Soaring petrol prices are hitting Melbourne's outer suburbs hardest – suburbs like Caroline Springs, South Morang and Mernda where there is no real alternative to driving to work, school and shops.The Victorian Government has told South Morang residents that work on the rail extension won’t even commence until 2016 and that the Mernda railway extension won't be completed until 2027. Twenty years is just too far away.
If you live in Caroline Springs, plans for electrification of the rail line to Bacchus Marsh (through Melton and Caroline Springs) have not even been approved by the State Government.
With petrol already over a $1.50/litre, $2/litre is now being talked of as a real possibility in the next few years.
According to Darren Peters of the South Morang Rail Alliance, “Residents won’t be thanking the State Government in 5 years time when petrol is $2 per litre and there are still no rail services to South Morang and Mernda”
Petrol price rises will hit families and low income residents hardest – rail extensions are the solution to providing affordable alternatives to the car.
1 comment:
The following is what France is doing at the moment maybe someone could propose a brave new stand to John Brumby? He could go down in history as the first leader in Australia to actually take a stand and say we have to think about the future. No point in having widened Monash freeways if noone can afford fuel to drive on them!
Participants at the climate round-table agreed on a plan to move all trucks off France's major highways, creating two new freight rail links from north to south-east and north to south-west within the next three years.
Mr Borloo also announced a freeze on the building of new roads and airports while consumers will be steered away from gas-guzzling cars through bonuses and penalties, and France's tramway and TGV high-speed train networks are to be extended
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