The Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) has welcomed upgrades to public transport announced in the state budget, but warned that more needed to be done to provide Victorians with sustainable transport choices.

“There are certainly some welcome upgrades that have been announced, but nowhere near what’s really needed to provide relief from chronic traffic congestion and record oil prices”, said PTUA president Daniel Bowen. “While some will notice some improvements to their services, people who currently have no choice but to drive will find little relief, and will continue to fall victim to rising petrol prices.”
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With petrol prices expected to hit $1.60 in the next fortnight, the Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) has warned the State Government that urgent action is required. According to the association, the Rowville railway line is the only sure-fire way to ensure economic stability in the Monash region, as petrol prices continue to rise.
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This article is from our April 2008 newsletter. Please join the PTUA to receive regular newsletters.

Rod Eddington’s East West Needs Assessment report was finally released at the beginning of April. The assessment was a key part of the government’s Meeting Our Transport Challenges strategy, and like MOTC itself the Eddington report deserves a hearty one-hand clap.

Melbourne’s traffic problem actually has a fairly simple diagnosis. A failure to adequately plan and coordinate public transport services means that the bulk of Melburnians are conscripted into mandatory car use.

If you live within walking distance of a railway station or tram and only ever travel along that route, you might find public transport fairly competitive with car travel. Otherwise, you have no choice: if you want a life, you drive a car. This situation has persisted for so long in Melbourne that we assume it’s the natural state of affairs.
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In response to bus reviews in Manningham/Monash/Whitehorse, the Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) is calling for principal ‘tram-like’ bus routes to be established on all main roads in the three municipalities.

“The current bus network with all its spaghetti-tangled routes, just doesn’t meet our travel needs in the 21st century,” said Jeremy Lunn, the PTUA’s Outer East Convenor.
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Greenhouse gas emissions from cars and trucks are currently growing so fast that national emission reduction targets will be impossible to achieve; biofuels are causing hunger and deforestation for little or no benefit; and new motorways make carbon pricing more painful for vulnerable households. These are just some of the warnings contained in a new report submitted to the Garnaut Climate Change Review.

“Everyone knows that motor vehicles are a major source of emissions,” said Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) President Daniel Bowen. “What’s frightening is the rapid growth in transport emissions and the huge risk that things will get even worse as the relatively clean, easier-to-get oil is used up. Current transport policy is a roadmap to dangerous climate change.”
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From November, Werribee trains will not run via the loop in peak hours, and Epping/Hurstbridge line trains will run permanently clockwise through the loop. These changes will allow more trains to run. And daytime trains on almost all lines will run as 6 carriages from late-April. (See links to details, below.)

Why is the PTUA supporting these changes?

We all know train overcrowding is now rife on many lines. More train services are needed to relieve this. But the way the City Loop currently runs doesn’t allow a big boost to services. The loop was designed so that only about half of all trains would run through it, and present-day capacity constraints stem from the loop being run in a way its original planners did not intend.

By changing loop operations, and running some trains direct to Flinders Street, more services can be run, relieving overcrowding and cutting waiting times. While only a few extra services are being added in November, this change means more can be added as the extra trains come into service from 2009.

The extra services mean that, while some passengers might face a slightly longer trip, others will save time, and overcrowding and waiting times will be reduced. And these changes can be made quickly, without big spending on infrastructure.
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The Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) has welcomed the government’s revamp of train timetables. From November the Clifton Hill loop will run in a consistent direction, and more trains will be diverted out of the over-congested City Loop. From mid-2009, more trains will run in off-peak hours.

PTUA president Daniel Bowen said the long-awaited changes meant more trains could be run on the existing infrastructure. “This is precisely what we’ve been calling for, for years”, he said.
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The Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) has reacted with intense skepticism to the tunnel projects recommended by the East-West Link Needs Assessment (EWLNA).

The EWLNA, headed by Sir Rod Eddington, recommended an 18km cross city road tunnel, connecting the Eastern Freeway at Clifton Hill with the western suburbs, and a 17km underground rail tunnel, running from Footscray via the CBD to Caulfield.

PTUA president Daniel Bowen said it was far from clear that such projects were warranted. “We know from earlier studies that there is little car traffic along this route; the vast majority of car and truck traffic is headed for the inner-city, so it makes no sense to spend billions of dollars for a tunnel. It just seems like another 1960s-style predict-and-provide exercise from the road lobby.”

“Likewise, the rail plans for the existing City Loop envisaged 50% more trains running through the city area than we have now, so it is unclear why we need to spend billions more on a rail tunnel when the infrastructure we have is not being used effectively.” [1]
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Members of the Coalition for People’s Transport today called on Premier John Brumby to follow Queensland’s lead and establish an inquiry into “Peak Oil” to determine how rapidly rising oil prices will impact Victoria and how we should adapt.

The call comes from Environment Victoria (EV), the Victorian Council of Social Service (VCOSS), the Melbourne Transport Forum (MTF), the Public Transport Users Association (PTUA), the Institute for Sensible Transport, the Cycling Promotion Fund, Travellers Aid and the Eastern Transport Coalition.
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Manningham public transport users have missed out on free Earlybird travel to be rolled out across the metropolitan train network at a cost of $10 million pa. From 31 March train users arriving at their destination before 7am will be able to travel one-way for free.
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