Media Release July 20 2010

The outcomes of the latest batch of bus service views showed the continued neglect of transport support in the East by the Victorian Government, ETC Chair Cr Samantha Dunn said today.

“The Government reviews of bus services in Casey, Cardinia and Greater Dandenong were an opportunity to fix a bus system that is bursting at the seams,” Cr Dunn said.

“While the Minister for Public Transport has announced $4.8 million in funding for buses, barely any of that money will be spent in Dandenong,” she said.

Cr Dunn said that this lack of funding was typical of the current Government approach to public transport in the East.

“Frankly, we’re disappointed but not surprised. It is time this government looked seriously at providing sustainable transport options right across Melbourne rather than focussing on a few key electorates,” Cr Dunn said.

“We’ve been told that buses are the answer and that the Government doesn’t think it is worth looking at other possibilities like rail extensions,” she said.

“If buses are the answer then the Government needs to get serious about fixing the system in all areas, not just those in which they feel they may be electorally vulnerable.”

City of Greater Dandenong Councillor Roz Blades said that Dandenong residents were among those who signed a recent petition to the State Government to act on transport.

“We had 13,000 signatures from Eastern residents who want better transport options, and thousands of those were from Dandenong residents,” Cr Blades said.

“Many of those same people took part in the consultation for the bus reviews, thinking they would be listened to. Sadly, we have been ignored once again,” she said.

Cr Dunn said that there was still time for this government to make a commitment to Melbourne’s east.

“This election year provides a perfect opportunity for this government to show that it is listening to the million or so residents east of Warrigal road who are forced to drive their cars to work because they have no viable alternative,” Cr Dunn said.

“ETC will continue to work with the Transport Minister to address the shortfall of sustainable transport options for residents of Melbourne’s east,” she said.

Further Information Simon Tolstrup, CPR 0408 331 356

ETC Chairperson Cr Samantha Dunn said that the State Government’s announcement to fund the Regional Rail Link and Melbourne Metro would be disappointing to residents of Eastern Melbourne suburbs.

“While more transport planning is desperately needed in the outer East, we keep seeing public transport funds being directed to the same groups of electorates,” Cr Dunn said.

“ETC recently submitted a petition on behalf of more than one million residents in the East who want better transport options. It’s time the government stopped neglecting the East on transport policy,” she said.

>>ends<<

Further Information

Simon Tolstrup, CPR

0408 331 356

A sixty metre long petition demanding the Victorian Government revisit its transport policy was today presented to the Victorian Government.

Mayors and Councillors from seven of Melbourne’s eastern suburban Councils – who represent about a quarter of Melbourne’s population – gathered on the Parliaments steps today to send a message to the Victorian Government that transport needs in the east are not being met.

Presenting the monster petition to the Minister for Transport, Martin Pakula, Eastern Transport Coalition Chairperson Cr Samantha Dunn said that Eastern suburbs residents have been neglected by Government for too long.

“It’s time this government looked seriously at providing sustainable transport options right across Melbourne rather than focussing on a few key electorates,” Cr Dunn said.

 “The Eastern Transport Coalition represents seven councils in the East whose residents are crying out for more public transport. The petition we’re presenting today has over 13,000 signatures, each one of them a demand of Government to end the neglect,” she said.

 Cr Dunn said that the ETC petition called on Victorian Government to address the significant gaps in the provision of and planning for public transport in Greater Dandenong, Knox, Manningham, Maroondah, Monash, Whitehorse, and Yarra Ranges.

The petition seeks commitments from the Government to modify the plan to include:

1. A full and public feasibility study for a heavy rail line to Rowville,
2. A full and public feasibility study for a heavy rail line to Doncaster
3. A greater commitment to the extension of the Metro rail tunnel from Domain to Caulfield,
4. A full and public feasibility study for an increase in capacity on the Belgrave/Lilydale and Glen Waverly lines,
5. Improved facilities for passengers, particularly at interchanges located in central activity districts – Ringwood, Dandenong and Box Hill,
6. Fully accessible public transport facilities and vehicles Cr Dunn said that there was still time for this government to make a commitment to Melbourne’s east.

“This election year provides a perfect opportunity for this government to show that it is listening to the million or so residents east of Warrigal road who are forced to drive their cars to work because they have few viable alternatives,” Cr Dunn said.

Cr Dunn thanked the Minister for Transport for receiving the petition.

“We’re pleased that all sides of Parliament are interested in our issues. Now it’s important that today’s gesture from the Victorian Government results in action,” she said.

Media Release May 4 2010

Today’s release of the state government budget was another missed opportunity to address transport woes in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs, ETC Chair Cr Samantha Dunn said today.

“We were optimistic that today’s budget would provide some kind of assistance to those in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs who do not have access to adequate public transport,” Cr Dunn said.

“On reviewing the budget documents, it appears Government has continued to ignore the needs of over a million eastern suburbs residents,” she said.

Cr Dunn said that while the budget did contain funding for some necessary transport initiatives, Melbourne’s east had missed out again.

“Frankly, we’re disappointed but not surprised. It is time this government looked seriously at providing sustainable transport options right across Melbourne rather than focussing on a few key electorates,” Cr Dunn said.

Cr Dunn said that there was still time for this government to make a commitment to Melbourne’s east.

“This election year provides a perfect opportunity for this government to show that it is listening to the million or so residents east of Warrigal road who are forced to drive their cars to work because they have no viable alternative,” Cr Dunn said.

“ETC will continue to work with the Transport Minister to address the shortfall of sustainable transport options for residents of Melbourne’s east,” she said.

The Eastern Transport Coalition yesterday met with Minister for Transport Martin Pakula to discuss solutions for transport woes in Melbourne’s east, ETC Chair Cr Samantha Dunn said today.

“We have expressed to Minister Pakula that Melbourne’s eastern suburbs do not have access to adequate public transport and he has committed to working with us to hear the needs of our residents,” she said.

Cr Dunn said that while ETC appreciated the Minister’s sentiments, it was important that action would follow.

“We discussed a range of transport solutions with the Minister, from improved bus services to feasibility studies for rail extensions to Doncaster and Rowville,” Cr Dunn said.

“While Government has said that those rail extensions aren’t in the current Victorian Transport Plan, it’s important that feasibility work is done now so that these projects can be implemented faster,” she said.

ETC members have pointed out that the Victorian Transport Plan is chiefly based on Sir Rod Eddington’s 2008 transport report.

“While the Eddington report resulted in some good planning initiatives for inner Melbourne and the West, it doesn’t consider transport east of Warrigal Road,” Cr Dunn said.

“That’s a clear reason why the VTP is struggling to provide for the million or so residents of Melbourne’s eastern suburbs,” she said.

Cr Dunn said that the recently released Bus Service reviews were an opportunity to make some much needed changes.

“The Smart Bus system is very well patronised, mainly because many people out here don’t have any other choice,” Cr Dunn said.

“But they are bursting at the seams, and the recent reviews don’t provide any timeline for when new and more frequent services might happen,” she said.

“We keep hearing that buses are the answer for the East. If that’s the case it needs to be done right,” Cr Dunn said.

ETC Chairperson Samantha Dunn welcomes the new Minister for Public Transport, on behalf of the ETC.

“The Eastern Transport Coalition welcomes Minister Pakula to the Public Transport portfolio. We look forward to meeting with him in the coming days to discuss his plans for improving train, tram and bus access in the outer east.

The Eastern Transport Coalition represents seven municipalities and over one million people in eastern Melbourne. It advocates for accessible and integrated transport in the eastern region of Melbourne to improve liveability and reduce car dependency.”

New model bike cages that save space and improve cyclists’ security are needed in Melbourne’s outer east, a council transport advocacy group has said.

The Eastern Transport Coalition, representing one million residents of the city’s outer east, have submitted a list of priority stations to the office of Public Transport Minister Lynne Kosky.

ETC chair Cr Samantha Dunn said the group was invited to submit the priority needs list during a meeting with advisers to Ms Kosky and she now hoped for a positive response – and swift action.

“The Brumby Government has invested more than $1million in a program to install the new bike cages, or Parkiteers, and we applaud this innovative program,” Cr Dunn said.

“But we think it’s time that some of that innovation was shared with our region.

“A total of 23 cages were installed last year, 18 of them in metropolitan Melbourne, and the Government committed to funding another 10 Parkiteers this year.

“The ETC represents more than one million people living in Melbourne’s outer east, but of the 18 metro locations provided with a Parkiteer to date only four are on train lines that service any of our seven member municipalities.”

The priority list submitted in writing to Ms Kosky’s office this week is:

 Ringwood station (Lilydale line, Maroondah City Council)

 Belgrave station (Belgrave line, Shire of Yarra Ranges)

 Lilydale station (Lilydale line, Shire of Yarra Ranges)

 Laburnum station (Lilydale line, City of Whitehorse)

 Yarraman station (Pakenham line, City of Greater Dandenong)

 Upper Ferntree Gully station (Belgrave line, Knox City Council)

Cr Dunn said she looked forward to a reply from the Minister’s office, and to an announcement that would lead to improved services for cyclist commuters across the region.

The Eastern Transport Coalition represents about one million people living in the municipalities of Monash, Whitehorse, Dandenong, Manningham, Knox, Maroondah and Yarra Ranges.

The ETC advocates for better public transport to reduce the level of car dependency and secure the economic, social and environmental wellbeing of Melbourne’s outer east.

 The Victorian Upper House Inquiry into Train Services is investigating the right sector but the wrong problem, according to advocacy group the Eastern Transport Coalition (ETC).

 ETC chair Cr Samantha Dunn, who will appear before the inquiry on Tuesday September 22nd , said an investigation into last December’s Connex service meltdown was no longer the best use of the Upper House’s resources.

She said the most critical need for public transport improvements lay not in services provided by an outgoing rail operator, but across Melbourne’s under-resourced outer east.

“We welcome any opportunity to talk about the need for more investment in better public transport solutions and we’re pleased that the inquiry wants to hear from us,” Cr Dunn said.

“But we feel this focus on a series of weather-related service malfunctions last summer can promise little in the way of tangible service improvements.

 “Unfortunately, and despite our many years of advocacy, the one million people who live in Melbourne’s east are too often denied access not to frequent and reliable services, but to any services at all.”

Cr Dunn said the most urgent need was for rail extensions to Rowville, which would service Monash University, and Doncaster.

“We were disappointed that the Brumby Government’s Victorian Transport Plan was silent on this much-needed infrastructure and we’re now asking the Government to undertake full and public feasibility studies into a heavy rail line to Rowville, and a heavy rail line to Doncaster,” she said.

Cr Dunn said the crash on the Monash Freeway which threw Melbourne into chaos on Wednesday morning showed yet again that new roads were not the solution to easing congestion or making life simpler, safer or easier for the city’s fast-growing population.

“We hope that rather than be the end of an investigation into failed services nine months ago, the Upper House Inquiry into Train Services will instead be the beginning of greater scrutiny of the Government’s political and funding priorities.”

The Eastern Transport Coalition represents about one million people living in the municipalities of Monash, Whitehorse, Dandenong, Manningham, Knox, Maroondah and Yarra Ranges.

The ETC advocates for better public transport to reduce car dependency and secure the economic, social and environmental wellbeing of Melbourne’s outer east.

MEDIA CONTACT Cr Samantha Dunn, chair, Eastern Transport Coalition 0407 364 509 Lissie Ratcliff, CPR, 0417 519 223

FRUSTRATED communities will pressure the Brumby Government for better public transport across Melbourne’s east with the collection of tens of thousands of signatures on a ‘Monster Petition’ launched today.

Eastern Transport Coalition (ETC) chair and Shire of Yarra Ranges councillor Samantha Dunn said “We launched our Monster Petition today at Monash University in Clayton because, despite the huge numbers of students and staff travelling to this campus every day, it is still without adequate public transport infrastructure – it is a metaphor for the neglect of our region over many years”.

Like the suffragettes in 1891 who collected thousands of signatures on a monster petition supporting women’s right to vote, the eastern suburbs were being denied a resource available to people living elsewhere in Melbourne.

“The mayors and CEOs of the seven member councils that make up the ETC have come here today to join with the Monash Student Association, and everyone who is a member of the Monash community, to be the first of what we believe will be thousands of people to sign the Monster Petition,” she said.

Monash Student Association President Julian Campbell said people travelling to Monash University and the adjacent science and innovation precinct, which includes Australia’s only Synchrotron, were among those missing out under the Brumby Government’s Victorian Transport Plan.

“The ETC’s Monster Petition has our full support,” Mr Campbell said.

“We hope that it will finally get the message through to the Brumby Government that public transport is a serious issue in the east, not only for Monash students but for everyone who lives and works in this region.”

The suffragettes’ Monster Petition was about 260metres long and 200mm wide, made of paper glued to cotton and linen and rolled onto a cardboard spindle.

Cr Dunn said the ETC Monster Petition was made of multiple rolls of recyclable synthetic paper, each 15 metres long with two signature columns. The petition is housed in a custom-made timber box to facilitate its transport.

The Monster Petition will travel around the region for the rest of this year, hosted for three weeks by each of the ETC’s seven member councils before being presented to the Victorian Parliament.

Cr Dunn said the ETC was bitterly disappointed that the Victorian Transport Plan did not include any major initiatives to address the significant gaps in the provision of and planning for public transport in our region.

The petition will seek commitments from the Government to modify the plan to include:

1. A full and public feasibility study for a heavy rail line to Rowville,
2. A full and public feasibility study for a heavy rail line to Doncaster
3. A greater commitment to the extension of the Metro rail tunnel from Domain to Caulfield,
4. A full and public feasibility study for an increase in capacity on the Belgrave/Lilydale and Glen Waverly lines,
    
5. Improved facilities for passengers, particularly at interchanges located in central activity districts – Ringwood, Dandenong and Box Hill,
    
6. Fully accessible public transport facilities and vehicles 

“The State Government has never provided a reason why rail extensions to Rowville and Doncaster shouldn’t be built,” Cr Dunn said.

“We’re asking that proper public feasibility studies be conducted to assess the viability of delivering heavy rail services to these two areas.

“Governments have been promising major investment in public transport for the eastern region since 1969. Forty years on and our residents are still waiting.

“We’re putting the Government on notice that it’s time to end the neglect.”

The Eastern Transport Coalition (ETC) represents about one million people living in the municipalities of Monash, Whitehorse, Dandenong, Manningham, Knox, Maroondah and Yarra Ranges.

The ETC advocates for sustainable and integrated transport services to reduce the level of car dependency to secure the economic, social and environmental wellbeing of the Melbourne’s outer east.

The Eastern Transport Coalition (ETC) has constructively submitted to many Victorian and Commonwealth government forums, reviews, inquiries and consultation processes in the most recent years regarding the provision of sustainable transport options for the eastern region of metropolitan Melbourne.

The respective communities represented by the ETC have been vocal supporters of improved public transport in Melbourne’s eastern metropolitan region. This is well documented by outcomes from community surveys, community engagement and consultation.

A recent survey or 592 rail commuters across the ETC catchment area validates this assertion:

• 71 per cent of commuters using the Doncaster Park and Ride want a rail line to Doncaster;
• 51 per cent of commuters using Belgrave station want more services along the Belgrave / Lilydale lines;
• 50 per cent of commuters using Box Hill station want more services along the Belgrave /Lilydale lines;
• 33 per cent of commuters at Monash University want a rail line to Rowville, and 24 per cent want more services along the Dandenong line; and
• 52 per cent of commuters at Glen Waverly want more services on the Glen Waverley line.

Historical underinvestment in rail infrastructure and services has led to a relative decline in public transport usage when compared to annual vehicle kilometres travelled in private vehicles. Much of eastern metropolitan Melbourne is characterised by very high levels of car ownership due to insufficient public transport options, causing an over – reliance on private vehicle use and infrequent and less reliable bus services – where they exist. The health, social and environmental costs associated with inadequate public transport services are growing due to this imbalance.

In its recent inquiry into the costs of congestion, the Victorian Competition and Efficiency Commission (VCEC) found that the economic costs associated with road congestion in Melbourne is between $1.3 billion and $2.6 billion annually1. In contrast, investment in rail infrastructure and service improvements will substantially reduce economic costs caused by congestion, improve access and equity for outer suburban residents and provide substantial environmental benefits.

• Download the ETC’s Submission to the Legislative Council Select Committee on Train Services.