Residents from Melbourne’s west, including Maribyrnong and Hobsons Bay, rallied outside state parliament last week demanding better bus services.
The rally was organised by Friends of the Earth, on Friday November 27, along with a petition signed more than 3000 times calling for improved services in the west, which the Western Metropolitan MP David Etterhank tabled in parliament.
“Nowhere is the need for better buses more apparent than in Melbourne’s western Suburbs,” he said.
“Melbourne’s western suburbs have several of the fastest growing populations centres in Australia but also the worst public transport in Melbourne.
“In some areas, buses run only every 40-50 minutes, and there are no trains. The dire state of public transport in the west is the result of underinvestment and bad planning.
“First-home buyers are moving to outer western suburbs because homes are affordable, but then they have to pay a higher price for transport, and the lack of public transport like buses leaves them stranded.”
Friends of the Earth campaign co-ordinator Elyse Cunningham said people travelled from across western Melbourne to be in parliament for the debate.
“It meant a lot to have so many community members from Tarneit, Point Cook, Sunshine, all across the west, sitting in the gallery to watch our government debate the future of transport equity and sustainability in our city,” she said.
“In just two months we managed to get 3021 signatures on the petition, which really shows how important this issue is across all western suburbs.”
“Access to public transport is a basic human right that many across the west are being deprived of due to the negligence of successive governments.
Third-year university student Afia Khan who lives in Melbourne’s outer west joined the Friends of the Earth Better Buses campaign, because her bus was often late and she frequently missed class as a result.
“The first thing most people said to me was about it’s about time the buses were fixed because these people have lived here for years but they don’t think anyone cares about the problem or even tries to fix it,” she said.
Gerald Lynch
