Yarra Campaign for Action on Transport

When it comes to Noise & Light Pollution, Australia is asleep at the wheel as it affects human health and biodiversity.

Noise and light pollution may cause serious harm to man and to the environment. This EU report reviews the damage caused by noise and light pollution to man and other living species. These types of pollution can have serious repercussions, such as disturbing ecosystems and provoking diseases in humans.

In the countries in which reliable statistics are available it is considered that around 40% of the population is exposed to noise levels exceeding 55 dB during the day and 22% of the population to levels of more than 65 dB. Over 30% of the population is believed to be exposed to noise levels exceeding 55 dB during the night (the acoustic nuisance scale begins at 65 dB). Prolonged exposure to noise, particularly among the young, poses a real health threat.

The fight against noise and light pollution is a major environmental and public health challenge. The report calls for an integrated approach to the problem and for efforts to raise awareness of the whole society. It is also suggested that all member states take measures to introduce threshold levels for noise and light and impose penalties for exceeding those levels.

The Hoddle Street Study should have a good look at what’s going on the train line running beside Hoddle St.

Delays at Flinders Street for the Epping and Hurstbridge Lines have increased ever since the loop was “untangled” in November 2008. Until then, morning trains all ran direct from Jollimont to Parliament.

Now passengers on those lines who wish to exit at city loop stations first have to wait up to 15 minutes or a platform to become available at Flinders St (and sometimes Princes Bridge). Then hope the train turns into a new service that continues along the loop, not morph into a Glen Waverley line train bound direct to Richmond.

Next, they have to wait at Flinders Street for passengers to get off, figure out where the train is going next (even the drivers don’t know) then wait for a new driver to be found, and the signs changed to reflect the new service.

Unfortunately the train must now navigate the aging viaduct with a 15 km/hr speed limit to reach Southern Cross.

Before the loop was untangled, the delays caused by trains crossing each other never exceeded a minute for the peak inbound trains. Perhaps the empty outbound trains had a longer wait, but no body noticed.

There may be a few more trains now, and a few more planned, but the service to Parliament is so bad now that hardly anyone on the Clifton Hill loop gets of at Parliament.

Passengers are looking for alternative means of transport and unless they are walking, that means by road.

For more on these issues:

Problems Grand Central, CLAY LUCAS, April 24, 2010

Finding a way through the railway labyrinth, The Age, June 22, 2008, By REID SEXTON

“Untangling the Hoddle Street snarl is simple: use trams“, The Age January 22, 2010, by JOHN LEGGE

Connex changes affect thousands The Age, November 10, 2008, CLAY LUCAS

BRUMBY DEFERS MAJOR WORK ON RAIL VIADUCT FOR ANOTHER 10 MONTHS,
Liberal Party Media Release, 10 March, 2010

From the Age May 14, 2010 by JASON DOWLING AND CLAY LUCAS

STATE Treasurer John Lenders has left the door open for congestion charges on Victoria’s roads this decade following a recommendation in the Henry tax review to consider congestion pricing.

At a Property Council lunch yesterday, Mr Lenders noted the federal government had not responded to Dr Ken Henry’s recommendation of congest- ion charges ”across heavily congested parts of the road network”.

When asked if Victoria would have congestion charges, Mr Lenders said it was ”not on our immediate agenda” but would ”follow what a national approach is”.

He said while there would be no action on congestion charges by the federal government before 2013-14, if the Commonwealth came up with a more efficient way of raising tax, ”we are willing to look at it”.

The Brumby government has consistently ruled out introducing congestion charges, despite Sir Rod Eddington’s 2008 east-west transport review concluding that congestion charging was inevitable in Melbourne.

However, the state government has secretly been investigating congestion charges.

The Department of Transport in March refused to release to The Age under freedom of information 12 pieces of work, undertaken since 2007, on congestion charging.

The RACV has long called for a scrapping of transport taxes, such as petrol excise and registration fees, to be replaced by a wide-ranging road user charge - a form of congestion charging - based on the number of kilometres driven, when and where.

The RACV’s Brian Negus said the current taxation system was inequitable.

”It overtaxes many motorists and is totally arbitrary and doesn’t make the best use of our transport,” he said.

He said the federal government’s silence on road user charging was ”a missed opportunity to reform road taxation and get a better outcome for the community”.

He said that under a properly structured road user charge, motorists in country areas where congestion was rarely an issue would pay less for car use than their current charges.

Road pricing is already in use in many places around the world to manage congestion, including in Singapore, London, Sweden and Germany.

The Henry review recommended ”congestion charges should apply to all registered vehicles using congested roads”.

”Current road tax arrangements will not meet Australia’s future transport challenges. Poorly functioning road networks harm the amenity, sustainability, liveability and productivity of our society,” the report said.

It found that ”under business-as-usual assumptions, the avoidable costs of urban congestion may grow to around $20 billion in 2020. This cannot be reduced simply by building more city infrastructure, as most new road space induces new traffic.

”Helping to manage road use, through efficient prices, provides the best long-term approach to reducing congestion,” the report said.

It estimated the annual social cost of congestion would hit $6 billion in Melbourne by 2020.

The Victorian Employers’ Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VECCI) has called for bike registrations to restrict bike riding.

VECCI representative Chris James claimed that “road users have paid for roads via fuel taxes and steep registration fees, which also include a component for third-party insurance”.

Chris James represents VECCI on the Hoddle Street Study Stakeholder Advisory Group which is looking into congestion on Hoddle Street.

VECCI represents some of Australia’s biggest companies, yet seems to be stuck in old modes of thinking about urban transport even as many of its members introduce progressive environment and transport strategies.

VECCI has previously opposed the new bike lane in Melbourne’s Albert Street between the city and Hoddle Street which passes VECCI headquarters.

Now is the time to let VicRoads know what you believe are the critical issues for Hoddle Street

Is it congestion experienced by motorists? or is it the environment, safety, community, heritage, health?

What do you think are the critical problems that the government should be solving with your taxes? A new tunnel? a big overpass? a new train line? none of the above?

Let us know at YCAT by Tuesday 17th May so we can let VicRoads know via the Hoddle Street Study Stakeholder Advisory Group (HSSSAG).

“The broad aim of stakeholder consultations is to help the organisation make informed decisions, taking into account the range of perspectives from different stakeholders.”

Email your suggestions to the YCAT Campaign Committee, please email: infoATycat.org.au (simply replace AT with @) or add a comment to this post.

Greens Hoddle St Forum, for the Richmond and East Melbourne community
7.30pm, Thursday 22 April
East Melbourne Library
122 George St, East Melbourne

“The Future of Transport in our neighbourhood hangs in the balance

The state government has announced an “engineering study” into the
congestion on Hoddle Street at significant taxpayers’ expense. With the
Victorain Government recently being exposed on sham consultations, there are
no guarantees that the community will be genuinely involved in decision
making on the future of Hoddle St.

Creating more roads increases smog and congestion. Increasing traffic on
Hoddle Street separates Yarra suburbs further from each other. Do we want
Hoddle Street to become a constantly polluting traffic sewer? Or do we
prefer to return this heritage thoroughfare to its status as a world class
boulevard?

There are many transport options now available and we should choose
carefully for the future of our community.

Come and hear Greens representatives from state and local government discuss
clear, simple, healthy and affordable options and contribute your ideas to
alternatives for transport in inner Melbourne.

Kathleen Maltzahn is the Greens candidate for the State seat of Richmond.
She recently finished time as a councillor for Yarra City, where she was on
the Bicycle Advisory Group and sat on the Planning, Environment and
Infrastructure Committee.

Greg Barber MLC is the Green State Parliamentarian for Northern Metropolitan
Region. He is active on transport issues, devising a comprehensive travel
proposal for Victoria titled “The People Plan”.

Cr Cathy Oke chairs the Future Melbourne (Eco-city) Committee and Future
Melbourne (Connected city) Committee for the City of Melbourne. She also
represents Local Government on the Victorian Roads Based Public Transport
Advisory Council.

Brian Walters SC is the Greens candidate for the State seat of Melbourne. A
prominent Melbourne barrister, Brian is past president of Liberty Victoria
and currently president of Protectors of Public Lands. His book “Slapping
on the Writs” is about the obstacles faced by community groups when
developers try to silence them.

Cr Alison Clarke represents Melba Ward (Richmond) at Yarra City Council.
She chairs Yarra’s Planning, Environment and Infrastructure Committee and
is also Council’s alternate delegate to the Metropolitan Transport Forum.
Alison is a keen cyclist and sustainable transport advocate.

Traffic congestion is at a critical point in Yarra and inner Melbourne.

We cannot build our way out of it.

We have to commit to community friendly alternatives.”