THE Westgate Punt has come under fire exactly 12 months since the introduction of weekday services.
The bicycle and pedestrian ferry that crosses the Yarra River beneath the West Gate Bridge has been accused by Labor of being a waste of money, but defenders, including cyclists and the Greens, say the service is a welcome link between the western suburbs and city’s south.
Last Thursday’s Ride to Work Day marked the one-year anniversary of the punt becoming funded by the state government as a daily commuter service.
Shadow transport minister Fiona Richardson criticised the government for spending $1.4 million over four years on the punt, arguing the money could be used for “services that people are actually prepared to use”.
Figures released by Transport Minister Terry Mulder reveal one in three of the 36 trips per day between Spotswood and Port Melbourne has no passengers. Another third have two or fewer passengers. However, many of these low-use trips are return crossings during peak times.
Mr Mulder has stood behind the service, which costs $2 per trip, as an “alternative means of transport”.
Regular user John Kosowski, who lives in Yarraville and works in South Melbourne, said the service had been growing in popularity across the year.
“It’s a service people are more likely to use in the warmer weather,” he said. “It’s mainly [used by] cyclists, but I’ve started to notice pedestrians are also using it.”
Earlier this year, Williamstown Labor MP Wade Noonan asked Mr Mulder for details on the total cost to the government for the punt operation and its patronage levels.
From October last year to March this year, the government spent $118,539 to carry 9160 commuters — $13 per trip.
“I’m not opposed to some support for the punt,” Mr Noonan said, “but when locals query why other cycling projects such as the Federation Trail extension and the widening of the notorious Shepherd Bridge bike path have stalled, they need to understand that the Baillieu government has taken millions of dollars away from those projects in order to fund the punt.
“For transparency, it should be recognised that Shepherd Bridge carries 1900 riders a day, while the punt carries an average of 70.”
Western suburbs Greens MP Colleen Hartland said Labor’s comments were a blow to cyclists. “More and more people are discovering this quick, reliable, cheap and healthy way to cross the Yarra River to get to work,” she said.
