N e w s Public Transport Users Association www.ptua.org.au

ISSN 0817–0347 Volume 34 No. 1 February 2010 New Minister: Same old policy When was shunted out of the Transport ministry after the 2006 election, the PTUA had high hopes for his replacement, Lynne Kosky. The signs at the time appeared positive: after six years of post-privatisation neglect of the portfolio, public transport had emerged as an important election issue. And Kosky had amassed strong reform credentials as ’ hard-nosed Minister for Education. Unfortunately, any hope we had that the transport port- folio would show renewed strength and success—not just excusing the mediocre status quo—were dashed when it became clear the new Minister was following the same bad advice that is to blame for the problems. It cannot be doubted that since 2006, public trans- port has been the target of a new wave of political Minister Pakula doubtless intends not to be another largesse. But closer scrutiny of the Victorian Transport Batchelor or Kosky, to retire or be moved on amid a Plan reveals it is driven by the need for a political fix wave of public discontent. If so he will need to do what for the most dire of the current difficulties, peak hour his predecessors did not, and confront the planning and train overcrowding. It adopts the recommendations of management failures of his Department head-on. In the Eddington Investing in Transport report, which as- short, he must prepare to make changes. To start with, sumed there could be little role for public transport be- he could learn from those places where successful pub- yond peak-hour CBD commuting, and forecast virtually lic transport operates in lower-density urban regions, zero mode shift to public transport by 2030. As our ar- and establish an independent public agency, staffed by ticle on page6 reveals, the flagship competent experts, to plan the network properly. appears to have gained $3.2 billion of Federal funding on the strength of construction plans alone—the way In this issue a freeway might—without any thought to how services will be designed around the link. New Minister: same old policy...... 1 Keeping in touch...... 2 The new Minister is former union official Martin PTUA plans for 2010...... 2 Pakula. To date, his public comments have emphasised Altona byelection...... 3 continuity with Kosky’s legacy, and moving ahead with Metro supports ‘Every 10 Minutes’...... 3 the . The clear message is: Myki mayhem...... 4 don’t expect any big changes. Suburban bus reviews...... 4 In reality, there has been far less change from the Batch- Gauge standardisation...... 5 elor era than the current flurry of activity would suggest. Coalition’s climate policy...... 5 Pakula’s first big political challenge will be to tame (or Geelong Branch...... 6 slay) the Myki monster, which has been a great source Regional Rail Link...... 6 of recent embarrassment, but began as a Batchelor ini- Swanston Street...... 6 tiative from 2004. Train overcrowding, similarly, is a Paul Mees’ Transport for Suburbia ...... 7 In brief...... 7 consequence of the premature scrapping of rolling stock between 2002 and 2005, under Batchelor’s watch. PTUA News—February 2010—Page 1 Keeping in touch: Committee Member Meetings Daniel Bowen—President PTUA Office Tony Morton—Secretary Dates / times as advised Ross House Kerryn Wilmot—Treasurer Ross House 247 Flinders Lane, Melbourne Michael Galea 247 Flinders Lane, City Telephone (03) 9650 7898 Ian Hundley More details: see below Email: [email protected] Mark Johnson Eastern Suburbs Membership Enquiries Jason King Third Tuesday of every month, 7pm Call or email the office (see above). Tim Long ‘The Barn’ (behind Box Hill Baptist Rob Meredith Church) Commuter Club Tim Petersen PTUA members can obtain cheap 3 Ellingworth Parade (off Station St) David Robertson Box Hill yearly Metcards. See www.ptua. Vaughan Williams org.au/members/offers. Geelong Branch convenors Internet First Saturday of every month (except Paul Westcott—Geelong Jan), 10:30am Our website is at www.ptua.org.au. Jeremy Lunn—Eastern Suburbs The PTUA runs email lists for mem- Multimedia Room ber discussions, and to stay up to date Courthouse Youth Arts Centre with PTUA events. Members can Contact Corner Gheringhap and Little Malop also view archived newsletters online. All committee members can be Streets, Geelong See: www.ptua.org.au/members/ emailed using the format firstname. resources. [email protected].

PTUA makes plans to press for change. Naturally, our ac- to network planning could have made for 2010 tivities will be strategically directed to things work properly. where we think there is most potential Did your bus today arrive at the station to achieve a shift in political priorities. In January, the PTUA Committee as the train was leaving? Do you rely on We will be in contact with members a 45-minute bus route trying to coordi- held its annual planning retreat, to during the year to let you know how you decide campaign priorities for 2010. nate with a 20-minute train service? Is can assist with campaigns. your ‘local’ station impossible to reach A clear priority for the year is set by the As always, we have conducted a review other than by car? Please tell us: email State election that we know will occur of our organisational effectiveness and [email protected]. on 27 November. A Federal election internal operations. Of the Member’s this year also looks very likely. Clearly, Meetings we conducted last year, some Next members’ the direction of both State and Fed- were very well-attended and others far meeting: 11 March eral transport policy will have important less so. This year, we will schedule consequences for the public transport a member’s meeting shortly after each Our first members’ meeting for the year network. A commitment by success- newsletter, each with a specified topic will be a discussion about Yarra Trams ful State election candidates this year to of current interest. with the new operator. It is sched- overhaul the planning of public trans- uled for Thursday 11 March, at 6pm, port is the best hope we have for change. The PTUA Committee welcomes mem- in the Mezzanine Meeting Room, Ross But even if the State government is re- bers’ feedback on our activities, either House, 247 Flinders Lane (enter via luctant to make the necessary reforms, at a meeting or through our office: email ground floor entrance). It should run for the Federal government can still insist [email protected]. about an hour. on best-practice planning as a condition Linda Nicholls AO, Chairman of KDR of its funding of transport projects—a Tell us your stories of , will talk to us about Yarra concept supported by last year’s Senate planning failures Trams’ approach and philosophy and inquiry into public transport services. To assist with our campaigns and me- share her customer service experience. Members can therefore expect the dia activities, we are asking members This will not be a discussion of techni- PTUA to be active in the lead-up to the to share with us their everyday experi- cal matters. However, Committee mem- State and Federal elections, as we work ences of awful public transport: in par- bers will be on hand as always to answer with all political parties and candidates ticular, incidents where a little attention members’ questions on current issues.

PTUA News—February 2010—Page 2 Public transport and the Altona byelection

Public transport was a high profile “a bus that connects with every train, lacking at present. Six of eleven route issue in the recent Altona byelection morning till night—so you have a bus services in the electorate do not triggered by the retirement in Jan- choice to leave the car behind.” meet notional minimum service stan- uary of the local member and Public dards enunciated by the government for Transport Minister, Lynne Kosky. The ultimately successful ALP candi- Monday to Friday and for Saturday ser- date Jill Hennessy reportedly said that vices. Eight of these services do not Candidates were virtually unanimous in public transport in Altona is “good, but citing problems with public transport meet these standards on Sundays; four could be better.” Altona, like most Mel- do not even run on Sundays. The Altona provision, including a (somewhat nu- bourne suburbs, is somewhat mixed in anced) acknowledgement from the can- Smartbus itself doesn’t meet the gov- its public transport fortunes. Some of ernment’s own standards for Smartbus didate representing the incumbent ALP the more established areas of the elec- government. service, failing to provide a 15 minute torate, principally in the north-east, are service on weekdays before 11am. And Liberal candidate Mark Rose said: “the better served with public transport, both most services are far more thinly spread residents of Altona deserve a public rail and bus. But much of the elec- than the maximum 400 metres walking transport service that isn’t a mess. It torate, which will continue to experi- distance laid down by the government. is not good enough that our trains are ence a large population influx on green- overcrowded and unreliable. We need a fields development sites, faces monu- mental transport problems. The residential and retail developments better and more efficient transport sys- in many parts of the electorate were not tem.” Buses and trains are the two public developed with public transport in mind Greens candidate David Strangwood transport modes in Altona. Direct ac- at all. This is powerfully illustrated said: “People are flocking to our area cess to rail in the electorate is limited— by the poor configuration of the road but everyone knows there needs to be at Altona, Westona, Laverton and Air- network in many housing developments long-term planning, like trains that turn craft. Thus local residents must rely on which militates against direct services up reliably, and often.” He promised good bus services, which are severely within easy walking distance of users.

New train operator endorses ‘Every 10 Minutes’ plan

The PTUA has commended Mel- low suit, and throw its own weight be- of body would work with public and bourne’s new train operator, Metro hind the campaign. The government has private operators to simplify timetables Trains Melbourne, for its support been so conditioned to public transport and get the trains, trams and buses of the ‘Every 10 Minutes to Every- failure that in many years of the PTUA working together to provide a seamless where’ campaign. saying Melbourne needs this kind of ap- network for all Melburnians: morning, In a statement to The Age on 16 Jan- proach, they have had no response other noon and night. uary, Metro Trains chief executive An- than to stonewall and ridicule. Now drew Lezala referred to our campaign there is the will to transform the system, to run trains, trams and buses every 10 thanks to new voices from outside Mel- minutes, and said “this was the cor- bourne. rect approach.” “I like the tram net- Last year’s Senate inquiry into public work because the frequency is such transport management found that an in- that you do not need to understand the dependent planning authority, such as timetable.” The train network needed operates in Perth and in other cities that frequency, he said. around the world, had the greatest po- We urge the State Government to fol- tential for fixing the system. This kind

PTUA News—February 2010—Page 3 Melbourne Myki irrelevant email responses which do not Myki cards later this year. address their enquiry. mayhem • Read more on Myki’s problems on The Transport Ticketing Authority has our web site: www.ptua.org.au/ Myki’s been running for two months responded to some of these problems, 2010/01/29/ noting that the web site is in the process on Melbourne’s trains, and the brave • Still confused about how Myki will souls who have been using it have of being re-worked, that upgrades are in progress to speed up the scanners, and work? Try our Q+A: www.ptua. found similar problems to those seen org.au/2009/11/18/myki-qa/ in regional cities over the past year or that they are posting more information so. on trams and buses to remind users that Myki is not yet valid on those vehicles. Problems have included slow and non- These, of course, are the measures that Suburban bus responding scanners; cases of de- should have been taken before the sys- fault fares being charged where they reviews tem was switched on in Melbourne (or, shouldn’t; and (predictably) widespread for that matter, regional Victoria). The The government is rushing to com- confusion over the introduction of the government’s half-baked rollout in an plete its metropolitan bus reviews. system by half measures. At the time attempt to beat their own self-imposed This has come at the expense of of going to press, it is still valid only “by the end of 2009” deadline has led the two-step public meeting pro- on trains, despite most trams and bus to this mess. cess, applied for most of the 16 re- scanners being switched-on and saying views. It was dispensed with just In early February the new Minister “Please touch your card here.” before Christmas in the review of sacked TTA head Gary Other issues relate to the design of the bus services in the cities of Mel- Thwaites, replacing him with Metlink system. The touch-on and touch-off bourne, Yarra, Port Phillip, More- boss Bernie Carolan. Carolan has a rea- scanner beeps are identical, despite the land, Banyule and Darebin. sonably good track record at Metlink, importance of being able to distinguish The process commenced in 2007 and but will need to work hard to get Myki’s between these actions. Scanners display is scheduled for completion this year. many problems fixed. the amount charged for a trip (for ex- To date, however, final reports had ample $2.94), but not what the fare is (2 It’s not all bad news: those who have been announced for only six reviews. hour zone 1, expires 11am), causing un- used the system on trains and steered Funding of $500 million has been al- certainty over the fares being charged. clear of the web site have reported located for bus service changes in the And of course the requirement to touch- that the system has been pretty reli- Victorian Transport Plan. This com- off is expected to cause delays on busy able. The vast majority of transactions pares with $760 million for Penin- trams and buses. are charged correctly, and the speed of sula Link and $6 billion for the pro- scanners (including retrofitted Metcard posed north-east freeway link. The web site has emerged as a major gates) is steadily improving. Bus services have been the poorest of source of frustration for users, with con- But there are enough problems that if the poor cousins in Melbourne’s pub- fusing jargon, incomplete travel history lic transport system, despite much information, and incompatibility with large numbers of people were using it, it could cause long delays at busy sta- of Melbourne having access only to some web browsers. But most seri- buses, with no trams or trains. As the ous of all is the long and unpredictable tions. Perhaps it’s just as well that, as the Herald Sun reported on 11 Febru- SmartBus services demonstrate, pa- delays between users topping up their tronage growth is strongly related to cards online and having the funds avail- ary, it’s believed only 3% of the Myki cards issued are being used regularly. service frequency. Simply tinkering able for travel, and in a number of cases, at the edges of existing services will the money disappearing completely. The PTUA’s advice to passengers is not improve access and effectiveness to steer clear of Myki, and keep us- The performance of the Myki Call Cen- of bus services. ing Metcards for now. While it makes tre has also been criticised, with staff Lack of funding is not the only is- sense to get a Myki card during one of apparently unable to solve anything but sue: reviews have been conducted in the free offer periods (the one in Jan- the simplest problems. In some cases a manner contrary to good integrated uary is expected to be repeated later in rather than try and fix an existing card, network planning. Effective link- the year), we recommend sticking it in they elect to send out a new one: surely ages with other bus and rail services a drawer for a few months, as there are a waste of money. In others they raise a are not considered, and the empha- still significant problems. ‘service request’ to get problems fixed, sis is on single point-to-point jour- neys rather than the effectiveness of with mixed results. Many problems re- • Commuter Club and other Yearly the resulting network. main unsolved; some customers receive tickets will be replaced for free with

PTUA News—February 2010—Page 4 Growing support for rail gauge standardisation

The Victorian Farmers Federation of its key strategies, and warned that ment has so far failed to follow through (VFF)—the state’s peak agriculture the break of gauge problem “limits the on this commitment. Roads, instead, industry group—has called for stan- potential for connectivity interstate and have dominated Victoria’s most recent dardisation of Victoria’s regional limits the potential for a competitive request to Infrastructure Australia for freight rail network in a submission commercial environment.” project funding. to the Victorian Government ahead These recommendations echo those of Rail standardisation featured in the of this year’s state budget. the Victorian Freight and Logistics PTUA’s submission to Infrastructure The VFF submission notes that stan- Council (VFLC) which has described Australia in 2008, and the PTUA dardisation would “reduce the complex- gauge standardisation as its “first rail believes that all new track laid in ity and cost of transporting freight both infrastructure priority.” VFLC CEO Victoria—especially if benefiting from within the state and nationally,” and al- Rose Elphick told Rail Express last year federal funding—should provide for fu- low standard gauge rolling stock from that standardisation was “long over- ture standardisation by using dual gauge interstate to be used across Victoria. due,” and the estimated cost of $250 sleepers. The new Northern Victoria Regional million (about one third the cost of the We support the VFF in calling on the Transport Strategy prepared by the motorway) was “mod- Victorian Government to fulfil its com- municipalities of Campaspe, Gan- est” compared to expenditure on road mitment to standardisation and seek nawarra, Loddon, Moira, Strathbogie projects. federal support for an investment to im- and Greater Shepparton has also identi- Despite promising standardisation as prove the productivity and sustainabil- fied rail network standardisation as one long ago as 2001, the Victorian Govern- ity of the nation’s freight sector.

Coalition ‘direct action’ plan takes road to climate catastrophe

The federal coalition, under new the 15,000 tonne increase expected un- use impacts of current practices, much leader Tony Abbott, released in der business-as-usual, taxpayers would biofuel production actually results in February its much anticipated alter- pay the firm for the 5,000 tonnes of higher emissions than the conventional native to the federal government’s emissions supposedly avoided. De- fossil fuel it replaces. Recent research Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme spite emissions actually increasing, the has also shown that algal biofuels may (CPRS). 110,000 tonnes of CO2 released would be no better for the climate than current Rather than limiting total emissions and not be subject to any form of pricing or generation biofuels due to upstream im- allocating emission reductions to the emissions limits. pacts, such as the demand for fertiliser. lowest cost opportunities as under an Analysis by Bloomberg New Energy Fi- emissions trading scheme, the coalition nance suggests that the coalition’s plan Somewhat peripherally related to trans- plan proposes an ‘Emissions Reduction would cost taxpayers $2 billion more port, the plan also proposes planting Fund’ that will pay polluters who re- than the government’s CPRS over the 20 million trees by 2020, including ur- duce pollution below their ‘business as first four years of operation. ban street plantings and along high- ways. However it is unclear if these usual’ trend line. Crucially, the coali- Although the transport sector has been tion plan will allow polluters to increase plantings would really proceed under described as “one of the strongest an Abbott government since motoring their emissions above existing levels, sources of emissions growth in Aus- and still receive payments from the gov- organisations are calling for trees near tralia,” the plan contains little else di- roads to be bulldozed for safety reasons. ernment, so long as emissions growth is rectly relating to transport. The clos- slowed from current growth rates. Meanwhile existing carbon sinks such est the plan comes to directly address- as the Pines Flora and Fauna Reserve In the area of transport, it seems ing transport is the allocation of $5 near Frankston, the Coomoora Wood- likely that emission reductions below million to research into algal synthe- land Flora and Fauna Reserve in Keys- business-as-usual for transport firms sis and biofuels. With about one quar- borough and the Banyule Green Wedge (such as freight operators) could be ter of US grain going into biofuel pro- are under threat from proposed mo- eligible for taxpayer-funded payments duction, current generation biofuels are torways. Unfortunately the coalition’s from the government. For example, if a now widely recognised as contributing plan offers no protection from the ram- trucking firm producing 100,000 tonnes to higher food prices, deforestation and pant land consumption resulting from CO of 2 each year increased emissions displacement of indigenous communi- car dependence. by ‘only’ 10,000 tonnes instead of ties around the world. Due to the land-

PTUA News—February 2010—Page 5 Geelong Branch report

City bus system, stage 2 the inadequate timetabling that was an some key elements of sustainable trans- unfortunate feature of a number of new port provision. The Branch has been talking to the De- routes in Stage 1. partment of Transport and the bus op- It seems that the bus services to be ini- erators about the second and final stage Armstrong Creek car-bound tially provided will be no better than of the new city bus system, scheduled to the basic ‘social service’ pattern that we We are increasingly concerned that the start towards the middle of this year. are sadly familiar with. As well, the new suburb of Armstrong Creek, to be new railway station to be built on the In a submission to the DoT we outlined established to the south of Geelong, and Warrnambool line, rather than being a what we’d like to see implemented or originally touted as a model of sustain- genuine transit hub, is now to be sur- reinforced in the Stage 2 changes. One able development, is losing the high- rounded by a car park for 2000 cars! of the items was a plan, prepared by quality public transport provision that PTUA member Gini McLellan, for the was supposed to have been a necessary The PTUA Geelong Branch meets consolidation of the scattered bus stops and basic aspect of the scheme. At the monthly in Geelong city; see Page at the Corio shopping centre. Certainly urging of developers, the planning pan- 2 for details. Paul Westcott is the we don’t want any further examples of els and bureaucrats have been removing branch convenor.

Regional Rail Link project was first made public, but given that the route was just a line on a map In December, Daniel Bowen and at that time, the modelling seems to Paul Westcott met Ray Kinnear, lack credibility. Deputy Director of Public Trans- A bombshell was the revelation that, to port, Strategic Policy and Planning save money (in a $4.2 billion project), at the Department of Transport. no extra platforms are going to be Concerns continue about the lack of in- provided at North Melbourne for the formation about the infrastructure and RRL, meaning that trains from Gee- services planned for the Regional Rail long, Bendigo and Ballarat won’t be The Tarneit diversion will bypass Wer- Link (RRL), especially in relation to able to stop there. It was claimed ribee station, but what will be done the Geelong line. We came away with that Footscray could be the inter- about the 1500 trips per week to and the feeling confirmed that $3.2 billion change point for RRL and suburban from Werribee on V/Line services has has been secured from the Federal gov- services, but North Melbourne is a very not been worked out yet. The Tarneit ernment for something that was barely significant interchange station. In- line will not be electrified, so the like- on the drawing board. deed it was recently upgraded to en- lihood is that those travelling to Wer- The DoT is no longer fostering the im- hance that function, including being ribee will have to take a bus to and pression that the Tarneit line will be the starting point for the recently- from Wyndham Vale, the first station an ‘express rail’ route. All that is now introduced 401 bus to the hospital on the new line. That is a journey of being claimed is that Geelong to Mel- and university precinct. And trains over seven kilometres, taking at least bourne times will be about the same to Upfield, Craigieburn and the Race- 15 minutes—a dramatic downgrading as at present. Supposedly, the effect course / Showgrounds branch don’t run of the current provision, and a disin- on travel times of the Tarneit diversion through Footscray. centive to public transport use. were modelled by the DoT before the

Swanston Street likely to become car-free

In what should be a model for paigning during his election to return The proposal now before Council has community-conscious planning pro- cars to Swanston Street, has admitted one drawback: it effectively removes cesses, the City of Melbourne is forg- to a “Road to Damascus” conversion on the tram stop at Lonsdale Street (losing ing ahead with a ‘transit mall’ plan the issue. Having spoken to other city the logical one-stop-per-block pattern), for Swanston Street, modelled on mayors in Copenhagen late last year, while shifting the locations of others in ‘Option 6’ in its consultation process he admits to having learned that the a way that makes interchange more dif- from last year. world’s great cities today do not seek to ficult at places like Bourke Street. This Lord Mayor Robert Doyle, after cam- funnel more cars into their centres. is not an essential feature of the design: it could and should be rethought. PTUA News—February 2010—Page 6 Why is Zurich not like LA? Hint: it’s not density Transport for Suburbia: Beyond the Automobile Age, by Paul Mees (Earthscan, 2010)

lic transport in cities like Melbourne— less integration of services under pub- cities without the ‘natural advantage’ lic control found in all these places. of high urban densities that exist in The theme running through the book cities like Tokyo and Hong Kong. is that “density is not destiny.” Us- Paul’s new book Transport for Subur- ing recent statistics, Paul shows that bia builds on the theme developed in Los Angeles is overall more dense than his first book. The detailed compari- New York—because New York’s high- son between Melbourne and Toronto— density boroughs are surrounded by demonstrating that Toronto’s superior very low-density suburbia. The Canton rate of public transport use has noth- of Zurich, where every settlement of ing to do with density and everything 300 people or more must be provided to do with high-quality service—is fur- with a basic level of public transport, Ten years ago, PTUA News reviewed ther developed, and generalised. There and more than 50% take public trans- Paul Mees’ first book, A Very Public are detailed discussions of other ‘dis- port to work, has an urban density not Solution: Transport in the Dispersed persed’ regions with high public trans- much above LA’s. City. Paul was at that time President of port use, such as Vancouver, Ottawa, Transport for Suburbia is recom- the PTUA, and since retiring from that Curitiba in Brazil, and rural Switzer- mended reading for all transport plan- position has continued in his role as an land. These examples are used to sup- ners, and all those concerned about ‘activist academic’, helping to develop port the development of a general the- the sustainability of urban transport in the rigorous foundation for good pub- ory of ‘network planning’—the seam- cities like Melbourne. In brief. . . key tram route intersects a ‘city bypass’ sation of the project still appeared a road used primarily by cars. month away with construction work on New Road Operating Plan car parks, a passenger waiting area and It is unclear at this stage whether this other elements of the station still con- The new Network Operating Plan being is a genuine transformation in favour of tinuing. The precinct was identified as developed by VicRoads was recently sustainable road planning, or simply a a major activity centre under Melbourne given an airing in the media. tweak to current practices that redesig- 2030 and a Structure Plan was recently nates a relative handful of roads. The The plan is essentially a revision to the completed for the area by the City of devil will be in the detail, and we will ‘hierarchy of roads’ that attempts to ac- Whitehorse. The plan sought to address closely scrutinise the outcomes of this count for road users other than mo- walking and cycling access to the old new plan. torists. So it designates that some roads station on the eastern side of Spring- will have public transport as their pri- vale Road. However, the new station is Nunawading grade separation mary use, some will emphasise pedes- on the western side of Springvale Road, trian activity, while others (likely most) With considerable fanfare on 4 Jan- with quite indirect access to the east. will continue to have car and truck use uary, Roads Minister Tim Pallas an- The many retail establishments in the as primary. nounced the closure of the Springvale area face roads, include sprawling car Road boom gates at Nunawading. He Apparently the plan does allow for parks, and turn their back on the said that the joint state and federally mixed uses to be given proper weight, Nunawading station, the legacy of bad funded project, which included the fit- as when an arterial road also carries a planning decisions over many years. It out of the new Nunawading Premium number of bus routes. This is essen- is doubtful whether things are about railway station on the western side of tial to the workability of any frame- to get any better, with the three levels Springvale Road, would be completed work of this sort, since not all uses of of government having not been in lock in the next ten days. roads are complementary—conflict in- step to provide satisfactorily integrated evitably arises, as for example when a However, in mid-February the finali- transport facilities at Nunawading.

Copy deadline for the next PTUA News is 9 April 2010. Newsletter contributors: Daniel Bowen, Ian Hundley, Tony Morton and Paul Westcott. Printed on recycled paper by Flash Print, Collingwood. Our thanks to Margaret Pullar and the dedicated mailout team.

PTUA News—February 2010—Page 7 PTUA News POSTAGE Newsletter of the Public Transport Users Association, Org. No. A–6256L SURFACE Print Post: Publication No. PP 331088/00009 PAID MAIL If undeliverable, return to: AUSTRALIA PTUA Office, 247 Flinders Lane, Melbourne 3000

Inside. . . New minister: same old policy Altona byelection Myki mayhem Paul Mees’ Transport for Suburbia Members’ meeting with Yarra Trams

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