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 Peter Batchelor 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 Steve Bracks’ 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 Regional Rail Link 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 Victorian Transport Plan. 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 Melbourne 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 Victoria, 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.