Article: Getting worse, that's what commuters think of system

[ozbob]

From Melbourne Age click here!


Getting worse, that's what commuters think of system

Getting worse, that's what commuters think of system

Clay Lucas
February 27, 2008

ALMOST half of Victorians think the state's public transport system is worse than five years ago.

The latest Age/Nielsen poll found that 49% of Victorians think public transport is worse, while 27% say it's better.

Dissatisfaction with public transport appears to cross the political divide, with 48% of Labor voters and 54% of Liberal voters saying it is worse.

Public Transport Minister Lynne Kosky did not comment directly on the poll, instead again outlining $10.5 billion worth of promises made in 2006.

"We are working to find ways to meet increasing demand for public transport services," Ms Kosky said.

The Government had just ordered 18 new six-carriage trains that would carry 14,500 more people during peak times ? "equivalent to more than 12,000 cars and more than six freeway lanes of capacity".

New research shows that booming employment in the city centre has not led to a matching rise in car travel.

Instead, city workers are favouring public transport or their feet, the State Government's new Transport Demand Information Atlas shows.

The report, released by the Department of Infrastructure this month, found 30,000 more people were working in the city centre in 2006 than in 2001. Despite this jump, almost 5000 fewer people drove to work.

And the number of people who walked to work in the city centre rose to more than 5%, up from less than 3% in 2001.

Ms Kosky said she was extremely pleased with the results. "People are voting with their feet," she said.

The increase in public transport use was due to the growing Victorian population, strong economic growth and greater awareness of environmental concerns, she said.

Melbourne City Council planning spokeswoman Cr Catherine Ng said a levy on car parking in the city centre, introduced in 2006, was one reason the numbers driving to work had fallen.

RACV public policy manager Brian Negus said congestion in peak periods and axing zone 3 fares last year had led to the fall in car travel to the city centre.

Opposition transport spokesman Terry Mulder said the poll results "confirmed that successive Labor transport ministers ? Peter Batchelor and now Lynne Kosky ? have allowed the public transport system to spiral downwards into a state of decay".

Labor had failed to extend the suburban rail network to growth suburbs such as Cranbourne East and South Morang, he said.

It also emerged yesterday that rail operator Connex has not provided the State Government with a report about overcrowding on trains, as required by its contract.

In its annual Forward Capacity Plan, which was due in January, Connex is required to detail potential issues for the next three years and suggest what it plans to do about them.

But documents obtained by the Opposition under freedom of information show Connex, under an arrangement with public transport director Jim Betts, has not provided the plan.

Mr Mulder said Ms Kosky was failing to enforce Connex's contract. Yarra Trams had supplied a plan to cope with capacity problems, he said, and Connex should have, too.

A spokesman for the Department of Infrastructure, which oversees the train and tram contracts with Connex and Yarra Trams, said that since the agreement for Connex to run Melbourne's train system began in 2004, unprecedented patronage growth meant the Forward Capacity Plan was outdated in coping with overcrowding.

Connex's contract requires its annual capacity plan to show how its services will not breach the maximum number of passengers allowed per six-car suburban train: 798 passengers.