Tag: rowville rail

Eastern Transport Coalition: Planning for the public transport summit

Posted on by alex

This evening’s Eastern Transport Coalition meeting focused on the public transport summit planned for the 4th of July. This public transport summit will focus on the infrastructure needs of Melbourne’s outer eastern suburbs and will include presentations on Doncaster rail, Rowville rail as well as Ringwood Station and the Belgrave/Lilydale lines.

While rising petrol prices have led to a reduction in vehicle usage within inner Melbourne, families in Melbourne’s outer suburbs are left struggling under the strain of rising prices due to the lack of readily available public transport.

The State Government must realise that it is time to move on from transport neglect and towards an era of major public transport expansion to provide transport choice for Melbourne’s outer suburbs. Only a significant boost to public transport will provide an alternative to rising petrol prices and reduce greenhouse emissions that are continuing to spiral out of control.

The summit includes a number of prominent transport and planning experts, including Peter Newman, Professor of Sustainability, Curtin University and Professor Graham Currie, Monash University Chair of Public Transport.

Ringwood Station and the importance of Ringwood as a regional centre will feature as one of the topics to be discussed at the summit. I will presenting information on the Ringwood Transit City and the importance of public transport in providing a safe, accessible and vibrant environment at 10:45 am.

The summit entitled ‘It’s Time to Move On’ will be held on Friday the 4th of July from 8:30 am at the Maninngham Function Centre, 699 Doncaster Road in Doncaster.

For further details please visit www.etc.org.au.

Maroondah Journal: Key lobbyist quits: lack of focus claim

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The Maroondah Journal and a number of eastern suburban papers have covered my recent resignation from the Public Transport Users Association.

A vocal member of Melbourne’s key public transport lobby group has resigned amid concerns the organisation is failing as an effective lobbyist for the eastern suburbs.

“I felt there was a lack of support from people on the committee. We really need to start making inroads into effective and efficient public transport in Melbourne’s outer suburbs this is where the focus is lacking.”

The outer east and southeastern branches have achieved a number of successes over the past few years including:

  • Knox commissioned pre-feasibility study into the Rowville rail line;
  • Manningham commissioned study into the Doncaster Road (tram 48) extension;
  • Advocacy from Maroondah City Council over upgrades to Ringwood Station;
  • Introduction of the Stud Road SmartBus, due in 2008. This will provide frequent services through to midnight between Ringwood, Knox Dandenong and Frankston;
  • Introduction of SmartBus services along Warrigal Road;
  • Improved cleanliness and repair response times at Dandenong Station;
  • A consistent level of service for bus routes across metropolitan Melbourne. These standards will provide a basis for further improvements, if continued advocacy occurs.

Even though the State Government has failed to deliver the necessary infrastructure required for Melbourne’s eastern and southeastern suburbs, a strong community voice has emerged with public transport being seen as an issue critical to the wellbeing of Melbourne’s suburbs.

“While I have resigned from the PTUA, I certainly plan on remaining active in transport advocacy and in particular focusing on the needs of middle and outer suburban residents. We really need an organisation that encompasses an emphasis on these suburbs and looks at planning and community issues.”

Local communities are best placed to advocate for the public transport improvements that affect them. Public transport advocates need to work with local communities, since Melbourne’s outer suburbs should be the frontline in public transport campaigning. If the planning for new developments and growth areas does not include the simultaneous introduction of public transport then we will always be facing a losing battle.

“Communities need to find their voice and directly advocate for much needed service improvements. Sustainable transport and public transport advocacy has been and will remain a passsion of mine.”

I intend to work with local community groups to ensure that they find their voice and are able to undertake a grassroots campaign focused on public transport improvements. An organisation that is managed from a centralised committee and limits the input of local residents will unfortunately always have a limited impact.

Media Release: Survey finds Melbourne's east want federal funding for public transport

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A survey of 1000 people commissioned by the Melbourne based Eastern Transport Coalition and conducted by the Australian Research Group has shown that a majority of voters in key eastern Melbourne Federal electorates want the Federal Government to consider funding public transport as well as roads.

ETC Chairperson, Cr Mick Van de Vreede said that congestion was a major problem in the east of Melbourne and because of major holes in the public transport network meant people often had no option.

71% of people use cars to get to work and 61% would use public transport if the option was available.

“The Federal Government can help provide that option, 62% of respondents said it was not acceptable that the Federal Government provided funding for major roads but not for public transport infrastructure.

The Federal Government currently provides billions of dollars for major road infrastructure and they refuse to see public transport as a viable alternative. The fact is however public transport can achieve the same ends, taking private cars off the roads, helping reduce greenhouse gas emission and leaving road space for freight.

Our local residents don’t want to see each level of Government blame each other, 76% believed the State and Federal Governments should share the cost for all necessary public transport infrastructure.

“n Melbourne’s east we have a number of key projects which would make Melbourne’s transport work better, we want the Federal Government to change its transport funding policies so they can be considered. The projects which would make a difference for us are;

  • Heavy Rail to Rowville,
  • Increased capacity of Belgrave, Lilydale and Dandenong Lines,
  • Heavy Rail to Doncaster,
  • Upgrades to transport Interchanges such as Ringwood Station.

“The Rowville Rail is a point in case. If it were built, 2400 cars or a freeway lane of traffic would be removed from our roads every hour.

“While the Federal Government doesn’t currently fund public transport projects, this has been recommended by the Federal parliamentary Committee on Environment and Heritage that the provision of Australian Government transport infrastructure funds include ‘provision of funding specifically for sustainable public transport infrastructure for suburbs and developments on the outer fringes of our cities.’

“The residents of Melbourne’s east clearly want the Federal Government to help improve our public transport,” Cr Van de Vreede concluded.

The sample for the survey was 1000 people in the Federal electorates within the ETC member Councils area.

Continue reading “Media Release: Survey finds Melbourne's east want federal funding for public transport”

Public Transport Users Association Outer East Branch Meeting

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The Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) Outer East Branch meets on the first Thursday of each month to discuss public transport issues relevant to outer eastern Melbourne.

The branch aims to provide a local and vocal presence representing the public transport needs of the outer eastern suburbs. Recent successes of the branch include the Ringwood to Frankston SmartBus (due in February 2008), the Knox City Council Rowville rail feasibility study and the Manningham City Council feasibility study into the Doncaster Road tram extension.

The branch meets at at the Box Hill Community Arts Centre (470 Station Street, Box Hill) from 7:00 pm and is within walking distance of Box Hill Station and the route 700 SmartBus. Attendance is open to all outer eastern residents.

Eastern Transport Coalition: Bus tour with the coordinator general of Infrastructure

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Today the Eastern Transport Coalition (ETC), provided a bus tour for Meredith Sussex, the Coordinator General of Infrastructure, to showcase the outer eastern and southeastern suburbs and to highlight areas that require greater coordination between public transport provision and land-use planning.

The tour began in Dandenong, where the City of Greater Dandenong outlined its vision for the Dandenong Transit City before proceeding to Knox where the need for the Rowville rail line, to facilitate the Stud Park Activity Centre, and the Knox tram extension were highlighted. Travelling through Bayswater the tour then proceeded into Maroondah where I explained the need for bus priority lanes along major bus routes (including Maroondah Highway and Canterbury Road), bus and rail coordination and for the further introduction of bicycle lanes to ensure adequate facilities for cyclists.

There is a need for further bus improvements, particularly along main roads such as Maroondah Highway (route 670), Canterbury Road (route 679), Wonga/Warrandyte Roads (route 364), Dorset Road (route 737) and Bayswater Road (route 664), to provide a network of frequent and readily available bus services throughout Maroondah. The addition of these routes onto the SmartBus network would complement the introduction of the long awaited Stud Road SmartBus (route 665) which is due to begin in early 2008.

The desired principal public transport network in Maroondah (click for larger version)

Map highlighting the desired principal public transport network within Maroondah. The identified bus routes need frequent and readily available services to connect Maroondah and surrounding regions to the Ringwood Transit City and the Croydon Activity Centre (view larger version of this map).

The tour included Croydon Station, to explain the need for more frequent interpeak services. Currently services are half hourly and this needs to be improved to at least a 20 minute frequency, which would provide the same level of service experienced on weekends. The Belgrave/Lilydale line is the only line where weekends are provided a more frequent service than weekdays.

At Ringwood, we provided the opportunity for Meredith to cross Maroondah Highway to demonstrate first-hand the delays and inconvenience caused to pedestrians due to lengthy delays and the minimal walking time provided at this crossing. The case to upgrade Ringwood Station into an accessible and safe transport interchange was also highlighted as this would allow the State Government to support the vision that is unfolding within the Ringwood Transit City. It is imperative that the State Government acts to reduce Maroondah Highway to four lanes once EastLink is opened to allow the creation of a pedestrian friendly town centre and to help breathe new life into the centre of Ringwood.

The tour then continued into Whitehorse and Manningham, where the need for improvements to the Box Hill Interchange and the Doncaster Road tram were explored. Through Monash the case for bus priority was detailed to prevent lengthy delays for bus travellers along Springvale Road. Several examples of poor coordination were demonstrated, particularly where the Wellington Road and Springvale Road SmartBuses missed each other.

The bus tour provided an opportunity to highlight the areas of action required by the State Government to facilitate improved sustainability within Melbourne’s outer east. It is hoped that the State Government and its Departments will act upon these requirements.

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.

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.

Maroondah Leader: Commuters the winners in two zones

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The Maroondah Leader has reported on the policy announcements delivered by the Victorian Liberal Party and the ALP to abolish zone three:

TRANSPORT costs will be slashed for outer-suburban commuters, including many Maroondah residents, whoever wins the November election.

Both the Bracks Government and Liberal Opposition last week pledged to scrap Zone 3 and switch to a two-zone system next year.

Maroondah City Council, as part of the Eastern Transport Coalition, had campaigned endlessly for the abolition of zone three.

Public Transport Users Association spokesman and Maroondah councillor Alex Makin said the news was “a victory for the outer-east community”.

“It’s something residents in conjunction with the Eastern Transport Coalition were campaigning for,” Mr Makin said. “We welcome the Opposition announcement and the carbon copy released by the Bracks Government.”

Four years ago when the Opposition pledged to abolition zone three the Bracks Government, through its Transport Minister Peter Batchelor, claimed that “capacity constraints” meant that the policy was ‘unworkable’ (Libs promise fare cuts to outer areas, The Age, Nov 7, 2002. pg. 9). Like other claims of ‘capacity constraints’ (such as being unable to deliver the South Morang rail extension or Rowville rail line), it is clear that such constraints are purely fabricated to excuse inaction.

The Opposition is to be congratulated for taking the lead on seeking to abolish one of the gross inequities that had existed in the pricing of Melbourne’s public transport system.

Stringybark Festival: Community support for better public transport

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Stringybark is a weekend-long annual community festival organised by Knox City Council and held at the Rowville Community Centre. Like previous years, the Public Transport Users Association (PTUA), like other community groups such as the Knox Environment Society (KES) and Environment Victoria (EV), held a stall at the festival to engage the community in the call for better public transport.

Alex Makin at the PTUA stall at the Stringybark Festival (October 2006)

Each year the momentum for better public transport continues to build with the PTUA focusing on the much-needed Rowville rail line and the broken promise of the tram extension to Knox. Stickers calling for the funding of the Rowville rail line were distributed as well as copies of the PTUA’s Rail for Rowville factsheet.

Fund Rowville Rail Now Sticker

With a state election due in five weeks time there has never been a better time to show your support for the Rowville rail line. Stickers can be acquired by emailing me at alex@alexmakin.com.au.

Rail for Rowville FactsheetIn addition to the stickers, the Rail for Rowville factsheet clearly states the economic feasibility of the Rowville rail line and the reasons why it is required within the next five years. While the government was keen to trumpet the Wellington SmartBus service, the fact is that only a rail line will meet the needs of residents, students and businesses by ensuring a fast and efficient public transport option.