By Alesha Capone
THE Brimbank Social Justice Coalition will lobby the State and Federal governments for a raft of improvements to the municipality’s public transport system, from around-the-clock staffing at St Albans railway station to better bus services.
The coalition – made up of council staff and representatives from community agencies like LeadWest – will also campaign for the long-awaited lowering of the St Albans Main Rd rail line, to remove the spot’s dangerous level crossing.
The coalition’s priority list stated future electrification of the Sunbury rail line was set to make the spot a “nightmare”.
The coalition’s call to improve the notorious crossing, came at the same time as the State Government submitted to the Federal Government a list of future projects they would like funded.
Included in the list was a proposal to replace various level crossings across Melbourne for $16 million, with the St Albans crossing one of seven the State Government considers a priority.
Asip Demiri, from the St Albans Traders Association, said residents had campaigned on the issue for more than a decade.
“It needs the section – which is so often talked about as ‘the crossing’, which everyone knows about – to be put below road level so people can cross without being killed,” he said.
In addition, the Brimbank Social Justice Coalition (BSJC) will lobby both levels of government on many other public transport issues, including “24/7 staffing at St Albans station”.
They will also request improvements at railway stations in “Sunshine, St Albans and other areas perceived as being unsafe by the community” and for St Albans station to be included in Zone 1 rather than Zone 2, to qualify for cheaper fares.
Metlink’s website states the journey from St Albans to Melbourne takes 29 minutes, the same as from Glenroy and Laverton stations – both of which are in Zone 1.
The council’s advocacy campaign will also focus on lobbying for resources to extend bus routes, as the 2010 Bus Service Review recommended.
Delahey Action Group secretary David Anderson said better bus services were desperately needed in Brimbank.
“The most important issue is for the full range of recommendations from the Brimbank bus review to be instigated, as what has been instigated so far has really only been beneficial to Melton,” he said.
The Opposition’s Public Transport spokeswoman Fiona Richardson said Public Transport Minister Terry Mulder had neglected the West,” she said.
“Terry Mulder recently told parliament that he has fixed all of the problems in public transport after only 11 months in government.
“Clearly, the minister would benefit greatly from listening to some of the problems identified by the Brimbank Social Justice Coalition.”
Star contacted the office of Public Transport Minister Terry Mulder, but received no reply by deadline.
