eastern councils lobby for federal transport spending

Seven eastern Melbourne Councils have voted to put the pressure on Federal candidate to support public transport spending in the lead up to the September 7 election.

Greater Dandenong, Knox, Manningham, Monash, Maroondah, Whitehorse and Yarra Ranges Councils have all either endorsed motions at their meetings or have publicly proclaimed the need for the Federal Government to commit to spending on major metropolitan public transport projects, including urban rail.

The councils, all members of the Eastern Transport Coalition, are asking for an ongoing commitment of funding at a federal level and raising their concerns about Liberal leader Tony Abbot’s statement in April that the commonwealth government had "no history of funding urban rail”.

ETC chairperson, Cr Samantha Dunn said inadequate public transport was a critical issue for residents in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs who have waited decades for projects like rail to Rowville and Doncaster.

“The time has come for the community to vote and candidates in this federal election need to make their position on public transport funding clear,” Cr Dunn said.

 “The ETC supported the Victorian Government’s plan for expanding and improving the rail network but we want it delivered quicker than the 15 years stated in the PTV Network Development plan.

“Residents in the eastern suburbs can’t wait until 2028 for the missing links in Melbourne’s public transport infrastructure to be delivered.”

Cr Dunn said while councils would be making their views known to local candidate, residents could also make their voices heard by using the hash tag #commuterscount on Twitter and liking the ETC’s Commuters County Facebook page.

“We want to see photos and comments so the candidates can see the problems first hand,” Cr Dunn said.