Greens call for tri-partisan support for major ACTION restructure

Started by Buzz Killington, August 31, 2010, 04:52:12 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Buzz Killington

Media Release

The Greens Transport spokesperson, Amanda Bresnan MLA, says statements from all parties shows that there is consensus on the need for an overhaul of Public Transport in the ACT.

"It's sometimes said that it is the darkest hour before the dawn and the one positive coming from all the bad news for ACTION is that there is a new consensus for real change," Ms Bresnan said today.

"The Greens have long campaigned for public transport and while it's on the front page for all the wrong reasons, it gives us the mandate to make structural changes that are long overdue.

"I want to see a tri-partisan approach that will allow the Minster to make bold changes to the whole structure of ACTION, including its workforce.

"All parties must agree on the need for:

- Employment arrangements that reflect the nature of running a modern public transport system
- New routes to focus on Rapid-Direct services, starting with additional REDEX routes
- ACTPLA must incorporate public transport needs from the beginning of suburb design and re-development
- The new ticketing system must roll out effectively with a cautious approach to avoid expensive system collapses seen elsewhere
- Continued infrastructure improvements

"The Government must be complemented on one element of public transport which has recently been much improved, and that is infrastructure.

"Funds appropriated to fix Northbourne and the progress on cross-border bus priority on Canberra Avenue are projects that the ACT Greens have campaigned for and the Chief Minister should be congratulated for moving on these.

"I do want to see an end to the mud-slinging from the Opposition, who would do better to show their concern for public transport by joining us in the campaign to improve services," Ms Bresnan said.

blackdragon

What a load of rubbish as usual from the Greens. If they were serious about fixing the network they would be petitioning for ACTION to be reinstated to a statutory authority out of the mess and mismanagement that is TAMS and to actually put some people in there that have some sort of idea about how to run a bus network. The current management has zero experience in bus or transport management and we have a Government who shoves some money into the service to shuffle the routes around a bit every year or so when a complete overhall is needed.

Bus 400

There is an article in today's Canberra Times, that basically states the drivers are doing the right thing but management are useless.

If what I led to believe is correct, the previous managers of ACTION had (at one time or another) been bus drivers, so they knew the sort of Network that Canberra needed.

I can see that the steer tag buses were required for Canberra, but not as replacements for the articulated buses. But for those peak hour runs that leave a standard bus packed, but is overkill for an articulated bus.
TAMS was over invented to find budget cuts in ACTION's budget, but if ACTION is in debt every year obviously ACTION needs an increase in its budget. That is unless you want to drastically cut the pay of bus drivers, which is never going to happen & in the rare occasion a few weeks of strikes would stop that.

belcodriver

Quote from: Buzz Killington on August 31, 2010, 04:52:12 PM
- Employment arrangements that reflect the nature of running a modern public transport system

This is the bit that will hurt drivers.

The Love Guru

Quote from: belcodriver on September 03, 2010, 11:43:13 AM
This is the bit that will hurt drivers.

It doesn't have to be that way. The union need to move on from the 1950's and adopt more flexability, and if done correctly could result in a higher ratio of fulltime to parttime drivers. Unfortunately the union have the attitude of "its always been that way". See what happens...................

belcodriver

Quote from: Chris_Guru on September 03, 2010, 07:07:42 PM
It doesn't have to be that way. The union need to move on from the 1950's and adopt more flexability, and if done correctly could result in a higher ratio of fulltime to parttime drivers. Unfortunately the union have the attitude of "its always been that way". See what happens...................

Given that every change management proposes is to our detriment the union is right to oppose them.