Tackling congestion on roads

It has been a great couple of months for the Yarra Ranges area, with recent Brumby Government announcements to deliver improvements for local infrastructure, schools and public transport.
It began with the announcement of a comprehensive review of local bus services in the Yarra Ranges, Knox, and Maroondah regions that will lead to improvements for bus services, informed by the local community.
No one knows what people want from their local bus services better than the people who live and work in the area, so local bus operators, councils, and residents in the community will all be consulted as part of the review.
I encourage those who want to have their say on the make up of future bus services in the area to participate in the workshops or make a submission to the Department of Transport, which will be conducting the review.
Our buses will inevitably have improved roads to travel on with the news that more than $14 million will be spent by the Brumby Government on the safety and efficiency of the local road network in the outer eastern suburbs.
A range of local projects will be delivered to make roads safer and help tackle congestion, including $2.6 million for the installation of traffic signals at the intersection of Wellington Road and Lysterfield Road in Lysterfield, $2.5 million for safety improvements on Wellington Road between Napoleon Road and Lysterfield Road, $83,000 for safety improvements on Burwood Highway from Wattle Avenue to Reynolds Lane in Belgrave, and $158,000 for the installation of a pedestrian refuge on Lilydale-Monbulk Road, north of Birmingham Road. Most works are expected to start in late 2008.
Importantly, these projects are the result of consultation with the community and local councils about their needs to improve the local transport networks.
Earlier this month I was at Mt Dandenong Primary School with Education Minister Bronwyn Pike to announce a $500,000 upgrade as part of a $3 million package for six Victorian schools.
The funding will be used for new building works at Mt Dandenong to modernise and upgrade education facilities. It will allow the school to extend and upgrade its multi-purpose room to create an even better learning space for students and teachers to work in.
Education remains the Brumby Government’s number one priority, which is why we are investing in the best resources young Victorians need to have the best learning opportunities.
By creating new learning spaces, students and teachers will have better access to high-quality facilities equipped for modern teaching and learning.