The Chair of Eastern Transport Coalition has met with the Minister for Public Transport, Lynne Kosky to outline its agenda for the improvement of public transport in Melbourne’s east.

Chairperson, Cr Mick Van de Vreede said that the coalition had met with the previous Minister and considered it important to brief the new Minister.

Cr Van de Vreede said that the meeting was positive and it was great that the Minister agreed to meet the entire group later this year.

Cr Van de Vreede explained to the Minister the ETC’s 2007 agenda, outlining how we would like to work with her Government to increase patronage and improve and expand on the public transport network. The ETC also offered their assistance in relation to providing feedback on how the new smart bus and other new bus services are running.

“I also advised Minister Kosky of the major gaps in the Public Transport network in our area, the lack of hard rail connections to Doncaster and Rowville being key examples. A train to Rowville would remove 2400 cars from our roads every hour for example.

“I highlighted the importance of the State Government undertaking full feasibility studies into projects such as the Rowville and Doncaster Rail, indicating that outcomes of such studies could and should be used when applying for funding from both the State and Federal Government.

“I also outlined that the ETC will be seeking a commitment from the Federal Government to provide funding for major urban public transport infrastructure, such as the Doncaster and Rowville rail lines.

“These projects would reduce congestion on our roads and greenhouse emissions from our region. I hope that the Victorian Government will support us in that campaign,” Cr Van De Vreede concluded.

For more information please contact;

ETC Chairperson Cr Mick Van De Vreede 0438 029 932
CPR Communications, Robert Larocca    0409 198 350

The Chairperson of the Eastern Transport Coalition (ETC), Cr Van De Vreede said that who owned the Public transport system was not important, what was important was that the system responded to the needs of the community.

“The State Government’s job is to ensure that commuter’s needs are met.

“The history of the public transport system shows that there have been problems under public and private hands.

It is therefore simplistic to think that buying it back will solve all the problems.

“In considering the re-tendering of the system Government needs to look at a variety of models of ownership and operation. It may be that changes to the current tendering arrangements are needed, but they should be driven by commuter needs rather than ideology.

“The ETC wants outcomes in the form of improvements and expansions to the system that complement the Governments Melbourne 2030 planning directions. The operating model that the Government chooses to use must provide the best opportunity to do just that.

“Issues such as expansion of the system and meeting the particular needs of outer east commuters need to be considered. For example, the removal of zone 3 has caused a large increase in commuter numbers and responding to that is more important than who owns the system,” Cr Van De Vreede concluded.

For more information please contact;

ETC Chairperson Cr Mick Van De Vreede                        0438 029 932
CPR Communications, Robert Larocca                           0409 198 350

The Eastern Transport Coalition (ETC) says that the failure of the Federal Government to fund significant public transport projects in the budget represents a missed opportunity to develop a truly sustainable transport system.

The Chairperson of the ETC, Cr Van De Vreede said that the ETC requested that four public transport projects be funded in the east of Melbourne. They would benefit a million people and the environment. The projects are, rail to Rowville, improvement to the capacity of Belgrave and Lilydale lines, rail to Doncaster and transport interchanges.

“Funding public transport on a national basis like roads are is a great idea. More public transport would save the environment; save road funds and importantly help people avoid the high cost of petrol and traffic congestion.

“By way of example, one of the suggested projects, rail to Rowville would remove 2,400 cars or a freeway lane of traffic from our roads every hour.

“The State Government did not fund these projects last year so we have asked the Federal Government to take the lead and fund them. The ETC feels strongly that the Federal Government needs to take a lead role and initiate a program to encourage the creation of a transport system which mitigates climate change.”

“Such Federal Government funding would be consistent with the recommendations of the Federal Parliamentary report into sustainable cities. The report recognized that whilst the Federal Government has not traditionally directly funded public transport it should. The Federal Government has the greatest opportunity ever to use the budget surplus to set Australian cities on a path to a sustainable future and to significantly reduce congestion which is costing our economy billions every year.”

“Two of our local members, Jason Wood (41st Parliament) and Phillip Baressi (40th Parliament) were members of the committee and while they have not been successful this year I hope that they continue to advocate to the Federal Government for our region and these important public transport projects.

“The most disappointing thing is that the Federal Government continues to pour billions into roads without a coordinated policy across all transport modes. Why should more roads be built in our cities and suburbs when public transport could do the job?

“The ETC successfully campaigned for public transport improvements to the State Government last year and will continue with the campaign this year with the aim of getting federal funding for public transport,” Cr Van De Vreede concluded.

For more information please contact;

ETC Chairperson Cr Mick Van De Vreede 0438 029 932
CPR Communications, Robert Larocca 0409 198 350

The Eastern Transport Coalition has made a budget submission to the Federal Transport Minister, Mark
Vaile requesting Federal Government assistance with major transport infrastructure.
The Chairperson of the ETC, Cr Van De Vreede said that the billions that the Federal Government spends on major roads should be applied to significant public transport projects as well.

“There are two ways of dealing with congestion; firstly you can increase the capacity of our roads. Secondly, and this is our preference, you can take people off roads by giving them really good public transport options.

“You might say that a dollar spent on public transport infrastructure would save unnecessary expenditure on roads while making a positive impact on congestion, the environment and the liveability of our suburbs.

“The Rowville Rail is a point in case. If it were built, 2400 cars or a freeway lane of traffic would be removed from our roads every hour.

“While the Federal Government don’t currently fund public transport projects, this has been recommended by the Federal parliamentary Committee on Environment and Heritage that the provision of Australian Government transport infrastructure funds ‘include provision of funding specifically for sustainable public transport infrastructure for suburbs and developments on the outer fringes of our cities.’

“That committee included one of our local Federal members, Mr Jason Wood MP, so the ETC is lookingforward to Mr Wood’s assistance when advocating for federal funding assistance for Public transport.

“This is also a great opportunity for the Federal government to do something really positive in relation to Climate change. Transport related Greenhouse gas emissions will be significantly reduced through such a policy decision”

“We have suggested four really important projects which, if built, would make a huge impact on taking cars off our roads;

• Rail to Rowville,
• Improve capacity of Belgrave and Lilydale Lines,
• Heavy Rail to Doncaster,
• Transport Interchanges.

“The ETC hopes that the Federal Government agree with our request and starts working towards assisting with the improvement of public transport in the outer east of Melbourne,” Cr Van De Vreede concluded.

For more information please contact;

ETC Chairperson Cr Mick Van De Vreede                      0438 029 932
CPR Communications, Robert Larocca                         0409 198 350

Chair of the Eastern Transport Coalition, Cr Mick Van De Vreede has said that the east is looking forward to the extensive commitments by the Labor Government on public transport being implemented over the next four years.

Cr Van De Vreede said “for the first time ever public transport was a live issue in the state election and both parties responded with more commitments than ever before.

“I expect that once Zone 3 has been abolished there will be a surge in people using the network which is already over stretched, and they will demand improvements.

“The challenge will therefore be for the Government to lay out the new bus routes, roll out the new track and deliver the infrastructure improvements committed to.

“The earlier we get the improvements the better. We want the new users to find a public transport system that takes them where they want to go when they want to get there.

“Now that the election is over we will also be working with our community to demonstrate the need for some of the missing projects from the government’s agenda – rail to Doncaster, rail to Rowville being key examples.

“The government believes that there is insufficient demand for these improvements but the ETC and the community believes that they are wrong.

“The ETC also feels strongly that the funding for large capital improvements such as these should be shared by the Federal Government and we will make this case in the lead up to the Federal election,” Cr Van De Vreede concluded.

The ETC is seven Councils in Melbourne’s east representing over 940,000 residents who are conducting a long term campaign to improve transport choices.

For more information please contact;

ETC Chairperson Cr Mick Van De Vreede              0438 029 932
CPR Communications, Robert Larocca                 0409 198 350

Chair of the Eastern Transport Coalition, Cr Mick Van De Vreede has welcomed the commitment by the ALP and Liberal Party to abolish Zone 3.

“The ETC is campaigning for a better transport system which has better buses, more rail, effective coordination and more people using it – the announcement to abolish Zone 3 shows that the politicians of all stripes are listening to us and the needs of our communities.

“Abolishing Zone 3 will reduce the cost of using public transport so it will satisfy our request to have more people using the public transport system.

“However this is only one part of what is needed to boost patronage; we need better buses, more rail and better co-ordination of services.

“This needs to be part of a wider package of improvements as it is an undeniable fact that cheaper farers will drive demand for public transport services, many of which do not currently exist in Zone 3.

“I would hate to see a flood of people queue up to use the system only to find inadequate services on offer.

“The ETC also still believes that a full review of the fare system and structure is required and if the Government and Opposition committed to that it would enable them to take the full advantage of the new electronic ticketing system due for implementation next year.

“While welcome, the abolishment may lead to further pressure on the Zone 2 – 1 boundary. We still need to fix that issue.

“Our recent survey of commuters at zone boundary stations, Huntingdale, Mitcham, Heatherdale and Sandown showed that commuters are driving further to get a cheaper fare.

“I look forward to more commitments from both sides of politics for better public transport in the east,” Cr Van De Vreede concluded.

The ETC is seven Councils in Melbourne’s east representing over 940,000 residents who are conducting a long term campaign to improve transport choices.

For more information please contact;

ETC Chairperson Cr Mick Van De Vreede 0438 029 932
CPR Communications, Robert Larocca 0409 198 350

Chair of the Eastern Transport Coalition, Cr Mick Van De Vreede has welcomed the launch of the Wellington Road SmartBus service by the State Government.

“The ETC is campaigning for a better transport system which has better buses, more rail, effective coordination and more people using it.

“The route 900 Smart Bus is part of the solution to our local transport needs as it will help local residents move about an area that doesn’t have decent rail access.

“We look forward to the other smart buses being rolled out and the improvements to our local bus services. Each improvement will make a huge different to residents ability to move around their local community without a car.

“It would be even better if the state could asses the need for and viability of a rail extension to Rowville and make the necessary plans for that to occur in the future. We will keep campaigning for that,” Cr Van De Vreede concluded

The ETC is seven Councils in Melbourne’s east representing over 940,000 residents who are conducting a long term campaign to improve transport choices.

For more information please contact;

ETC Chairperson Cr Mick Van De Vreede                      0438 029 932
CPR Communications, Robert Larocca                         0409 198 350

Seven Councils in Melbourne’s east representing over 940,000 residents have commenced a long term campaign to improve transport choices.

ETC Chair, City of Knox Councillor Mick Van De Vreede said the aim is to advocate for a transport system which has better buses, more rail, effective coordination and better patronage.

The ETC comprises the cities of City of Greater Dandenong, Knox, Manningham, Maroondah, Monash, Whitehorse and the Shire of Yarra Ranges.

Cr Van De Vreede said “the ETC will be staging regular events to highlight deficiencies in the system and talking to candidates in the lead up to the State election.

“Some of our needs were answered by the recent transport statement and the State Government is to be congratulated for that.

“However we need further improvements if our residents are to get the access to transport that many other people in Melbourne currently have.

“People need to be able to access decent public transport to help them participate in their communities and keep the cost of living down.

“The ETC has chosen the 109 Tram terminus as the location for the launch as it symbolises the type of public transport facilities that we would like to see right across the east.”

“At Box Hill you can transfer between train, tram, bus and taxi’s. Having these services at the one location makes public transport easier to use.

“We have developed an agenda for how the transport system should look and what changes are needed.

Some items on our agenda are;

• 7 day a week buses running 5am till11pm
• More park and rides
• Rail to Rowville & Doncaster

“The recent transport statement showed that there are considerable amounts of money available for major infrastructure projects – however you need to plan to achieve them, that’s why this is a long term campaign,” Councillor Mick Van De Vreede concluded.

For more information or comment:

ETC Chairperson Cr Mick Van De Vreede               0438 029 932
CPR Communications, Robert Larocca                  0409 198 350