As the only metropolitan municipality without a rail service, Manningham City Council is advocating to the State Government to ensure a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) service gets the green light and provide its community with a mass-transit solution. A report on BRT was presented to Council at the end of August.
This follows a BRT being listed as a key recommendation in ‘Victoria’s 30-year Infrastructure Strategy, 2016’ prepared by Infrastructure Victoria and supported by the State Government, and a $550 million BRT market-led proposal by operator, Transdev, announced earlier this year.
The Minister for Public Transport, Jacinta Allan MP, confirmed last year the State Government was committing $100 million to improve local bus networks across Victoria. This included undertaking a feasibility study on the Doncaster BRT proposal, first highlighted by Infrastructure Victoria, along the Eastern Freeway, with Public Transport Victoria (PTV) undertaking the study.
Specifically, Council is pushing for the Department of Premier and Cabinet to give certainty to this proposal by including the Doncaster BRT in its five-year infrastructure implementation plan which is due to be released in December this year.
Manningham Mayor, Cr Michelle Kleinert, said getting the green light for the Doncaster BRT was imperative to achieve much needed public transport options and support population growth, economic activity, access to jobs and services and provide sustainable alternatives to private motor vehicle use.
“While Council is not endorsing a specific scheme, we want to see the Doncaster BRT built and operational as soon as possible,” she said.
“With no rail servicing our municipality it is no surprise we have some of the highest rates of car ownership in the State.”
Cr Kleinert said the community continually raised that a lack of public transport services as one of their biggest challenges.
“The Doncaster BRT will go a long way in alleviating public transport pressures and congestions on our freeways,” she said.
“It’s a no brainer, we just need the State Government to come to the party on this.”
DID YOU KNOW?
An analysis of car ownership in 2016, indicated 62 per cent of households in the City of Manningham had access to two or more motor vehicles, compared to 51 per cent in Greater Melbourne. In 2011, 36,052 (67.8%) of municipality’s working residents travelled outside of the area to work.
Source: www.profile.id.com.au/manningham
BACKGROUND
According to Infrastructure Victoria, the Doncaster BRT would improve the frequency, capacity and efficiency of bus links to inner Melbourne particularly during congested peak hours, making it easier to access jobs and services.
