In a rare show of major cross-party solidarity, Over 90 candidates in Melbourne’s council elections have pledged their support for the “Better Buses” campaign, demonstrating that better buses are a key issue for voters.
In a survey sent out by the Sustainable Cities collective, who have been campaigning for better buses in the west for the past 3 years, a Labor candidate for Melton City Council (unendorsed), spoke to their experience of “Having had to pay up for Ubers because buses are running too infrequently, walking long distances to get to the closest bus stop and being turned away because buses are at capacity”.
This sentiment was echoed by an Independent candidate for Wyndham, who stated that bus reform would “reduce traffic congestion, lower emissions, and create stronger, more connected communities”, while a Liberal party candidate for the same council said that they will “champion better bus services by advocating for increased frequency, expanded routes, and improved connectivity to meet the needs of our growing community”.
A Greens candidate for Maribyrnong council, said that they would “campaign [for] the Department of Transport and Planning to review routes, ensuring residents are being provided access to key locations in a timely and efficient manner” while a Victorian Socialists candidate said they would “Establish community forums across Maribyrnong council to discuss public transport options in the local community with direct links to decision makers, including councillors”.
Coordinator of the Better Buses campaign, Elyse Cunningham, stated that “There may be few issues which Labor and Liberal candidates agree on - let alone independents and socialists too - but the cross-party support for the simple and cost-effective proposals of the ‘Better Buses’ campaign make total sense given the very real impacts faced by everyone in our community when faced with a lack of such an essential service as public transport”.
This surge also follows a recent protest at Williams Landing train station to protest the lack of buses in the area, as well as the tabling of a parliamentary petition that received over 3000 signatures, by Upper House representative for the Western Metropolitan area David Ettershank
The Better Buses campaign is a grassroots movement led by the Sustainable Cities Collective, which calls for a transformation of Melbourne’s bus network form the outdated diesel buses running on long, winding, convoluted routes to a fast, frequent and connected grid serviced by clean, electric buses that will allow everyone in our communities to get where they need to go, without having to use a car.
“This is fundamentally an equity issue” said Cunningham “Every Melburnian deserves access to reliable and affordable public transport and we’re glad to see that candidates are taking the opportunity to speak up on behalf of their communities, and commit to advocating for bus network transformation in council”.
Key Facts:
-Over 90 candidates have pledged their support for better buses this election
-Candidates from most political parties pledged their support
-The campaign recently tabled a petition with over 3000 signatures
Contact details:
For more comment, contact:
Elyse Cunningham - Sustainable Cities Coordinator, Friends of the Earth Melbourne
Ph: 0421 559 343 E: elyse.cunningham@foe.org.au
