Author: PTUA

  • High petrol price signals Rowville Rail need

    With petrol prices expected to hit $1.60 in the next fortnight, the Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) has warned the State Government that urgent action is required. According to the association, the Rowville railway line is the only sure-fire way to ensure economic stability in the Monash region, as petrol prices continue to rise.

  • Tram-like buses to solve transport woes

    The Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) is calling on Geelong councillors to support a bid to the State Government for “tram-like” bus routes in Geelong. The Association has been meeting with councillors to seek support for three high-quality bus routes along Geelong’s major roads, as the first priority for upgrading the whole system.

  • Eddington: Tunnel vision

    This article is from our April 2008 newsletter. Please join the PTUA to receive regular newsletters. Rod Eddington’s East West Needs Assessment report was finally released at the beginning of April. The assessment was a key part of the government’s Meeting Our Transport Challenges strategy, and like MOTC itself the Eddington report deserves a hearty…

  • April 2008 newsletter

    Please join the PTUA to receive regular newsletters. April 2008 edition articles: Eddington: Tunnel vision Outer east news Metro train timetables revamped What would YOU like to see in the new contracts? How many trains?

  • Tram-like buses to solve transport woes

    In response to bus reviews in Manningham/Monash/Whitehorse, the Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) is calling for principal ‘tram-like’ bus routes to be established on all main roads in the three municipalities. “The current bus network with all its spaghetti-tangled routes, just doesn’t meet our travel needs in the 21st century,” said Jeremy Lunn, the PTUA’s…

  • Transport policy on road to climate disaster, says new report

    Greenhouse gas emissions from cars and trucks are currently growing so fast that national emission reduction targets will be impossible to achieve; biofuels are causing hunger and deforestation for little or no benefit; and new motorways make carbon pricing more painful for vulnerable households. These are just some of the warnings contained in a new…

  • Changes to metropolitan train timetables

    From November, Werribee trains will not run via the loop in peak hours, and Epping/Hurstbridge line trains will run permanently clockwise through the loop. These changes will allow more trains to run. And daytime trains on almost all lines will run as 6 carriages from late-April. (See links to details, below.) Why is the PTUA…

  • Train timetable revamp welcomed

    The Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) has welcomed the government’s revamp of train timetables. From November the Clifton Hill loop will run in a consistent direction, and more trains will be diverted out of the over-congested City Loop. From mid-2009, more trains will run in off-peak hours. PTUA president Daniel Bowen said the long-awaited changes…

  • Road and rail tunnels not needed

    The Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) has reacted with intense skepticism to the tunnel projects recommended by the East-West Link Needs Assessment (EWLNA). The EWLNA, headed by Sir Rod Eddington, recommended an 18km cross city road tunnel, connecting the Eastern Freeway at Clifton Hill with the western suburbs, and a 17km underground rail tunnel, running…

  • Transport Coalition calls for peak oil inquiry

    Members of the Coalition for People’s Transport today called on Premier John Brumby to follow Queensland’s lead and establish an inquiry into “Peak Oil” to determine how rapidly rising oil prices will impact Victoria and how we should adapt. The call comes from Environment Victoria (EV), the Victorian Council of Social Service (VCOSS), the Melbourne…

  • Manningham shunned again … and again

    Manningham public transport users have missed out on free Earlybird travel to be rolled out across the metropolitan train network at a cost of $10 million pa. From 31 March train users arriving at their destination before 7am will be able to travel one-way for free.

  • Sunday bus black hole in Whitehorse/Manningham

    The Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) has called for a complete rewrite of Sunday bus timetables in Melbourne’s east, to be carried out immediately. Under this plan, Sunday bus services would operate during the daytime on the same timetable as Saturdays.