The Geelong Branch of the PTUA will be strongly advocating for these key improvements to the public transport network.
Removal of the North Shore level crossing.
The level crossing at Station Street / North Shore Road in North Shore is dangerous and disruptive and must be removed to ensure the safety of the travelling public and the reliability of train services on the Geelong and Warrnambool Lines.
This crossing has a well-documented history of dangerous and disruptive incidents and is one of the biggest factors in delays and cancellations of train services.
This crossing was earmarked as the 126th most dangerous in the state as of the ACLAM 2008 list, the most recent data available. However, the branch believes its ranking will have risen significantly since then due to the increased road and rail traffic surrounding the area and the removal of many level crossings in Melbourne as part of the Level Crossing removal project.
The branch has no preference for removal methods. It is expected that nearby residents should be able to have their say on viable options whether that be rail over, road over, rail under or road under.
Advocacy Progress
In January 2024 the branch released a press release highlightning the need to remove this dangrous crossing following the fatelaty of a truck driver the month prior. This release was covered by many local outlets including; Geelong Independent, Geelong Advertiser, Geelong Times & Geelong News Now. Additionally, The Geelong Advertiser ran a poll alongside thier story with 81% of 142 readers supportive of removing the crossing.
Our convenor Jarred Crowe met with Lara MP Ella George in February 2024 to discuss the problematic crossing and reaffirm the need to remove it.
We will continue to push for the removal of this dangrous and disruptive level crossing however we can.
Public Transport service for Avalon workers and travelers.
Aside from the airport itself, Avalon is now the home to major employers Cotton On, Petstock and Australia Post. By 2026 it is estimated that more than 750 jobs will be based at the quickly developing industrial precinct. However, employees have little choice but to drive or rely on costly taxi/rideshare services to commute.
In a cost of living crisis employment precincts should not be allowed to develop without the provision of suitable and affordable public transport connections.
Our Plan
The branch believes extending Lara Route 11 whilst adding services would be an extremely cost effective option to get workers and travellers to and from Avalon. Whilst providing the added benefit of a regular timetabled service for residents of Lara Lifestyle Village, a growing retirement village to the east of Lara. The proposed route would see services extended from the current terminus at Rennie St along Nasmyth Street, Watt Street, Old Melbourne Road and Beach Road.
We would expect this service to have at minimum, a 30 minute frequency from 5 am through to 7 pm.
Our convenor Jarred Crowe shared this plan with Lara MP Ella George who has also heard from constituents that the lack of transport options is a barrier to those considering employment opportunities at Avalon.
Better bus shelters and stops for Geelong.
For the last 20 years, bus shelters have been an after thought in Geelong with no significant funding ever provided to upgrade all the non-compliant shelters across the city. Geelong is riddled with a huge variety of shelters, most notably it has a large inventory of “green pebble mix” shelters that don’t provide shelter for mobility-impaired users or clear sightlines for passengers to see approaching busses.
What is happening now
In 2023 the City of Greater Geelong delivered only eight new bus shelters and wrote home as if this was a victory. This is far from a victory at this rate these new shelters will likely be outdated themselves by the time all the “green pebble mix” shelters are finally removed. Making matters worse one of the shelters replaced in 2023 was located a mere 300m from the route terminus, showing that project prioritisation of shelters is not in the best interest of bus passengers.
No Plan
The branch wants to see The City of Greater Geelong develop a holistic bus shelter plan in consultation with local bus passengers. The plan should identify all non-compliant bus shelters around the municipality, prioritise their detrimental impact and provide funding to ensure that all shelters are upgraded to a consistent and compliant status within the next decade. Additionally, the plan should guide the ongoing installation of new shelters by setting a minimum number of required stops that require shelters and ensuring that provisions such as lighting and correct weather orientation are consistently applied.
Our data.
Since 2021 the branch has been diligently capturing data on each and every public bus stop (excluding school bus stops) to quantify stops that are accessible and user friendly. Alarmingly we have found that almost a third of surveyed stops with shelters fail on one or more accessibility requirements. We will be using this data to strategically call for improvements.
Key to the above interactive map:
- Red exclamation icons indicate a stop with an accessability issue.
- Green umbrella icons indicate a stop with a shelter that is accessable.
- Green seat icons indicate a stop with a seat but no shelter.
- Green bike icons indicate a stop with a bike rack.
- Cyan bus icons indicate a stop without a shelter or a seat that is accessable.
- Grey question mark icons indicate a stop without data.
Clicking or taping on any icon will display a name id and a photo of the stop with details on each captured factor for the selected stop.