Tag: transport improvements

Eastern Transport Coalition – Final Meeting as Maroondah’s delegate

Posted on by alex

The Eastern Transport Coalition (ETC) is a Council based advocacy group seeking to improve public transport within the outer eastern suburbs of Melbourne. Member councils include the City of Maroondah, the City of Greater Dandenong, City of Knox, City of Manningham, City of Monash, City of Whitehorse and the Shire of Yarra Ranges.

Each year councils determine the Councillor representation on committees. While I had been Maroondah’s representative on the ETC since being elected in 2006, I felt it was now time to provide another Councillor with the opportunity to represent Maroondah on this committee to expand the knowledge and expertise on public transport issues within Council.

As a result, I’m pleased to announce that Cr. Michael Macdonald will now be Maroondah’s representative on the Eastern Transport Coalition. Michael has expressed an interest in public transport issues and it is great to see that the need for public transport improvements is recognised within Council.

I attended tonight’s meeting to assist with introducing Michael to the group and to provide some background on the priorities of the Eastern Transport Coalition. I am confident that Michael will be a great asset to the ETC and public transport advocacy.

Despite no longer being on the Eastern Transport Coalition I will continue to advocate for public transport improvements. As Mayor I have refused the mayoral car and will be continuing to use public transport to attend council and community commitments. Furthermore I will continue advocating for improvements to bus and train services as well as the much needed redevelopment of Ringwood Station.

2010 promises to be an exciting year for the Eastern Transport Coalition and I look forward to Michael’s involvement in the committee, as well as Maroondah’s continued advocacy for public transport improvements.

Maroondah Leader: Going public

Posted on by alex

One of my first acts as the Mayor of Maroondah was to refuse the mayoral car.

I have been undertaking my council duties utilising a range of transport options, including public transport and walking. I believe it is imperative that we continue to encourage the use of sustainable forms of transport.

The Maroondah Leader has reported the decision to refuse the mayoral car:

Maroondah’s new mayor has vowed to ditch the mayoral car and use public transport instead.

“I’ll be taking the train and the bus and we’re going to have the mayoral Metcard, or the mayoral Myki depending as to when they introduce it.” Cr Makin said. “Given that I am a resident in the centre an area where we are encouraging people to use sustainable forms of transport, I want to lead by example.”

The usage and provision of public transport is vital to transformation of Ringwood into a vibrant, accessible and sustainable urban centre. The usage of public transport must be encouraged to enhance the mobility of Maroondah, through mitigating traffic congestion and improving social inclusiveness.

Cr Makin said he had not driven for years but got around his ward and performed his council duties successfully using public transport and walking.

While the centres of Ringwood and Croydon are relatively well-served by public transport, there is a need for further improvements to bus services to provide an alternative to driving to stations, as well as more frequent rail services during off-peak times.

Maroondah’s first Generation X mayor, aged 29, said he would focus on the environment and social inclusion. He invited constituents to contact him on Twitter, Facebook, his website or the phone.

As a council it is imperative that we are open to input and provide a range of methods to encourage discussion with our community. The Internet provides new methods of encouraging community participation and we should be at the forefront of using these tools to encourage dialogue and discussion.

As the mayor I will be continuing to regularly update my blog, as well as posting updates on Facebook and Twitter. I encourage members of the community to contact me so that we can continue making a difference in Maroondah.

In his inaugural speech on December 2, Cr Makin said the recent burning of the Ringwood Miners’ Cottage should prompt a public discussion on values to create “a civic pride that collectively demonstrates that such malicious destruction will not be tolerated”.

As a municipality it is imperative that we discuss the values shared by our community and work to reduce apathy and encourage civic participation. Acts like the destruction of the Miners Cottage should not be tolerated or accepted by our community and we need to create pride within our community to prevent such acts from occurring.

Cr Makin named priorities as the central Ringwood redevelopment, more venues for community organisations and access for people with disabilities.

The redevelopment of Ringwood provides a once in a generational opportunity to ensure that we get things right for Ringwood and to create an inclusive, accessible and sustainable urban centre. Pivotal to this will be the creation of community space where we can ensure that organisations can meet the needs of our community.

I hope that over the course of the next year I and my council colleagues will be able to achieve these goals.

Please continue visiting my website or follow me on Facebook and Twitter to discuss your visions for the City of Maroondah.

Eastern FM – Interview with the Mayor

Posted on by alex

My first official Mayoral duty was an interview with Eastern FM at their studios based at the Wyreena Arts Centre.

Eastern FM broadcasts on 98.1 FM and has a monthly radio segment scheduled for the first Friday of month, where interviews are conducted with one of the Councillors.  As the newly elected Mayor I was invited to attend the the December interview and to discuss my vision for the oncoming year.

Topics included the need to encourage community participation, through a conversation of the values shared by the Maroondah community.   Council has already begun working towards this through the Maroondah Community Wellbeing Plan but there is a need to keep the community engaged in this discussion.

I also spoke about the need for further work on Ringwood Station to ensure an accessible and integrated transport interchange that encourages sustainable forms of transport and serves as the catalyst for the transformation of Ringwood.

As the Mayor I will not be using the Mayoral Car so as to demonstrate that public transport is a viable form within our municipality.   While further public transport improvements, such as more frequent buses and train services, are required to further encourage sustainable transport within Maroondah, I believe I will be able to undertake  my Mayoral duties using public transport.

As the Mayor of Maroondah I welcome community discussion and debate.  Please contact me on alex.makin@maroondah.vic.gov.au if you would like to discuss life within the City of Maroondah.

2009 Maroondah Festival

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The Maroondah Festival is an annual event, which showcases the many community organisations within the municipality. The Festival attracts approximately 30,000 attendees and is now celebrating its 20th year.

This year the Festival moved from February to November and was relocated to Town Park, which provides shade for its many attendees and stallholders. The new-look Festival received positive feedback from attendees and community organisations alike. While the weather was in the mid 30s the shade provided by Town Park did provide a more pleasant environment than previous years.

A recharge point was available for people with motorised mobility aids to provide an accessible environment that could be enjoyed by all people within our community.

Alex signing the Eastern Transport Coalitions Monster Petition
Alex signing the Eastern Transport Coalition's Monster Petition

The Festival also included the Eastern Transport Coalition’s Monster Petition, calling on the State Government to deliver much needed public transport improvements, including the redevelopment of Ringwood Station.

I signed the petition at the Festival and encouraged members of the community to support the aims of the Eastern Transport Coalition and its call for public transport improvements.

The 2010 Maroondah Festival will be held on Sunday the 14th of November.

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

Posted on by alex

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.

The Climate Project – Australia

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The Climate Project is a not-for-profit organisation founded by former Vice President Al Gore. The project aims to train volunteers to deliver presentations on Climate Change and the need for an environmentally sustainable future.

This evening The Climate Project was officially launched under the auspice of the Australian Conservation Foundation through a dinner at the National Gallery of Victoria. Al Gore spoke about the need for political will to ensure that governments commit to greenhouse reduction targets and support global initiatives to mitigate dangerous climate change.

While there is understandably a focus on the Federal Government and the need to commit to greenhouse reduction targets, it is worth recognising that all levels of government have a role in promoting environmental sustainability.

As an example, State Governments, have a key role in providing public transport improvements, which will help reduce greenhouse emissions in the transport sector, the fastest growing source of emissions. At a local government level, councils including Maroondah, have established greenhouse reduction targets and are providing workshops on sustainability, as well as grants to community organisations to implement water and energy sustainability initiatives.

In a country like Australia, that has three levels of government, issues like climate change need to be viewed holistically so that all levels work cooperatively to improve our environmental sustainability. Organisations like The Climate Project should assist in conveying the need for a cooperative and strong approach across our three levels of government so that we can work together to mitigate climate change.

Eastern Transport Coalition – Bus reviews and transport priorities

Posted on by alex

The Eastern Transport Coalition, as a regional body consisting of Melbourne’s seven outer eastern councils provides the opportunity to advocate for better public transport across Melbourne’s eastern suburbs.

Tonight’s meeting discussed the bus service review process, with the second round of workshops being announced. These workshops will provide an opportunity for the community to respond to proposals that will be considered by the State Government and the Department of Transport.

It is imperative that the this process leads to better bus services within Melbourne’s outer east and the State Government must provide funding to ensure that the recommendations are implemented.

In this regard, the Eastern Transport Coalition is calling on Members of Parliament to undertake an inquiry into public transport to ensure that it meets the needs of our community and to provide economic, social and environmental sustainability for Melbourne.

Given the regional importance of Ringwood, the redevelopment of Ringwood Station is one of the priorities for the group. Ringwood Station must become an accessible and integrated transport interchange to ensure that it is usable by all members of our community.

The Eastern Transport Coalition will be planning several events throughout this year to demonstrate the need for public transport improvements.

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.

EV's Young Leaders Program – discussing being a Councillor

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The Young Leader’s program, is a week-long course designed for selected Year 10 school students that attend schools within Maroondah.

Teachers are invited to select students that have leadership potential, with the program designed to improve confidence, listening and teambuilding skills

This year the program is being extended to provide an ongoing program designed to allow the participants to put their skills to practical use within the community.

As one of the younger Councillors elected onto Maroondah City Council, I was invited to speak to the course participants and discuss what the role entails and my involvement within the community.

I spoke about the challenges facing council and the need to improve environmental sustainability, as well as my involvement in public transport advocacy.

The need for public transport improvements was widely recognised by the students, with many of them keen to become involved in a project that works towards achieving improvements towards public transport within Maroondah.

At the conclusion of the program, the participants will be invited to attend a follow-up session which aims to create positive social change through a project chosen by the students.

2009-2010 State Budget Breakfast

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This morning I attended the 2009-2010 State Government’s budget breakfast, hosted by the James Merlino, Member for Monbulk and the Minister for Sports, Recreation and Youth Affairs, as well as Tammy Lobato the Member for Gembrook.

The breakfast included a presentation from the Treasurer John Lenders, who spoke about the challenges facing Victoria in coming years and the initiatives announced within the Budget.

The State Government has announced and budgeted for the $39 million redevelopment of the Ringwood Station forecourt and bus interchange. Unfortunately the State Government has not been forthcoming with funding for the second stage of this project, which would presumably include the redevelopment of the station itself, so that it would comply with disability compliance and provide passenger conveniences on the main platforms.

While the first stage of the project will certainly assist in improving the image of Ringwood Station, it is imperative that the State Government promptly provides funding for the second stage.

Several public transport improvements are expected over the next year, including further bus improvements and additional trains. It is hoped that this Budget marks the beginning of a real emphasis on public transport to mitigate traffic congestion and provide a sustainable and accessible form of travel.