By Charlene Gatt
GREENS MLC Colleen Hartland has called on Transport Minister Terry Mulder to fulfill an election promise to turn the West Gate punt into an around-the-clock operation.
Mr Mulder pledged to spend $1.4 million over four years to upgrade the West Gate punt to a half-hour frequency, seven days a week.
The West Gate commuter punt is a bicycle and pedestrian ferry that crosses the Yarra River under the West Gate Bridge between Scienceworks at Spotswood and Port Melbourne.
It currently runs as a weekend service.
Ms Hartland said the move would allow more cyclists to travel to and from the city and avoid major trucking routes, including Whitehall St, Francis St, Somerville Rd and the Port of Melbourne.
“For most people in the West public transport is so appalling that it is not a viable travel option,” Ms Hartland said in Parliament.
“It is not just cyclists who would benefit; so too would pedestrians and tourism in the area, because it links Scienceworks with Westgate Park.
A spokesperson for Mr Mulder did not respond to Star’s request for comment last week.
