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Media Release

2005-06 State Budget under-delivers on Public Transport

The Public Transport Users Association has described the 2005-06 state budget as unbalanced and says it does not do enough to improve public transport in Victoria.

"The Bracks government is all too happy to splash money around on roads while public transport improvements continue to be drip fed. The Government say they want to get people out of their cars and onto public transport, yet they will spend nearly twice as much on road projects than public transport projects. They’ve chosen unsustainable car and oil dependency ahead of sustainable public transport as the future for Melbourne", PTUA Vice President Chris Loader said.

Despite overwhelming public support, rail and tram extensions to South Morang, Doncaster and Knox have been left out. The Government has failed to deliver on its 1999 election promises.

The only service improvements users will see in the next year are small increases to bus services in outer metropolitan Melbourne.

"Despite some small improvements to local bus services, the funding is a small fraction of what is required to bring Melbourne up to standard. We need a lot more investment to see significant increases in patronage to reach the government’s target of 20% of motorised trips being by public transport by 2020", Mr Loader said.

The PTUA welcomes the commitment to the Frankston to Ringwood SmartBus, though a lot more bus upgrades are required to provide real alternatives to the travelling public.

"The government should be rolling out a network of high frequency full-time bus services across Melbourne, not just one SmartBus route per year", Mr Loader said.

In other public transport budget initiatives:

• The PTUA supports planning towards the restoration of passenger services to Mildura and Leongatha.
• The PTUA believes funds from the city parking levy must be directed solely to public transport. “What use is a levy to discourage people driving to the city when it is spent on more roads?” Mr Loader said.

Contacts:
PTUA Office 9650 7898

© 2007 Public Transport Users Association Inc. (PTUA), Victoria, Australia. ABN 83 801 487 611.
General copying and distribution on a non-commercial basis is permitted subject to proper acknowlegement.
Authorised by Tony Morton, 247 Flinders Lane, Melbourne, for the PTUA

Last Modified: 03 May 2005