Category Archives: Transport

Labor only halfway there on East West

I’m pleased that Labor has announced it will dump the East West Link if the current court action being brought by Yarra and Moreland Councils succeeds.

It shows that the people power that’s been opposing this environmentally destructive and economically irresponsible road is paying dividends.

The trouble is, we won’t know the outcome of that legal challenge until 15 December – more than 2 weeks after the election.

Victorian voters deserve to know exactly where Labor stands before the election. Instead of outsourcing its policy decisions to a court, Labor needs to be straight with voters about whether it will or won’t build East-West Link, should it win on 29 November.

We’re talking about a project that will cost a massive $18 billion to construct, crowding out other badly needed investment in schools, hospitals and public transport for decades. And Victorian taxpayers could be forking out up to another billion dollars a year in compensation to investors if the road underperforms – like Brisbane’s failed Clem7 tunnel and Sydney’s Cross City and Lane Cove tunnels, neither of which generated anything like the forecast revenue.

But what’s worse, East West Link won’t be the silver bullet solution to traffic congestion its backers are promising. We know from past experience that building bigger roads only buys temporary relief and just moves the bottleneck up the road. And with the tolls due to start at Chandler Highway, we’re likely to see thousands more cars every day driving through our neighbourhood to avoid paying.

The East West Link will disrupt vital services along the South Morang line for up to 5 years during construction, and destroy precious public open space and liveability in the inner city forever.

But unlike the desal plant, we won’t be able to just ignore it if it turns out to be a costly mistake. It will be there, having a massive impact on our community, every single day.

Only the Greens are unconditionally committed to stopping East West Link.

If I am elected in November, I will be your voice in Parliament against the East West Link and for cheaper, more effective public transport alternatives like Doncaster Rail, Metro Rail and the Mernda rail extension.

RACV Board Election

By the way, you might recall that last year I stood for election to the RACV board on a ‘Stop East West Link’ platform and won support from 34 percent of voters. Well, I’m at it again, this year joined by Yarra Councillor Amanda Stone, taking on the RACV and both Labor and Liberal to say no to East West Link and yes to Doncaster Rail, Metro Rail, the Mernda rail extension and better public transport for all Victorians.

If you’re an RACV member you’re probably eligible to vote and will receive your ballot over the next week stuck inside the Royal Auto magazine. So please keep an eye out for it and encourage your friends and family to get behind Amanda and me.

For more info see Stop East West

PS  We’ve recently announced our plan to address congestion on the Chandler Highway bridge. Check out our video.

The Chandler Express

We all know what a nightmare Chandler Highway is during peak hour. With traffic coming from eight directions, this short road becomes a car park and a dangerous place if you’re walking or riding.

With just five buses heading south each day, Alphington and Fairfield residents, including many parents and students, lack a convenient public transport alternative to driving over the bridge.

Labor wants a couple of extra lanes alongside the old bridge. But all this will do is push traffic to Heidelberg Road and Grange Road, where it’s already a mess at peak hour. Labor hasn’t thought about the extra 4,000 residents who will soon live at Amcor, a development they signed off without any real transport plan.

Like the Liberals, they’re committed to wasting $18 billon on East-West Link, which will see thousands more trucks and cars get off at Chandler to avoid the tolls before heading up to Heidelberg Road.

Here in the seat of Northcote the choice is between Labor or the Greens. We want to cut congestion at Chandler Highway and protect suburbs like Alphington and Fairfield from becoming traffic sewers.

With the balance of power in the lower house of Parliament, we can stop the environmentally destructive and economically irresponsible East-West toll road and we can do lots more to fix congestion in our area.

As part of any Chandler Highway duplication the Greens will:

  • Introduce the Chandler Express; a dedicated transit lane from Alphington to Kew.
  • Extend the 508 bus to run all the way to Hawthorn Station, connecting seven train lines. And we will run it every ten minutes during peak periods.
  • Remove level crossings at Grange Road, Station Street and Victoria Road. We will increase train services along the Hurstbridge line, so you won’t need a timetable during peak hour. Along this line we will create a new bushland corridor and cycling path, linking Darebin and Merri Creek trails.
  • Keep fighting for a train line to Doncaster along the middle of the Eastern Freeway, including a major new train station below Chandler Highway, making this a thriving transport hub, not a traffic bottleneck.

Only the Greens will stop East-West Link, cut congestion at Chandler, remove these level crossings and save our area from becoming a traffic sewer and for a fraction of the cost of Liberal and Labor’s toll road.

Northcote Leader:  Greens transport plan includes Chandler Highway transit lane, improved bus services, September 3