Author: PTUA
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Cars remain problem
The West Gate bridge carries 160,000 vehicles a day (”Trucks test structure of West Gate”, 18/3), but that is only a modest 15 per cent increase on 10 years ago, when it carried 140,000. Then, as now, traffic was forecast to increase by some staggering amount over the next decade. In fact, traffic finds its…
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Doncaster Rail Report is “Topsy-Turvy Planning”, says PTUA
Making the Doncaster rail extension conditional on undergrounding the South Morang line is unnecessary and an excuse to kill the project, the Public Transport Users Association said today. “The government all but promised to build the Doncaster extension in 2010, but they failed to confront a bureaucracy that’s too fond of making excuses to do…
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Ditch road tunnel and remove level crossings instead, Liberals urged
The Victorian and federal Liberal parties should forget the uneconomic East-West road tunnel and instead direct road funding to a widespread program of level crossing removals, the Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) said today. “Even being optimistic, the Eddington study found the East-West tollroad would cost several billion dollars more than any benefits it would…
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Rowville Rail possible with Dandenong upgrade, no Metro tunnel
Get cracking on Dandenong line upgrade, but Metro tunnel a distraction: PTUA Signalling upgrades and grade separations on the Dandenong line should proceed immediately to boost service to growth suburbs and enable the Rowville rail extension. But claims that the Melbourne Metro tunnel from Footscray to South Yarra is a prerequisite to Rowville rail are…
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Baillieu urged to invest in public transport to save time, money and lives: PTUA
A renewed focus on improving public transport is needed to save Victorians time and money, and to cut the toll of death and injury on the roads, the Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) said today. “Car dependence means more money has to be spent battling road congestion, more time is wasted in traffic, and more…
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Our final PT Problem of the Day for now: Buses along side streets = confusing, slow routes
Bus drivers have real difficulty manoeuvring their buses down side streets, between parked cars. Apart from slow trips, it also means journeys for passengers are along indirect routes and that services are confusing for first-time users. A PTUA study last year found that on average, Melbourne bus routes were 70% longer than the most direct…
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PT Problem of the Day: Regional Rail Link closure – lack of low-floor buses, and poor information
The Sunbury, Ballarat and Bendigo lines have just had a two week closure for Regional Rail Link works. While reports suggest the replacement services ran pretty smoothly, there were two issues of note that we’re highlighting: Low-floor buses: PTV made a pledge that Ninety per cent of replacement buses will be Disability Discrimination Act (DDA)…
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PT Problem of the Day: Wrong #Myki information on some trams (can they tell a bus from a tram?)
On December 29th, Melbourne became a Myki-only city. You’d hope they’d have ensured all the information posted around the system would be as accurate as possible. But this tram (number 205 if anybody from Yarra Trams is reading) got the wrong signage. It’s clearly intended to be placed in a bus. Apart from mentioning that…
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Train, tram, bus users slugged to pay for Baillieu’s roads
7% fare rise cannot be justified, says PTUA The Baillieu Government appears to be using its predecessor’s budgeted fare hikes to help bankroll its destructive East West motorway, the Public Transport Users Association said today. The 7% fare rise takes effect today, three days after the government abolished Metcard, forcing all passengers onto the troubled…
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Problem of the Day: No #Myki ticket sales on trams, no short term tickets at all
As of Saturday, there is no way to buy or top-up a ticket on a tram, and at present not on buses either (although it will be eventually). And on the entire Melbourne public transport network, there is no single or short term ticket available at all. This is already causing confusion for occasional users…
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Users group welcomes reintroduction of paper tickets
The Public Transport Users Association is encouraged by the re-introduction of a conveniently priced paper ticket option as an alternative to Myki – although it will only be available to Seniors Card holders travelling on Mornington Peninsula buses. Seniors have been up in arms in recent months as it became evident that the Seniors Daily…
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PT Problem of the Day: Flinders Street clocks – iconic, but out of date
Flinders Street is Melbourne’s busiest station, and its clocks are not just historic icons, but also informative. Unlike modern screens such as those that replaced the clocks at Elizabeth Street, they can be seen from a distance, such as from across the street. But their usefulness is limited because they are out of date: the…