100 MORE GREEN ACHIEVEMENTS

TWO BUS PRIORITY ROUTES
Achievement	Target Date	Description	Progress	Further Information

ACHIEVEMENT: Two tram-less city centre streets such as Lonsdale, Russell, La Trobe or Queen have full time bus priority lanes. Victoria Street has full time bus priority lanes

TARGET DATE: September 2003

PROGRESS: Some.

DESCRIPTION: Priority bus lanes would help to reduce transit times for bus passengers. This would be a fairer use of road space.

Cars with one or two passengers in them are a less efficient use of road space and resources than buses, particularly during peak times. If priority was given to buses in special lanes, the travelling times of the buses are likely to reduce [and frequency may increase] so that the bus becomes an easier choice. With less cars and more buses, roads are likely to be less congested, access to the City will be improved and less resources will be wasted.

Allowing a priority bus lane to be placed in Victoria Street would encourage greater use of public transport on the Eastern Freeway [aka Eastern Parking Lane]. If people did need to drive from their home due to poor public transport service, at least they could drive to a location out of the City, and not have their car both clog the roads, and waste space in the City while it is parked.

Work has already commenced on the logistics for creating a bus priority lane in Victoria Parade. As this is a Council boundary, I have been co-operating with the Green Councillors on Yarra Council to achieve this on both sides of Victoria Parade.

In 2000 when I was Chair of the Metropolitan Transport Forum, I invited National Empress Bus Division to address us, which resulted in support of the proposal by the Metropolitan Transport Forum. As I was removed form the MTF by Melbourne City Council, that work was discontinued.

I propose to move a notice of motion in Council to investigate the options for two bus lane in the CBD not currently served by a tram route.

FURTHER INFORMATION: