Login

Author: PTUA

  • Big splurge on roads, while public transport planned on the run, says PTUA

    The 2014 State Budget will splurge $7 billion on new roads in the next term of government alone, yet will spend only $2.5 billion on new public transport developments in that time. This includes welcome spending on level crossing grade separations and early works on a long-awaited rail link to Melbourne Airport. But actual airport…

    Big splurge on roads, while public transport planned on the run, says PTUA

  • Road-building feeds the congestion monster

    Liveable for how long? Not only is the federal government to give $1 billion towards building the western half of the East West Link without a shred of a business case (unless we count the Eddington Report’s 45¢ return in the dollar), Victorians are to be slugged with an extra year of tolls so that…

  • Zone 2 residents likely worse off, not better off from fare changes: PTUA

    The Public Transport Users Association has slammed the Napthine Government’s announcement of a flat fare cap for Melbourne as a “lost opportunity” to reform fares in a sustainable direction, and as a longer-term hit on people in the suburbs that the scheme is supposed to help. “If Premier Napthine really wanted to make public transport…

  • PM’s nonsensical logic

    Does Tony Abbott really think Victorians will accept that black is white? That the best way to fund public transport expansion is to not fund it? More specifically, to pull all federal funding out of urban public transport on spurious ideological grounds and pour money into competing road projects instead (“Tony Abbott backs East West…

  • Big win for south east, no win for west and north, masks ‘split personality’ on transport policy

    The Napthine Government’s announcement of $2 billion of rail infrastructure upgrades and new trains for the Dandenong, Pakenham and Cranbourne corridors has won the strong backing of the Public Transport Users Association, who have labelled it “a template for fixing the rail network across Melbourne”. But it is a shame the improvements are entirely confined…

  • PTUA calls for more public transport for White Night

    The Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) has called for upgrades to public transport services for White Night, in response to long delays and overcrowding at the all-night festival. PTUA President Tony Morton said clearly White Night was a huge success, with estimates of 500,000 people attending, and the state government was to be congratulated for…

  • Follow the lead of world’s liveable cities

    Finally, we have confirmation from Infrastructure Australia co-ordinator Michael Deegan of what the community had suspected. The Napthine government has assessed the benefit-cost ratio for its east-west link as just 80¢ in the dollar (The Age, 13/2), in the absence of fanciful “agglomeration benefits”. The wider benefits claimed are the kind that you get by…

  • Census travel data: don’t jump to conclusions – public transport mode share is up

    from PTUA President Tony Morton The rather lightweight* McCrindle presentation of some Census data in the last couple of days seems to have triggered rather a lot of discussion, including a rant from Neil Mitchell on 3AW where he declared that we should forget about public transport, and just build more roads. It seems rather…

  • Dr Paul Mees OAM, 1961-2013

    DR PAUL MEES OAM, 1961-2013 Statement by the Public Transport Users Association 26 January 2014 The Public Transport Users Association is pleased to note today’s awarding of the Medal (OAM) of the Order of Australia to Dr Paul Mees, who died sadly in June 2013 after a battle with cancer. Paul Mees had a long…

  • ‘Take PT to Parliament’ with your MP

    On the morning of Thursday 6 February, community groups across Melbourne will be joined by their local Member of Parliament and take public transport to Parliament. The morning will see MPs catching trains, trams and buses to Parliament with their constituents. Find out more, and join this event at the Public Transport Not Traffic web…

  • Planned overcrowding – Reduced summer timetable results in passenger crush

    In the wake of severe overcrowding on some train services, the PTUA has criticised the continued reduced timetable, which has cut services on some lines by as much as 50% until late January.[1] The Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) released photos and video [see below] showing crammed conditions on a Frankston line train on Wednesday…

  • The importance of federal funding for public transport

    PTUA President Tony Morton talks to Wake Up on the importance of federal funding for public transport for our cities. Source: Wake Up, Channel 10, 6/1/2014