Eastern Transport Coalition chairwoman and Yarra Ranges councillor Samanatha Dunn says a State Government spending splurge could have been better used. 51457
By Tania Martin
THIS week the Mail and the Yarra Ranges Council launches their campaign to highlight the region’s transport woes in the lead up to the November State election.
The campaign aims to ease restrictions on taxi pick-ups, provide more buses and extend hours of service and improve train and station safety.
It comes as the Eastern Transport Coalition (ETC) slammed the State Government over a $9 billion spending spree on inner-city projects, saying the south east had once again been ignored.
Group chairwoman and Yarra Ranges councillor Samantha Dunn said the cash could have been better spent on some of the projects in the hills which have been on its wish list for years.
The funding announced last month included $4.3 billion for a Regional Rail Link and plans for five stations in the Melbourne Metro project.
Transport Minister Martin Pakula said both projects would provide extra capacity for more than 20,000 passengers and reduce congestion.
But Cr Dunn said this decision to not spend money in the south east had been disappointing for residents who continued to battle the ongoing public transport shortages.
“While more transport planning is desperately needed in the outer east, we keep seeing funds being directed to the same electorates,” she said.
“We (ETC) recently submitted a petition on behalf of more than one million people in the east who want better transport options.
“It’s time the Government stopped neglecting the east on transport policy,” Cr Dunn said.
Cr Dunn said if the $9 billion was made available to the south east there would be plenty to spend it on.
She said one of the key areas was increasing capacity on the Lilydale and Belgrave line trains.
“We need to work out what the best options are, whether it’s line duplication or timetabling scheduling,” Cr Dunn said. But a State Government spokesman said its transport plan supported Victoria’s growth by transforming the transport network.
He said the plan had set out a 30 year pathway to achieve a better transport system for all of Victoria by providing more trains and trams, more train tracks and stations, better roads that are unclogged and more transport choices in suburbs and regions.
“Melbourne’s eastern and south-eastern suburbs will benefit from the completion of Peninsula Link, two new stations and the extension of the rail line to Cranbourne East as part of the Victorian Transport Plan.”
