N e w s www.ptua.org.au ISSN 0817 – 0347 Volume 30 No. 4 October 2006 State election looms: Parties challenged on transport Going into the state election, the PTUA is (including duplication of single track and challenging the major political parties to commit to signalling upgrades where this is necessary) funding real solutions to Melbourne and Victoria’s • transport problems. Upgrades to regional town bus services in line with those taking place in Melbourne: routes to With endemic traffic congestion and pollution, and operate 7 days a week into the evening (despite a brief respite recently) petrol prices set to • continue to climb, it is time to offer more people a Genuine priority for bus and tram services to genuine alternative to driving. ensure these vehicles are not delayed by heavy traffic Key commitments must include: • Commence removal of level crossings, • Reform of the Planning and Transport beginning with those worst affected by high Ministries to overhaul the management culture train frequencies, tram/train crossings and buses and ensure a holistic view of land-use planning held up in traffic and transport issues, to ensure the best “triple- bottom-line” (environmental, social, economic) The PTUA was highly critical of the government’s outcomes Meeting Our Transport Challenges document when it was released in May, because for all the money • Redesign of the bus system into a co-ordinated, being spent, very little is going towards getting direct, frequent, easy-to-understand network people out of their cars and onto public transport. that genuinely complements the train and tram With a few trivial exceptions, there is no systems in providing all of Melbourne with commitment to any the urgent priorities listed transport choices above. • Commitments to build rail extensions into Now is the chance for the government, opposition suburban areas that desperately need them now: and minor parties to commit to the types of South Morang, Doncaster, Rowville, and upgrades that will cut car use, and give more electrification to Baxter, Sunbury and Victorians real transport choices. Cranbourne East With this issue is a sticker you can display to show • Relatively cheap extensions to the tram network your support for better public transport. And see so that routes terminate in logical locations: inside for more information on our campaigning Route 48 to Doncaster; Route 75 to Knox City; leading up to the state election. Route 57 to East Keilor; Routes 3, 5, 6 and 67 For more details of the PTUA’s short-term transport to their local railway stations priorities: • New stations to better serve suburbs and traffic www.ptua.org.au/publications/fiveyearplan generators close to existing rail services: Southland, Lyndhurst, Coolaroo, Campbellfield and North Eltham PTUA celebrates 30 years • Upgrades to service frequency to provide more of Melbourne with services at least every 15 – See pages 4-5 minutes, 7 days a week, including evenings PTUA News – October 2006 – Page 1 Keeping in touch… Committee Daniel Bowen – President, Newsletter – [email protected] PTUA office Alex Makin – Vice President, and Convenor, Outer East branch 247 Flinders Lane, Melbourne Anthony Morton – Secretary – [email protected] Telephone (03) 9650 7898 Kerryn Wilmot – Treasurer – [email protected] e-mail: [email protected] Paul Westcott – Convenor, Geelong branch – [email protected] Phil Bourke Membership Enquiries Michael Graves Call or e-mail the office (see above) Mark Johnson Tim Long PTUA members can obtain cheap yearly Jeremy Lunn Metcards – see Anthony Pitt www.ptua.org.au/members/offers David Robertson Tim Petersen Internet Chris Trikilis Our web site is at www.ptua.org.au All committee members can be emailed at the addresses given above, The PTUA runs email lists for member or by the format: [email protected] discussions, and to stay up to date with Committee Meetings PTUA events, and view archived newsletters online: Meetings are on the second Thursday of each month. Members are www.ptua.org.au/members/resources welcome to observe. Please call or e-mail the office for details. Events End of Suburbia in Manningham The PTUA is hosting another screening of the documentary ‘The End of Suburbia’ about the end of the age of cheap oil. Wednesday October 18th, 7pm Manningham Conference Centre 699 Doncaster Road, Doncaster Join thousands of other Australians in a peaceful walk urging action on climate change. Forum: Which political party is the most PT-friendly? Motor vehicles are among the largest and fastest growing sources of greenhouse emissions. Demand Monday October 23rd, 7:30 pm better public transport from our governments. Knox Civic Centre 511 Burwood Highway, Wantirna South Date: Saturday, 4th November 2006 Peak Oil – Imposed by Nature, Frankston Start: 1pm, Melbourne Town Hall This film sets out to explain the peak oil phenomenon, End: 3pm, Birrarung Marr giving an approximate date for the Peak and it draws up Bring: Family, friends, kids, bikes, placards and happy lines of possible consequences for Mankind as well. faces ready for a fun afternoon. Presented by PTUA in association with Environment Info: www.walkagainstwarming.org Victoria and Friends of Frankston Thursday October 26th, 7:30pm Samuel Sherlock Hall, Quality Street, Frankston (Melway 100A E8) More coming up Keep an eye on our web site for details of more events. www.ptua.org.au PTUA News – October 2006 – Page 2 Making the links to joined-up government Like Tony Blair in the UK before Malvern railway station and on to address these failings. The PTUA him, Steve Bracks came to power in Chadstone. has called on the government to 1999 and promised “joined-up release the final report completed Another monument to the failure to government”. Consistency across last month, however we believe a integrate transport and land use all areas of public policy is clearly number of measures are already planning lies almost due south of desirable. Vast sums of taxpayer clearly warranted, including: Chadstone. Like Chadstone, funds can be wasted on government Southland shopping centre is also • Establishing a central agency to services if the objectives are identified as a Principal Activity plan and manage Melbourne’s undermined by other government Centre under Melbourne 2030, public transport system, similar programs. however this complex abuts the to those operating in Zurich, Transport is one such area that is Frankston railway line. Joined-up Vancouver and Perth closely interdependent with other government suggests that a • areas of policy such as health, the Principal Activity Centre next to a Properly integrating transport environment, economic railway line would have a railway and land use planning to reduce performance and social equity (see station, however many years after the need to travel and increase PTUA News March 2006). promising a feasibility study, the the accessibility of trip Bracks government appears no generators by public transport. One of the most glaring deficiencies closer to providing one. • of the Bracks government is the enshrine social and failure to integrate transport and Numerous symptoms of environmental sustainability land use planning. For example, institutional failure exist – trams principles into transport Chadstone shopping centre is that terminate a few hundred metres legislation that recognise the notorious for traffic snarls and from the nearest railway station impact of induced traffic and parking woes and is identified as a instead of meeting the train, buses the need to reduce motor Principal Activity Centre under that are scheduled to depart stations vehicle travel, energy Melbourne 2030. Planning approval moments before a trainload of consumption, pollution and has been granted for a major passengers arrive, lack of priority greenhouse emissions. expansion of Chadstone, however for public transport vehicles at While the PTUA is clearly hoping the government has failed to traffic lights and the privileged for solid commitments to public provide attractive, fast and frequent access enjoyed by roads to sources transport infrastructure ahead of the public transport services to the of funding beyond the reach of state election, it is institutional centre. If the government was public transport. reforms such as these that will drive serious about integrating the The draft report on congestion the fundamental change needed in Melbourne 2030 activity centres released by the Victorian transport policy. into the public transport network, Competition & Efficiency they would have started work on Commission (VCEC) in April extending tram route 3 to East flagged many possible options to Geelong bus petition reaches 1000 signatures More than a thousand Geelong centre, better connections to trains The petition calls for suburban residents and visitors have signed a and wheelchair access to platforms buses to run at least every 15 petition demanding better public 2 and 3 at Geelong Station. minutes during the day and early transport services in the Geelong evening and at least every half-hour Whichever government is elected in region. from late evening until midnight. It November, the response clearly also calls for buses to the Bellarine The petition calls for more frequent shows that voters will be expecting Peninsula and Torquay to run up to buses running later into the evening public transport of a much higher every half-hour during peak times, as the key to making public standard. High petrol prices will and at least hourly during the rest of transport a viable transport choice continue to hurt Geelong while the day and evening. for more people. It also calls for the there is a lack of useable public return of bus stops to Geelong’s city transport throughout the region. Copy deadline for the next PTUA news is 15th November 2006 Newsletter contributors: Daniel Bowen, Alex Makin, Tony Morton, Chris Trikilis, Paul Westcott. Printed on recycled paper by Flash Print, Collingwood. Our thanks to Max Nicholson and the rest of the dedicated mail out team.