Summit to cut cars

By Casey Neill
KNOX and Yarra Ranges residents are invited to take part in a major Eastern Transport Coalition (ETC) public transport summit at Manningham City Council in Doncaster next week.
The summit, to be held on Friday 4 July from 8.30am to 11am, will highlight changes needed to accommodate current and future public transport use.
Keynote speaker will be the Professor of Sustainability from Western Australia’s Curtain University Peter Newman who is credited with coining the term ‘automobile dependence’.
Other speakers will include professor Graham Currie, Monash University Chair of Public Transport and the RACV’s chief engineer Peter Daly.
Last Friday the mayors of the seven councils that form the ETC met at Ringwood Railway Station to sign a letter of invitation to the conference to the Premier and Opposition Leader.
Shire of Yarra Ranges councillor Samantha Dunn said ideas from the summit would be used to develop the basic requirements of a transport plan for the eastern suburbs and to lobby the State Government to undertake a more comprehensive study.
“The Eddington Report has highlighted what the ETC believes is the fundamental need for the State Government to develop a detailed public transport plan that address current and future transport needs, especially in the eastern and outer eastern suburbs,” she said.
Knox councillor and ETC chairman Mick Van De Vreede said the meeting would be used to determine the basic requirements of a transport plan for the eastern suburbs. “It is clear that we need better public transport in Melbourne’s east — and we need it now,” he said.
“It’s the smart answer to help local families cope with the rapidly escalating petrol prices and climate change.”
Those who are unable to attend the meeting can email their ideas to info@etc.org.au.
Contact Melissa Sparrow by emailing melissa.sparrow@knox.vic.gov.au or calling 9298 8126 by Friday 27 June to book a place.