Tonight’s Eastern Transport Coalition (ETC) meeting featured a presentation by the current Minister for Transport Peter Batchelor in regard to the Transport and Liveability Statement.

While bus services are receiving much needed funding, the government’s minimum service standard are sorely inadequate.  Likewise the failure for the government to provide much needed infrastructure investment in new rail and tram extensions has demonstrated that the State Government and its current Transport Minister lack the foresight and vision necessary to realise the goal of increasing public transport modal share to 20% by the year 2020.

The State Government must realise that the eastern suburbs and Melbourne overall requires more than just ‘business as usual’ as petrol prices continue to diminish the income of suburban residents.