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March 13, 2008
A quirky John Spooner cartoon that highlights the importance of public transport as petrol prices and the cost of using cars in the city increases:
At one level Melbourne is addressing urban congestion from cars though a free train travel deal. After a five-month trial on two lines this deal will be extended to include all commuters from March 31. Under the deal Melbourne commuters can save up to $47.40 a fortnight if they arrive in the CBD by 7am. It's a creative way to address urban congestion, but it requires an investment in public transport as a public service.
Critics are pointing to what they describe as a "disconnect" between what the Brumby Government says about the environment, and what it does when faced with short and medium-term transport and planning dilemmas. The gridlocked west is confronted by the e West Gate no longer coming close to meeting the needs of the burgeoning — and public transport-starved — outer-western suburbs. So big road and rail tunnels to ease both the gridlock in the west and the traffic pressure from the eastern suburbs are being looked at.
The spectre of peak oil makes the case for roads even more difficult. While the Brumby Government is not prepared to offer a view about when oil is likely to start running out, the Queensland Government estimates it will begin by 2017. If Brumby were to decide to back the tunnel project this year, it would still have to go through years of planning, environmental impact assessments and tendering before work started. By, say, 2010 or 2011, the idea of building a major new road through the middle of Melbourne may well be looking a little dated.
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Gary,
that would mean that state Treasury would need to agree to not seeing public transport as a way to make a profit. That requires a change in the culture of state Treasury.