Fw: Tues.25.1.22 daily digest.
  Roderick Smith

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Subject: Tues.25.1.22 daily digest.


Roderick

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Tues.25.1.22 Metro Twitter
Aircraft: No ramp access to platforms until late 2021 (pedestrian-underpass works), delayed to March 2022.
Flinders St: still with a lane closed for tunnel works?
Buses replace trains Westall - Pakenham/Cranbourne until the last train of Thu 3 Feb (works).
16.17 Frankston line: Minor delays (a track fault at Caulfield). Trains may depart from altered platforms between Richmond and Caulfield.
- 17.08 There were no notices at Clayton station when we got there.
- 17.30 this is impacting mostly Frankston services. There are now only two delayed trains between Caulfield and Dandenong.
- 17.31 Minor delays ongoing.
Buses replace trains North Melbourne - Upfield from 20.35 until the last train (maintenance works).


Tues.18.1.22 Melbourne 'Herald Sun'. Transport/Traffic Notice AUSTRALIA DAY 24 to 26 January 2022
Street closures and changed traffic conditions - Melbourne CBD
DATE LOCATION
24-25.1 La Trobe Street. Entry of install vehicles. Parking taken out on La Trobe Street from King Street to William Street. TIMES 6.00am — 6.00pm
26.1 Full closure of William Street between Dudley Street & La Trobe Street. Local access allowed to access Franklin Street, Dudley Street and A'Beckett Street. A'Beckett closed at Queen Street. 7.00am — 10.00pm
26.1 Speed reduction and parking bay closure in La Trobe Street between King Street and William Street. 7.00am — 10.00pm
26.1 La Trobe Street closed between King Street and William Street. 8.00pm - 10.00pm
26.1 William Street full closure northbound from Little Lonsdale Street. Local access closure from Lonsdale Street. 8.00pm -10.00pm
27.1 La Trobe Street. Entry of install vehicles. Parking taken out on La Trobe Street from King Street to William Street. 6.00am - 6.00pm
ALTERATIONS TO PUBLIC TRANSPORT - MELBOURNE CBD TRAM SERVICES WEDNESDAY 26 JANUARY. There will be no impact to public transport services arising from the event or the street closures.
CYCLISTS Cycle paths will be impacted by these closures and cyclists are encouraged to find alternative routes.
Australia Day Victoria www.australiaday.vic.gov.au [9651 9368]
City of Melbourne www.melbourne.vic.gov.au [9658 8008]

Heathmont: Belgrave line station still missing toilets despite $1.7m in works. Kiel Egging January 25, 2022 Maroondah Leader
The state government has spent almost $2m in ‘accessibility’ upgrades at an outer east train station – but there’s no relief in sight for commuters hanging on for toilets.
A small railway station in Melbourne’s outer east has received its first spruce-up in decades, but still doesn’t have any on-site toilets.
The state government has completed works at Heathmont station as part of a $24m package to provide improved facilities for passengers at 16 stations across the state.
The works, which Bayswater state Labor MP Jackson Taylor said would cost $1.7m in 2020, included the installation of two shelter canopies and benches, lighting along a path at a nearby reserve, resurfacing platforms, and the creation of two new disabled parking spots.
At the time, the government said the works would focus on better seating, upgrading passenger information, toilet facilities and improving accessibility for passengers.
Heathmont’s last upgrades were in the 1980s and it is one of three stations on the Belgrave line which are unstaffed and don’t have toilets, along with Upwey and Tecoma.
Maroondah Leader campaigned for major upgrades to the station as part of our ‘Make Our Station Safe’ campaign in 2019.
The omission of toilets in the recent upgrades means commuters will have to continue to cross Canterbury Rd to use the public toilets at Heathmont Village shopping centre.
Public Transport Association spokesman Daniel Bowen said the decision not to install toilets at the station appeared to be “a missed opportunity”.
“While these are normally located at staffed stations, they (toilets) have been installed at unstaffed stations such as Southland,” Mr Bowen said.
”Given Heathmont has longer waiting times between trains than stations closer to the city, the government should consider installing a public toilet.”
According to the state government, the upgrades were determined following passenger surveys on how key stations could be improved across the network.
Mr Taylor said the government had “responded to the community’s feedback and delivered upgrades at Heathmont railway station to give passengers a more accessible and safer journey.”
Mr Taylor and his office did not respond to Leader’s questions about the non-inclusion of toilets by deadline.
A government spokeswoman said the upgrades at Heathmont would “improve passenger experience on the network by making it safer, more accessible, and lead to a more comfortable journey.”
More Coverage
Cops swoop on drugs, weapons at PT hubs
<www.heraldsun.com.au/leader/outer-east/heathmont-belgrave-line-station-still-missing-toilets-despite-17m-in-works/news-story/d84470c52a394adb7e81eadd49381aa6>
* Must be only LNP voters using the station. They would not have inconvenienced Labour voters by omitting conveniences.
* What really needs to happen is abolish all two platformed stations and convert to a single island platform so all amenities are shared for both directions
* We have lovely clean toilets on my train line, except they are permanently padlocked shut. I remember using them when I was a kid. It seems we can no longer be trusted with toilet access.
* The toilets are there, just locked up. They can be cleaned,it happens now with contractors travelling fr9m station to station to maintain the facility.
* Why is it an assumption these very small unstaffed basic shelter rail stops should have toilets. They don't want you hanging around and they certainly don't want the responsibility for keeping them clean and maintaining an inherent safety aspect. Some commuters have very strange ideas and expectations.
* Exactly! Why would you need some basic facilities at a public facility where you may need to wait up to 40 minutes as part of a journey of up to 2 hours. It's not as if Heathmont Upwey or Tecoma are modern cities!
* Good job Dan.
* So much for the Vic Labor Government looking after older people and women. This is a disgraceful situation. Many people will now avoid that station completely.
* 1.7 million for platform resurfacing and two shelters, explains a lot about government budget blowouts, private business would have delivered the same plus probably more at a fraction of the cost. 
* This Taylor bloke has no idea when it comes to budgeting for infrastructure, he expects to spend $750k in the basin for some neon 40kmh signs for example. They burn through taxpayer money like it’s going out of fashion.
* If you install toilets, who is going to clean them? It's an unstaffed station. Even at stations with plenty of staff they often close the toilets because they become filthy and unusable. Go to St Albans station on any random day and you'll most likely find all the toilets closed.
* Or employ some staff for a useful purpose. Something govt struggle to do.
* It would be interesting to see the public feedback mentioned by the government.
* Or just wait until you get home.
* So where is the Toilets Minister? Cost cutting again
* Maybe there is some bushes behind the station?
* A government spokeswoman said the upgrades at Heathmont would “improve passenger experience on the network by making it safer, more accessible, and lead to a more comfortable journey.” Unless you need to go to the toilet.
* All railway stations should have toilets like they used to. We have had them taken off us, and it is a basic human right to be able to relieve ourselves. For some people, it is impossible to wait until they can get to a suitable toilet, with IBS a common issue. It is embarrassing that we cannot access public toilets in the way that we used to be able to, because nobody wants to pay for their upkeep and maintaining security. This should be considered a community issue shared with the public transport operators.
* Stations were destaffed and toilets were locked as part of the Kennett-era Liberal slash & burn.
A later Liberal government established the pso scheme: now twice as many people as had been removed earlier, and now with toilets for psos but not for travellers.
As a man, I have no compunction infringing on public decency.
Labor has been a disaster for public transport, but Liberal was worse, and has no hope of reelection unless it makes some useful promises.


Tues.25.1.22 Melbourne 'Herald Sun'.  Letters:
* ‘Big build’ a bungle. ROADWORKS occurring throughout metropolitan Melbourne are resulting in traffic chaos and driver frustration.
There appears to be a lack of forethought regarding the ramifications of this “all at once” approach.
Similarly, this lack of forethought can be applied to many of our railway crossing projects, with one in particular.
The Hoppers Crossing project for example, is an unmitigated disaster causing huge traffic jams and delays
Whoever designed this mess should be held to account for creatlng it.
It appears that the project has progressed from a bit of a nuisance to a damned nightmare for all.
Maybe it should have been left alone?

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