Moreland Intergrated Transport Strategy

A while ago I made a submission to the public consultation on the Moreland Integrated Transport Strategy.

Submission on Moreland Integrated Transport Strategy

Thankyou for the opportunity to comment on the draft Moreland Integrated Transport Strategy (MITS). Transport planning is a neglected part of our local planning policy regime and the gap between the old MITS (1998) and this new strategy of over ten years is one that should never be repeated.

All too often transport planning is ignored or neglected when we make decisions about our local neighbourhoods. Decision makers and planners are seduced by land use, height and other planning issues and come to transport near the end of planning processes. This is not a criticism solely aimed at local processes. It can be said with some authority that the neglect of transport planning lies at the heart of most metropolitan wide planning schemes in Melbourne from the 1954 Planning Scheme right through to Melbourne 2030.

Supporting our Senior Citizens

Labor's policy for this council election is extensive. I hope to provide a snapshot of a different area every couple of days,amongst other stories.

Today, senior citizens.

Supporting Senior Citizens

Labor in Moreland will promote healthy and active ageing so that senior Victorians continue to play a full role in the community.

Labor in Moreland has stood up for, and achieved, more aged care facilities in the municipality, and has campaigned for, and achieved, better home and community care services, and a reduction in waiting lists. Labor in Moreland has also successfully demanded a better deal on concessions for pensioners.

A Labor council will:

• continue to promote the needs of senior citizens
• campaign for further increases of the rate rebate so that it reaches a sustainable level as well as other concession reforms
• seek better funding from the Federal Government for Home and Community Care Services such as home help and meals on wheels
• ensure that services remain accessible and culturally appropriate for our multicultural community
• conduct a rolling program of upgrades to senior citizen centres and kitchens

As the rich get richer

The more I examine the greens transport plan the more I am convinced that it is a plan to make the transport rich, richer and the transport poor, poorer.

But consider, overlay areas with a high green vote say (20% or more) and these are the transport rich areas.

So how is this plan not a pig barrel of pork?

Greens Transport Plan is not the plan Brunswick needs

"The Greens transport plan is a wacky grab bag of silly ideas."

Labor supported candidate for South Ward, Christopher Anderson said the Greens have failed to develop sensible transport policy.

"There is no overall strategy. No commitment to improving transport in the transport poor areas of Moreland. And no understanding of the complexities of a modern transport system."

"What we need in Brunswick is not pie in the sky plans but more trams, more trains, better bus frequencies, as well as better bicycle and walking infrastructure. The Greens transport paper fails on this measure"

“The Moreland Greens can’t deliver this plan. Local Government doesn’t run trains, trams or buses.”

“Voters need to know that this plan is a con.”

Mr Anderson said that some specific proposals would make transport worse in Moreland.

"Plans by the Moreland Greens to cut off Brunswick West residents from the CBD and remove residential parking from Brunswick Road are not what Brunswick West residents need" Mr. Anderson said today.

"As a resident of Brunswick West I don't want the route 55 tram line running to North Melbourne station. I don't want to be cut off from the CBD."

"The Greens also propose an expensive new tram line along Brunswick Road. Brunswick Road is already congested and narrow. Building a tram line and giving trams priority means those residents along Brunswick Road will no longer be able to park outside their house"

The Moreland Greens need to be made accountable for their plans which ignore bus routes. Will they upgrade the Dawson Street/Glenlyon Road to Smart Bus standard (as is planned by the State Government)? Will service improvements for the Albion Street bus go ahead?

Labor will shortly release its Policy, including its transport plan.

"Labor's plan will focus on all modes of transport. We won't be ignoring buses, cyclists or pedestrians."

"We will produce a plan that is sensible, professional, and a plan that works."

About Christopher Anderson

Christopher Anderson has been a strong advocate of sustainable transport within the ALP. He is a key member of the ALP's Transport Policy Committee and has written a number of submissions opposing the cross city road tunnel. In May he moved a resolution calling on the Victorian Government to develop a transport plan at the ALP State Conference, which the Brumby Labor Government is now doing.

Christopher lives in West Brunswick and for his local area he wants bigger trams on route 55 (to ease the squeeze), more bus services on Brunswick Road, Dawson Street and Albion Street and better bike lanes and footpaths.

Height Controls Needed for Brunswick

Immediate action is needed to stop high rise towers in Brunswick, according to Labor supported candidate for South ward, Christopher Anderson.

“Twelve, Fourteen and Fifteen storey buildings are not medium density.”

“Brunswick is a medium density suburb, and it should remain a medium density suburb,” Mr. Anderson said.

“Twelve, Fourteen and Fifteen storey buildings are not medium density.”

“Whether it’s the proposal for a fourteen storey building on Albert Street, or the towers proposed for the bottom of Lygon Street, we need action to prevent towers of such volume happening.”

Mr. Anderson has called on council to act and ask the State Government for interim height controls.

“If council adopts the Brunswick Structure Plan at its October meeting, it can ask the State Government for height controls at the same time.”

“This will rein in the high rise proposals and limit height across Brunswick.”

“I am very confident that the State Government will agree to impose interim height controls.”

“More needs to be done to protect the amenity and character of Brunswick.”

New Labor Supported candidate for South Ward

Christopher Anderson, resident of Brunswick West, with a long history in local community involvement has won support from the Australian Labor Party to contest the South Ward this year’s council elections.

Christopher is one of a suite of candidates that the ALP has selected to run in the November 2008 Moreland Council elections.

Christopher has a strong understand of local issues and the things that matter to the residents of Brunswick

“I have a strong appreciation of what makes it a great place to live. In moving forward, I am deeply passionate to continue and improve to make it even better.“Having worked very closely with numerous community leaders and organisations, I have first hand knowledge and experience of the day to day and long term issues facing Brunswick and residents”, Christopher said.

Christopher also has a historic connection to local government, being the grandson of former City of Brunswick councillor and two time mayor, Norman Anderson. A trust in the name of Cr Norm Anderson gives annual grants to local organisations for the benefit of young people.

Christopher hopes the election campaign will encourage debate on issues including transport; sport and recreation, particularly the use of open spaces; and the opportunity to work across all levels of government to create better facilities for Brunswick families.

“We deserve a responsive council that can respond to these issues and balance the needs of new residents with those of our longer-standing residents,” Christopher said.

Christopher currently works as Electorate Officer for Brunswick MP, Carlo Carli on Sydney Road.

About Christopher Anderson

Christopher lives and works in Brunswick.

He lives in Heller Street, Brunswick West, just around the corner from Union Square on Grantham Street. He works as Electorate Officer for Brunswick MP, Carlo Carli on Sydney Road.

He also studies part time at the University of Melbourne in the Master of Public Policy and Management course.

In his spare time he co-ordinates the juniors at the Brunswick Hockey Club and in summer he occasionally plays a game of cricket with the East Coburg Cricket Club.

He has been a member of the Australian Labor Party since 1992, serving as President and Secretary of Coburg Branch, as a member of the youth, economics and transport policy committees, and as a State Conference Delegate.

He has also served as a member of the RMIT University Council.

Christopher lists securing greater access to the internet for disadvantaged residents as one of his most satisfying achievements. He was a founding member of Virtual Moreland that got community groups online and trained over 1200 disadvantaged residents in how to use the internet.

He also played a leading role in securing funding for a $1 million synthetic hockey field at the Brunswick Secondary College in Dawson Street.

Finding a solution to the competing transportation needs of the area is high on Christopher’s priority list. He is involved in a campaign to encourage the State Government to reconsider its proposed transport solution for inner Melbourne, in particular the east-west road tunnel.

Christopher’s views

What is ‘right’ about Brunswick?

• Good connections (transport/services/ proximity to major activities)
• The people – diverse, interesting, progressive, multicultural
• Our north/south streets – Sydney Road, Lygon St, Grantham/Melville Road
• Strong sense of community
• Vibrant arts/culture/music scene
• Improving urban amenity

What is ‘wrong’ about Brunswick?

• Open space is not where its needed
• Community organisations are under stress
• Housing costs – rents and mortgages are getting costlier
• Trams are overcrowded and there are not enough in the evening (esp West Brunswick)
• Children’s services – not enough of them
• Sports clubs feel neglected and squeezed
• Streetscape quality is varying Brunswick West – is not well connected to the rest of Brunswick
• Competition for roads – conflicts between parking, driving, cars, bikes and pedestrians

What is needed?

• Strategic plans that targets buying more open space in areas of future high demand
• Better support and understanding of the pressures that community organisations face.
• Council plans to help ease the financial burden on new home owners
• Council campaigning with the community to increase public transport capacity
• Maintain and improve access to services and destinations around Sydney Road – better bus links, walking and cycling east west routes and maintaining suitable car access.
• Council needs to improve links with sporting groups – smarter allocation, easier to understand processes and forms, easing off on increasing fees during the drought, more responsive approaches in dealing with infrastructure.

Another Anderson for South Ward

Today the selection process for Labor supported candidates for Moreland Council was concluded in the South Ward.

And I have emerged at the other end as one of the Labor supported candidates, so in fact another Anderson is running for Council in Brunswick.

More on this “another Anderson” business later.

Why have I decided to run? Well, for one I am not that happy with the quality of councillors on Council right now. There is the rare good councillor, but many of them leave much to be desired. I have been discontented by councillors who have gone out and advocated policies such as replacing trams with buses on Sydney Road, cutting funding for local festivals, closing community libraries. But mostly I have been discontented by opportunities missed. By the buck passing between different levels of government.

I would like a more positive focus from council. When a problem exists – like say the lack of childcare – I would like to see a attitude that rather then looking around for another level of government to blame, a attitude that says, “okay, so how can I, or we, work with other levels of government, or non government organisations to fix the problem”.

I think we, the people, deserve better from our political leaders. I don’t think we expect them to magically have all the answers, but I think the politics in Brunswick of the future is one of constructive political leadership.

So I am running because I am in the change business – I want to change the world, however naïve that may sound!

So where is the South Ward?

South Ward is one of three wards in the City of Moreland (inner northern suburbs of Melbourne). The geographic area it covers is almost all of Brunswick (including Brunswick East and West) with the exception of the north east corner.

South ward elects three councillors at the elections on 29 November 2008. At the last election it elected two Labor councillors and one Green.

What is this “another Anderson” business?

I am not the first Anderson to seek to represent the people of Brunswick at the municipal level.

My grandfather, Norman Anderson, was a local councillor for south west Brunswick from 1954 to a few years after I was born. He was also Mayor twice – in 1965 and 1968.

It was a different age, and a different time, and I suspect my political views would be substantially more to the left then his. But from “Pop” as well all called him I learn’t the value of hard work, the principles of service and the necessity to do good works.

If you want to know more about my grandfather, the Norm Anderson Trust (on which I sit on the board) check out their website http://www.normandersontrust.com.au/who-was-norm-anderson.htm

So what are your policies?

I don't plan to outline detailed policies right now - in the best tradition of political campaigns worldwide, but I will nominate a few areas I want to focus on:

• transport, parking and Sydney Road
• services for children
• sport, recreation and the use of parks and reserves
• affordable housing
• and figuring out how we make the planning system work to improve urban amenity.

All ambitious, and probably not achievable in a campaign let alone a term on council but their areas work talking about.

So how can others help?

What this space....... There is much ot be done and not enough time in which to do it!