Bill F.
(Above: Melbourne transport protest)
With
heat-wave weather conditions exposing the frailties of the Melbourne suburban
rail system, and the East-West tunnel project criticised and opposed by many –
planners, residents and commuters, the campaign for better public transport is
attracting wide support in an election year.
The
usual daily tally of train cancellations and signal faults has been boosted
this summer by continuing days of fierce heat which caused rail authorities to
slow trains due to the fear of buckled rails (More extreme weather is another
feature of climate change). Many were cancelled due to air conditioning and
other failures, but some were cancelled deliberately to plug holes elsewhere.
For
the sweltering Melbourne commuters, getting to and from work became a
nightmare, with crowded platforms, packed trains that turned up late,
overflowing replacement bus services and traffic jams all over town as family
and friends tried to help out.
The
privatised public transport system is lurching from crisis to disaster with
lack of spending and deferred maintenance putting great strain on outdated
infrastructure, especially the signalling and tracks, let alone the trains.
Never mind, the government sanctions fare increases each year and doles out
subsidies to the private operators just for running ‘mostly on time.’
Any
money available to eliminate some of the suburban level crossings is more to
overcome delays to road traffic than for safety considerations.
The
state government is firmly wedded to tollways and road transport to meet the
demands of big business to transport freight. That is the priority. The
East-West tunnel is designed to facilitate freight movements between the
proposed new port at Westernport and the Western and Hume Highways.
That
is why more and more B-doubles and triples are taking the place of once
reliable rail freight services. Napthine’s government has no new plans to
improve or extend either Victoria’s run-down rail freight system or Melbourne’s
crumbling suburban rail network.
East-West
Tunnel fiasco
Almost
all of the money for the transport budget has been committed to this project,
costed at $6-8 billion dollars, leaving nothing for the public transport system
in spite of predictions of a rapidly growing population.
A
number reports and leaked confidential briefings reveal uncertainty and
confusion about projected traffic numbers and flows, leading many to believe
the East-West tunnel will add to the congestion misery rather than decreasing
it.
For
example, some forecasts predict that traffic at the Eastern Freeway end of
Hoddle St. will increase by 35% because of the project, while traffic at the
city end will increase by 9%. There will also be grid-lock congestion on feeder
roads at the western end, with traffic on Racecourse Rd. projected to increase
by 20% and Mount Alexander Rd. by 25%.
Dr
Alan March, Melbourne University planning expert, was quoted in The Age, “All of the evidence all over
the world suggests these sorts of projects are unlikely to fix things in the
longer term. It is as if the government is determined to press ahead with a
truck-based transport system at all costs irrespective of the impact on the
rest of the city in the longer term.”
There
will be considerable impact on the region, with more than 100 houses to go,
parklands lost and sporting clubs disrupted, with noise and vibration a huge
concern for locals, including the nearby Melbourne Zoo concerned for the
well-being of its most sensitive animals.
At
present, construction contracts have still to be signed and only so-called
‘test drilling’ is taking place around Alexandra Parade, frequently delayed by
demonstrations of irate local residents and opponents of the tunnel.
The
opposition Labor Party has opposed the East-West road tunnel and favour
building an alternative suburban rail tunnel and extending the current
Melbourne Underground Loop. This is well and good, but to fund it they want to
privatise the Port of Melbourne.
In
addition, Labor has not committed to abandoning the East-West road tunnel if
the construction contracts are signed before it can be elected to government.
With the state election due in November, this only gives incentive to big
business and the Napthine government to get it signed off early!
People
are sick of promises and secret negotiations. They are demanding safe, reliable
and efficient public transport as the only way to make Melbourne function well
into the future, rather than pandering to the interests of big business and
multinational oil companies, car manufacturers, insurance companies and road
transport cowboys.
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