Cr. Stephen Jolly, Socialist Party Candidate for Richmond

Public Transport Policies and Priorities

Ycat Questions and Candidates Responses – Victorian State Election 2010

Richmond Electorate

Ycat has conducted a survey of the major political party’s to determine the policy and the personal commitment of candidates in the Richmond District, Victorian State Election 2010 to Public Transport Options and the proposed Hoddle Street road development.

Ycat undertook to publish candidate’s responses verbatim on the Ycat Website and to circulate these responses via newsletter.  Ycat has received responses from the Socialist Party, Labor Party and Greens Party and candidate’s responses are posted below.


Stephen Jolly

Socialist Party Candidate and current Councilor, City of Yarra for Langridge Ward (Collingwood, Fitzroy, Abbotsford, Clifton Hill, South Fairfield and Alphington)

Candidates Questions and Responses

1. Will you introduce a single Public Transport Authority that can control train, tram and bus timetables, service delivery and investment?

Yes, the Socialist Party and Stephen Jolly agrees with a co-coordinating body. However it must be made up of representatives of public transport users, workers in the industry, and pro-public transport experts – not just another layer of bureaucrats.

A co-coordinating body must be part of a programme to massively invest in public transport with railway and tram lines to the outer suburbs lacking such services. This include a rail line to the Airport, a light rail down the middle of the Eastern Freeway with a park/ride at Bulleen, and a greatly expanded underground service.

These policies will be advocated for by Stephen if elected. He will also use the position to help develop a mass campaign against more freeways and for more resources for public transport.

By the way these policies will not be agreed to by the Liberals or ALP, so we disagree with the Greens’ position of potentially propping up a Liberal or ALP government. The cost of such an alliance would be the gutting of any decent public transport policy by the major party involved.

Stephen and the Socialist Party established YCAT some time ago and if he is not elected (and Jane Garrett wins in Brunswick) there will be two SP and 3 Greens on Yarra Council (a majority). We will move a motion to donate $100,000 to YCAT and other public transport advocates to establish a well-resourced and mass campaign for expanded public transport and against more freeways.

2. What will you do to attain a rapid transit rail link between the city and Doncaster?

This is a major campaign demand of Stephen. He has already run stalls every weekend, Saturday and Sunday, on this issue collecting hundreds of signatures in favour. If elected, this will be raised aggressively inside parliament by Stephen and by way of actively building a public campaign on the matter.

3. What will you to achieve a review of the 2008 Transport and Freight Transport Plan?

This plan priorities lorry freight before trains and makes Hoddle St even worse than it is now. The plan is a gospel for the road, car and oil lobbies and needs to be scrapped. It needs to be replaced by a new plan that supports an expanded public transport and the use of trains for freight.

4. What will you do to make transport planning more transparent, community based and consultative?

A genuine public transport authority should have elected representatives from public transport users, workers in the sector, and supportive experts. All government decisions on transport must be open and transparent with no secret deals and only made after public meetings, input and the agreement of the relevant local Councils, residents and workers involved. There needs to be an elected transport authority for Victoria to oversee all areas of transport

5. What will you do to reverse the decision to designate Hoddle St as a Priority Freight Route?

I will obviously oppose this in parliament as well as building us support locally for a campaign of resistance to freight on Hoddle St that could include direct action.

6. Will you introduce 24 hour dedicated bus/taxi lanes – with traffic light priority for buses and trams along the full length of Hoddle St and Punt Rd to just north of the river?

Yes.

7. What measures will you support to reduce private cars on Hoddle St?

The best way to get people out of cars on Hoddle St and into public transport is to make public transport free, better integrated and expanded. Re Hoddle St that includes putting a rail alternative down the Eastern Freeway. By making public transport free (the Sunday Age costed this at $340 million a year in 2006, compared to the over $1 billion the government has lost through the Myki disaster) this would obviously also boost the uptake on public transport. A bus/taxi lane will help too.

8. What measures will you support to reduce air pollution in the City of Yarra?

I successfully moved the motion to make Yarra Council a Zero Emissions Council and to support the Yarra Climate Action Network. I support the successful call to put clear targets on Council’s new Energy Foundation. I led the fight to stop officers from banning community gardens, guerrilla gardens and planter boxes. However, the public transport policies outlined in previous questions will be the best way to reduce air pollution in Yarra!

9. How will you stop all proposed major road projects and reinvest all funds in public transport? For clarification, please indicate which road projects you would support and which you will oppose.

I support investment for safe local roads and pathways for use by cyclists, pedestrians and of course drivers. Every year the Council spends about $22 million on these necessary works. However there are no new major roads we need in this area, rather we need expanded public transport and the resulting diminishing use of these roads. The gridlock drivers experience on the likes of Hoddle St results in rat-running through Yarra’s suburbs.

10. Please provide website URLs for your party’s Transport policies.

www.socialistpartyaustralia.org/council and www.socialistpartyaustralia.org