these issues are required to allow people with disabilities to be able to enjoy the same of level of access experienced by members of our society. Campaign Enable, is not a campaign for special treatment – it is a campaign about ensuring that everyone has equal access and inclusiveness within society.

Campaign Enable allows all people to have a voice and I look forward to the ongoing efforts of the group.

Melbourne 2030 Reference Group: 'Creating A City That Works'

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As part of today’s meeting of the Melbourne 2030 Reference Group I was invited to introduce the Eastern Transport Coalition and to discuss ‘Creating A City That Works’, a report compiled by the Commissioner for Environmental Sustainability.

The presentation provided an opportunity to discuss the aims of the Eastern Transport Coalition and its goals on improving the sustainability of Melbourne’s eastern suburbs through advocating for public transport improvements.

The report, which was released in May 2007 examined the sustainability of Melbourne and had three key findings:

  • The need for stronger coordination between planning and transport
  • The need for better coordination between roads and public transport
  • The fact that current unsustainable urban trends, such as failing to provide effective public transport, cannot continue.

Passenger vehicles contribute 56% of Australia’s transport related emissions, meaning public transport and providing an alternative to car dependence, will be a requirement for any effective strategy that aims to reduce greenhouse emissions.

The current Victorian State Government has proposed legislation that will enshrine greenhouse reduction targets, these will not be achieved unless public transport is improved. The lack of a detailed action plan and interim targets for achieving the State Government’s goal of 20% public transport modal share by 2020 is particularly concerning.

public transport modal share (source: 07-08 State Budget)

While the number of people using public transport has increased, modal share according to the 2007-2008 State Budget papers has remained around 9%. The lack of interim targets and a detailed plan to achieve these goals makes it difficult to measure its progress. While the State Government continues to support its lacklustre transport strategy, Meeting Our Transport Challenges, the Commissioner demonstrated that the patronage targets were not ‘strongly reiterated as a policy that drives MoTC [Meeting Our Transport Challenges]’

Furthermore the Commissioner stated that “The 20/2020 target needs to be supported with a series of clear intermediate steps that show how it will be achieved.”

It is clear that the State Government must revise its transport policies if it intends to truly designate public transport as a priority.

The ongoing lack of coordination between public transport, roads and planning has had serious ramifications at a local level, particularly in regard to the Ringwood Transit City. State Government support for Ringwood has been marred with uncertainty, including the current lack of commitment over the much needed upgrade of Ringwood Station and improvements for pedestrians attempting to cross Maroondah Highway.

The desire to improve pedestrian access in Ringwood, such as providing less waiting time for pedestrians across Maroondah Highway has been continually stymied due to the lack of coordination between VicRoads and the Public Transport Division of the Department of Infrastructure.

Likewise the current inadequate rail frequencies beyond Ringwood, which result in a mere half hourly service during weekdays and an even worse frequency of bus services, restricts the potential for public transport to reduce car dependence within the centre of Ringwood.

As the ward councillor for much of the transit city area, I have been insisting on improvements to sustainability, such as footpath construction with new developments and water and energy sustainability, but a commitment from the State Government is required to ensure the provision of public transport improvements.

If coordination between State Government departments was improved and if an action plan and interim targets were developed to secure the goal of increasing public transport modal share to the 20% by 2020 then a commitment to the redevelopment of Ringwood Station and other public transport improvements would have been readily provided.

The next State Budget, due in May 2008, will test the State Government’s commitment to both Ringwood and our urban sustainability.

Melbourne 2030 Audit Workshop

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This afternoon I was invited to attend a Melbourne 2030 Audit Workshop, organised by the Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) and the Melbourne 2030 Audit Expert Group.

The forum workshop provided an opportunity to gauge the views of local government in regard to the implementation and priorities of Melbourne 2030. In this regard I spoke about the need to support activity centre development through the use of infrastructure investment to help achieve the aims of Melbourne 2030.

For example, in the case of Ringwood (a nominated Transit City under Melbourne 2030) there is a need for the State Government to commit funding for the redevelopment of Ringwood Station, since this would serve as a catalyst for Ringwood’s revitalisation. Ringwood could in fact become a quick and very successful win for the State Government if this investment is provided.

Likewise, the State Government needs to provide budget certainty for activity centres, through allocating capital works funding for the infrastructure required in these areas. Urban redevelopment requires targeted investment from government to stimulate further investment and requires leadership from both local and State governments.

While Maroondah is supporting sustainable transport through the construction of footpaths with new developments in the Ringwood Transit City, this needs to be supported with the funding necessary for the redevelopment of Ringwood Station.

Given the ongoing consultation that is currently taking place, it is hoped that the State Government will act on the findings of the Melbourne 2030 Audit Expert Group and provide a genuine whole of government approach to Melbourne 2030 and its goals encouraging public transport usage and improving urban sustainability.

Media Release: Melbourne 2030 must have a public transport plan for rail

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In a submission to the State Government ETC Chairperson Cr Mick Van De Vreede has said that for Melbourne 2030 to deliver more needs to be invested in major public transport in Melbourne’s east.

Cr Van De Vreede said the central idea in Melbourne 2030, to increase housing around transport hubs, was a good one, however the idea had not been backed up by expansion of rail options in the Eastern suburbs.

“What Melbourne 2030 really needs is a plan that allows for the expansion of rail in the outer east. There are a number of major activity centres in Melbourne’s east which would significantly benefit from the expansion of heavy rail”, Cr Van De Vreede said.

Councillor Alex Makin represents Maroondah City Council on the Eastern Transport Coalition.

“Ringwood has been nominated by the State Government as a Transit City, and with the projected expansion in population, it is essential that the capacity of the Belgrave/Lilydale rail line be increased to ensure the Transit City vision becomes reality,” said Cr Makin.

“If Melbourne is to be a truly liveable city while encouraging higher density living, we need to invest now in dedicated public transport infrastructure such as heavy and light rail. We need to finish the suburbs we already have before building new ones,” Cr Van De Vreede concluded.

ALL MEDIA ENQUIRIES: ALEX MAKIN ON 0408 311 645

Transport Infrastructure for Victoria: The Challenges

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This afternoon I attended a CEDA lunch featuring a presentation from Howard Ronaldson, the Secretary of the Department of Infrastructure (DOI). The Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA) is an independent think tank, which aims to promote the economic development of Australia in a sustainable and socially balanced way.

As part of its series of topics critical to the success of Victoria, CEDA organised the lunch presentation as an opportunity to explore the infrastructure issues facing Melbourne and Victoria. As Secretary of the DOI, Howard Ronaldson, has responsibility for ports, as well as the road and rail network.

Howard’s presentation largely included content from the State Government’s Meeting Our Transport Challenges, but did discuss the need for further integration between transport and planning particularly given the goals of Melbourne 2030 in encouraging public transport usage and the development of activity centres.

After the presentation I discussed the needs of Ringwood and Maroondah directly with Howard as an opportunity to reiterate the need for State Government action over Ringwood Station, particularly given that major projects, such as the new town centre, are likely to be delayed until a commitment to the redevelopment is made.

I also discussed the need for more frequent services beyond Ringwood, given Ringwood’s status as transit city and the high proportion of trips taken between Ringwood and Croydon, as well as from further east. The Belgrave and Lilydale lines currently have just a half-hourly service beyond Ringwood from 10am to 4pm during weekdays, despite the fact that services operate on a 20 minute frequency on weekends.

Given the desire to help shift peak hour travel demand to other times of the day and that more frequent services are clearly possible, it seems absurd that the State Government has not acted to provide at least a 20 minute frequency along the Belgrave / Lilydale line during weekdays.

Hopefully, progress will be made on these issues now that they have been raised directly with the Secretary of the Department of Infrastructure.

Eastern Transport Coalition – Meeting the Minister

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This evening’s Eastern Transport Coalition (ETC) meeting included a discussion with Lynne Kosky, the Minister for Public Transport. While the chair of the ETC, Cr. Mick van de Vreede, met the Minister earlier this year, tonight’s meeting marked the first occasion where the Minister addressed the entire organisation.

Encouragingly the Minister acknowledged the current difficulties with Melbourne’s public transport system and in this regard the Minister stated that work is being undertaken to accelerate the projects listed within Meeting Our Transport Challenges. While this is welcome news the Minister did stop short of agreeing to undertake a detailed assessment of the infrastructure needs of the region., meaning that the detailed planning required to ensure the sustainability of Melbourne’s east is still sorely lacking.

I asked a question in regard to the State Government’s support for the Ringwood Transit City Project and the need for the redevelopment of Ringwood Station. The Minister replied that Ringwood is one of a number of projects supported through the Transit City initiative meaning that funding should hopefully be forthcoming. The redevelopment of Ringwood Station is critical to the success of the Transit City given that Council has invested heavily in the concept and is actively encouraging sustainable forms of transport through footpath construction with new developments. Likewise there is also a need to further improve the bus network so that public transport becomes the mode of choice within Transit Cities such as Ringwood.

While the Minister didn’t provide too many details, it was encouraging to see the establishment of dialogue between the ETC and the current Minister for Public Transport. The Eastern Transport Coalition will be pursuing a number of these issues in its submission to the Melbourne 2030 Audit. This will help ensure that these issues continue to be raised with the State Government.

Likewise the ETC will be continuing its campaign to focus on the infrastructure needs of the Eastern region, including the need for additional rail services from Ringwood. An event is scheduled for early October and will mirror the campaign that led the successful removal of zone three.

Eastern Transport Coalition: Melbourne 2030 and Canberra debrief

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Tonight’s Eastern Transport Coalition meeting provided a debriefing on the recent Canberra delegation, with the group resolving to develop a position paper to identify potential roles for Federal involvement in urban public transport.

The ETC will also issue a submission into the Melbourne 2030 audit, to highlight the current lack of integration between public transport provision within activity centres and the failure on the part of the State Government to provide much needed public transport infrastructure for Melbourne’s eastern suburbs.

Lynne Kosky, the Minister for Public Transport, has accepted an invitation to address the Eastern Transport Coalition and will be speaking at our next meeting.

Presentation on urban sustainability and transport

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This afternoon I was invited to deliver a presentation exploring the linkages between urban sustainability and public transport to the 41st Annual Geography Conference organised by the Geography Teachers Association of Victoria (GTAV).

The hour-long presentation provided a synopsis on the economic, social and environmental benefits of public transport, investigated current urban policies and examined Ringwood as a case study to demonstrate the interdependence between urban sustainability and public transport.

While the State Government appears to have neglected its goal of increasing public transport modal share to 20% by the year 2020, this target is required to mitigate rising congestion. With an annual cost of $4 billion annually, congestion is currently outpacing Melbourne’s population growth. Likewise the provision of public transport will provide transport choice to the many outer suburban households that are struggling due to rising petrol prices and the fact that private transport consumes up to 20% of budgets within these households.

The lack of public transport in Melbourne’s outer suburbs can also place non-car households at a significant disadvantage and limit the ability to participate in employment, educational, community and recreational opportunities. Similarly, obesity and health issues such as diabetes, can be symptomatic of car dependent suburbs where the potential to exercise is diminished.

In regard to environmental sustainability, transport accounts for 17% of Australia’s national greenhouse emissions and is the fastest growing sector of emissions. The figures are even more stark for individual households, where due to car dependence, transport is responsible for up to 49% of greenhouse emissions and is the largest contributing source of emissions within households.

These and other costs mean that car dependence is not sustainable and that urban sustainability cannot be achieved under current practices. While it may be claimed that excessive car usage contributes to the economy, when equating the economic, social and environmental impacts of car dependence there is an annual deficit of $16.3 billion.

Melbourne 2030, the State Government’s urban planning strategy was supposed to achieve a more sustainable future for Melbourne. While the plan identified numerous activity centres, each of which are earmarked for urban development, the public transport network that was supposed to cater to these urban centres remains underdeveloped.

This is even more apparent in the purpose-built activity centres that were initially designed to showcase the integration that was to result between transport and planning. Activity centres such as South Morang, Cranbourne East and Wyndham Vale have been denied much needed rail extensions despite their location within the rapidly developing growth corridors.

The problems experienced with Melbourne’s public transport system, such as unreliable train services, infrequent and poorly connected bus services and trams that terminate short of logical destinations can be resolved, but it requires Government will. Within Australia, Perth has proven to be an example of the improvements that can result from an integration between transport and planning and a commitment to urban sustainability. As an example, Perth recently doubled the size of its rail network, including the construction of a new 70km rail line (twice the distance of the CBD to Dandenong) and new stations are built simultaneously with urban development.

The integration that has borne results in Perth needs to be implemented in Melbourne, particularly for designated transit cities such as Ringwood. The suburb of Ringwood, located 27km east of Melbourne’s CBD, has been designated an area of higher density development but the State Government has been lacklustre in its commitment to improving public transport.

Ringwood currently suffers due to a disjointed retail precinct and transport hub which requires pedestrians to cross a six lane highway. Despite the goals of creating a sustainable community, the State Government and VicRoads have currently refused requests to make it easier to cross Maroondah Highway. Coupled with poor public transport, which includes making public transport users wait up to half an hour to travel between Ringwood and Croydon, the current culture of car dependence is exacerbated and potentially jeopardises the ability to create green open space and a new heart for Ringwood. Furthermore the lack of commitment over the redevelopment of Ringwood Station has created uncertainty for major developers resulting in unnecessary delays.

Each of these issues are interrelated, since due to poor public transport there is less open space which creates a pedestrian hostile environment and investment delays as developers wait for these issues to be rectified. While 40% of land in Melbourne used for roads and carparks, a staggering 62% of land within Ringwood is used for these purposes, leaving less land available for residential, commercial and community purposes.

While new developments, such as three storey residential buildings, are occurring the investment in public transport and hence the investor confidence in larger commercial developments is not. In particular, while residents within these new developments are encouraged to use public transport, walking and cycling as a form of travel this will not be sustainable if public transport is not improved.

Poor public transport connectivity and a lack of frequent bus services along main roads, such as Maroondah Highway, Canterbury and Wonga Roads, means that public transport usage will remain limited due to the fact that these poor levels of service fail to provide a real transport choice. The State Government must deliver significant public transport improvements to demonstrate that it is committed to creating a sustainable community within Ringwood.

The provision of sustainable transport is a key component of creating a sustainable community and increasing economic, social and environmental pressures means that action is required.

Eastern Transport Coalition June 2007 meeting

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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.

MAV Transport and Infrastructure Advisory Group – May 2007 meeting

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This month’s Transport and Infrastructure Group included presentations from the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) who discussed the Federal Government’s AusLink program and Meredith Sussex, the Coordinator General of Infrastructure, who spoke about her role within the Department of Infrastructure.

The Melbourne 2030 review process, which is expected to formally include community input in the latter half of the year will be the key testament as to how seriously the government views the need to integrate land-use planning and transport. While Melbourne 2030 and the Government’s Meeting Our Transport Challenges both claimed to provide such integration, reality has demonstrated that this is still sorely lacking.