----- Forwarded message -----

To:australiantransportnews@... australiantransportnews@...>
Sent: Monday, 15 August 2022 at 11:15:59 pm AEST
Subject: Sun.27.2.22 daily digest

Roderick

 "220227Su-Melbourne'HeraldSun'-bike.lanes-ss.jpg"
 "220227Su-Melbourne'HeraldSun'-empty.emu-ss.jpg"
 "220227Su-Melbourne'HeraldSun'-empty.FlindersSt-ss.jpg"
 "220227Su-Melbourne'HeraldSun'-empty.SouthernCross-ss.jpg"

Sun.27.2.22 Metro Twitter
Flinders St: still with a lane closed for tunnel works? [reopened by July]
Aircraft: No ramp access to platforms until late 2021 (pedestrian-underpass works), delayed to March 2022.
Frankston line: Buses replace trains Caulfield and Mordialloc until the last train (works).
Buses replace trains on sections of the Sunbury line until the last train (works).
Sunbury/Craigieburn/Upfield lines: All trains direct to/from Flinders St all day (maintenance works).  From loop stations, take a train from pfm 2 to Melbourne Southern Cross.
Buses replace trains North Melbourne - Upfield from until the last train (maintenance works).
16.10 Buses replace trains Clifton Hill - Mernda (an external power fault at Epping). Trains operate Flinders St - Clifton Hill with delays.  Buses operating, adding 45 min.
- 17.27 Bus section reduced to Reservoir - Merndam still adding 45min.
- 22.53 Trains resume Reservoir - Mernda with changes until last train tonight.
Buses replace trains  between Caulfield and Westall from 20.30 until the last train each night from tonight until Thursday 3 March 2022 (works).
Buses replace trains Blackburn - Lilydale/Belgrave from 20.40 until the last train (maintenance works).

Australians paying record transport costs. Finbar O'Mallon February 26 2022
The high cost of petrol for Australians in 2021 is likely to worsen following Russia's actions.
Australians are spending record amounts on transport costs with motorists paying $70 more per week at the bowser at the end of 2021 than they were a year earlier.
The figures from the latest Australian Automobile Association transport affordability index show motorists were spending $380.10 per week in the last quarter of 2021, compared to $309.92 at the end of 2020.
This meant a rise from 12.6 per cent of household income to 15.3 per cent over the same period.
Of the capitals, Sydneysiders were spending the most on fuel at $485.14 per week in the last quarter of 2021, up from $411.58 at the end of 2020.
Out in the regions, Alice Spring residents were spending the most - $360.88 per week at the end of 2021 compared to $288.32 a year earlier.
But it was Hobart and Launceston residents who spent the largest share of household incomes, out of the metropolitan and regional centres.
Hobart residents are spending 18.2 per cent of household income on fuel, nearly three points higher than the national average, despite paying the lowest amount per week at $363.77.
In Launceston, residents were paying 18.5 per cent of their household income.
Sydneysiders, who are spending the most on fuel, are only forking out 15.7 per cent per week of their household income.
Wagga Wagga drivers were spending only $315.24 on fuel per week by the end of 2021, with the cost the lowest share of household income - 11 per cent.
Canberrans were spending 14 per cent of their household income on transport cost, the lowest amount out of the capitals.
The index follows warnings from the NRMA that the Russian invasion of Ukraine saw a "significant spike" in fuel costs overnight on Friday.
"Unfortunately as feared and predicted, the events of the last 24 hours have led to a sudden increase overnight of world oil prices," the NRMA's Peter Khoury said on Friday.
NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet also warned on Friday the invasion would see people paying more at the bowser.
The federal government has ruled out making changes to the fuel excise, allowing for cheaper fuel, saying any small decrease of a few cents per litre would be swallowed by the rapid fluctuations in petrol prices.
<www.newcastleherald.com.au/story/7636455/australians-paying-record-transport-costs>

Time to resurrect the ghost town as CBD workers head back to the office. Cara Waters February 27, 2022
After two years in which work-from-home orders and lockdowns have left the once-vibrant CBD a “ghost town”, many office staff are finally dusting off their lanyards and myki cards ready for the return to Melbourne’s office buildings 
on Monday morning.
There, they will be greeted with open arms by the cafes, restaurants, bars and shops that have struggled to make ends meet during the darkest days of the pandemic.
Cafe manager Jos Turner is ready for customers to return to Brother Bada Budan on Little Bourke Street.CREDIT:PAUL JEFFERS
With the government having ditched its remote working recommendation, some workers will return to their offices for the first time in almost two years, although many are continuing to work flexibly – still logging in from their 
kitchen or bedroom.
Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry head Paul Guerra said he expected about 25 per cent to 50 per cent of office staff would start to return to city workplaces.
“I think you’ll see a gradual return to the offices over the next couple of weeks,” he said. “But there’s no question we’ll see a step up in foot traffic in all offices starting Monday.”
Mr Guerra said many workers and employers had been waiting for the all-clear from the government, while others were still scrambling to organise their personal lives and childcare arrangements, and another group did not want to 
return.
video Work from home and mask mandates lifted in Victorian workplaces. For the first time in nearly two years, Victorians are able to return to the workplace as restrictions ease.
Melbourne is a city oiled by coffee, and at CBD cafe Brother Baba Budan, barista Jos Turner expects an influx of office staff on Monday to buy between 300 and 400 drinks.
Business has steadily increased over the past few weeks, from a low of about 150 cups a day, but it still has a long way to go to return to “pre-COVID times”, when Brother Baba Budan would serve between 500 and 800 daily cups.
“We are definitely expecting it to pick up on Monday,” Mr Turner said. “To be brutally honest, it’s been incredibly tough for the past 12 to18 months.
“It was hard to retain staff, especially in the second couple of lockdowns where there wasn’t the same type of support from the government. Business-wise, everyone was suffering.”
Mr Turner is still trying to recruit staff and said the return to offices was “immensely important” for Brother Bada Budan and other businesses like it, with impacts beyond the bottom line.
“It’s not nice working in ... the CBD and walking around a ghost town,” he said. “Even just down to the vibe of the city and seeing people moving around is really so much nicer.”
A cup of coffee at a CBD cafe is an incentive for Victorian government employee Polly Logan, who was so keen to return that she started going back into the office a few weeks ago.
“It’s been great to get out of my home office that I have shared with my husband for last two years,” she said. “I love him, but my god, I need a little bit of space now – 24/7 together for two years is not healthy.”
Polly Logan has already returned to the office and is keen to have more colleagues join her.CREDIT:JOE ARMAO
Ms Logan said her floor at work usually holds 120 people, but until now it has been just her and a couple of IT workers who were setting up laptops.
“The thing I’m looking forward to is passing people in the corridor, making a cup of tea in the kitchen, that sort of stuff that you just don’t do when you’re online,” she said. “You can read body language and you can have 
collaboration that’s actually quite tangible.”
However, Ms Logan said many people at her workplace were not as eager to return and with the public service taking a “softly, softly approach” to getting people back in, she expected it would be a while before her office filled up.
Public Transport Minister Ben Carroll said that, following weeks of interrupted services during January and early February as COVID-19 forced workers into isolation, Metro Trains would closely monitor staff availability but had all 
the drivers required to fulfil its services.
He said public transport patronage was just above half of pre-pandemic levels last week, a steady increase from 36 per cent during the January summer holidays.
Metro Trains has scheduled an extra 450 services per week compared with pre-pandemic levels and is encouraging users to download the Ridespace app, which gives real-time information on how busy trains, platforms and stations are.
Masks remain mandatory on public transport.
Data from the Property Council of Australia showed that after the last lockdown in 2021, it took about three months to get to 45 per cent office occupancy.
The lobby group’s Victorian head, Danni Hunter, said returning to city offices was likely to be a gradual process again, with many employees continuing to work from home a few days a week.
She said the city may have to change the way it operates to accommodate changing patterns of work.
“Does retail need to stay open late on different nights than it used to like Friday?” she said. “Maybe there won’t be as many people in the city on Friday nights, but there will be Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.”
Public Transport Users Association spokesman Daniel Bowen said the state government and transport operators will need to adapt services as new commuting habits become clear.
“The CBD commute has changed forever. The whole network was designed around CBD commuting in peak hours, but I suspect there will now be much more variation,” he said.
Ms Hunter said office workers were the “core anchor” of the city and the next few weeks would provide some indication of how Melbourne is likely to operate in future.
RELATED ARTICLE Working from home ‘It was always a pipe dream’: Returning – or not – to the office
RELATED ARTICLE Denis Moriarty (right) and partner Brendan Shanahan (left) with their son John Nguyen at home.  Reinventing the workplace: The companies moving to a four-day week with no pay cut
<www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/baristas-at-the-ready-as-cbd-office-workers-prepare-to-return-20220225-p59znx.html>
* There is a concerted effort to force workers back on to crowded trains in order to justify paying high rents for CBD office accommodation. Nine Entertainment (the owner of this masthead) should ensure that every pro boss article is  balanced with a pro worker article.
* Why would I want to spend 2 unpaid hours a day standing in a tin can, just for the privilege of having to buy a train ticket? I have no desire to go back into the office, but will be forced to on a staged 'return to office' plan. While I feel sorry for the cafe and restaurant owners in the CBD, work is not a tool to keep them in business. Getting up an hour early and returning home an hour late. There is NO upside to returning to work in the CBD.
* I read in an Age Poll that about 48% of workers are not planning to go back to the office at all and only 11% wanted to return full time. Good luck city cafes and Property Council. Sorry but we have literally moved on.
* I don’t understand the gross obsession with all the city cafes and the like, what about the suburban venues who will now lose out when people go back to work.
* Let it rip in the central petri dish. With so much parking removed, car lanes removed, turns restricted by Sally I can't wait to enjoy riding my unicycle around the city to get the all important coffee's. I assume they did nothing about the druggies, dealing and homeless.
* Nothing in this article about the impact on suburban shops, including those commuting from regional Vic whom will now have less resources to support their local businesses. Nothing about OHS implications with Employers having to provide a healthy and safe workplace for workers and the public.
And nothing about what Govt or other big employers have done to eliminate the risks of contracting and transmitting C19 in their office environments.
* Trains on Dandenong and Glen Waverley lines are replaced by buses this week. Its a 2 hour trip from Oakleigh to the city by bus.  More great planning by our state government.
* Shouldn't you be blaming the private train companies?
* your 4 hr round trip will improve the vibe of the city. Who knows you might even have a conversation over a cup of tea in the office kitchen. Well worth the sacrifice.
* No thanks. I'll take a 4 day week if you want me back in the office.
* What's with the campaign being run to force people back into the office?
* it's being pushed by the building owners. They're frightened the building valuations will suffer. And thanks for your question.
* The whole "coffee shop" thing is indicative of the money invested in the CBD by your superfund...if the CBD is empty or even half full, then there is a quid pro quo that your superfund is going to pay...and to mitigate the 
losses...those work from home jobs can be worked from home in Manila, Chennai, Colombo...and so it goes. So back to the office you go...the only chance of consultation with this is the current low unemployment rate and lack of 
immigration...one feeds the other. Our economy is big time fragile...low unemployment, and that lack of immigration is finally driving wages up...but that in turn is going to drive inflation, which will drive interest rates, which 
will pressure mortgage holders...the circle of dept...then your job goes off shore...I see it happening as I type this, our off shore "team" is planned to grow from the current half dozen seats to upwards of 40...That is 20% of our 
current professional services firm FTE, we are competing for staff, there is no 20% increase in work...paying rent on 2 floors of a CBD high rise that is now at best 45% utilised. So dream on about your WFH nirvana...it may be here in 
the short term but it will not survive long term the economy will not allow it, so much depends on the tens of thousands of people doing the daily trip in...and out.
* The property council are big funders of the Committee for Geelong. I'm not sure I would take anything they say seriously. They're just talking up their own book. They don't represent Geelong or its people
* Yea great! Back to unhygienic, disease spreading hot-desking. Back to catching every cold and bug that gets brought into the office by those that must "soldier on" at any cost. Back to sickly fluorescent lighting, stale air-
conditioning and incessant background noise. Can't wait. We've obviously learnt absolutely nothing from the last two years.
* Yes, we have, work from home, using all of what you have said as anxiety driven stress level you cannot cope going into this office...
* I couldn't care less about business in the cbd, there is enough local cbd residents and students to drink poorly made coffee.
* With over 5000 cases of Covid19 on Sunday, can The Age look into the projected numbers in 2-4 weeks time with no masks and greater movement of the population across the CBD.
* It will never be back to pre covid levels. Time some of these CBD businesses realised that. Workers will look more favourably to companies that offer more flexible arrangements or they’ll lose talented staff.
* I don’t share the optimism this article is peddling and nor do my colleagues who won’t be going back more than a day or two a week as per our new company policy..
* I'll stay and support my local community rather than head back to the City.
* CBD-based offices was a paradigm that worked pre-2020. Things have changed. Employers, employees and businesses will work out new ways of doing things. If CBDs the world over have to evolve, then so be it. There could be exciting opportunities in those evolutions.
* Spot on. History favors those who recognise the inflexion points. Hankering after the good old pre covid days is a failing strategy. Property has just been through it's own GFC, the value isn't coming back. Not ever.
* What a sad indictment on society when coffee shops write government, economic and social policy. This was the once in a century movement where technology and a need to change how we work met serendipitously with a real chance to  create a seismic positive shift to workers rights, lives, happiness and productivity...and it seems most employers will say yeah nah. Sigh.
* It will be a slow burn but the CBD will revive itself again!
* No BB, it will not. CoVid and record low interest rates will lead to massive wealth destruction. This is a replay of the 1890s.
* Another article about a coffee led recovery. If they aren’t wearing masks, I’m not buying.
* What’s next? Government/Employers requiring people to spend at least $10 every time they step into the city?
* Here is a left-field suggestion to keep the CBD buzzing, since we are talking about coffee: How about having some decent cafes open after 3/4pm, for those of us who is not always after a drink?
In Seoul, Tokyo, Taipei and other Asian cities with their own coffee cultures (yes they do exist), you can easily find decent cafes (not just chain stores, not just bubble teas) after 'business hours' until late night. It is a crucial 
part to keep different people hanging out and spending in the city - a quiet night by yourself, or between gigs with your friends before kicking on for a big night, and everything in between.
Good luck trying to find a place to even sit down in our 'coffee capital of Australia/the world' after 3pm, if you are not going to consume alcohol or not yet ready for a proper meal. Our coffee/cafe culture here is so conservative it 
is like we are all allergic to coffee without daylight. So many times we just gave up and went home when we just needed a coffee break to stay in the CBD spending more.
* Imagine the carnage on the roads as people head back en masse of the freeways having forgotten how to drive in peak hour traffic. With the media cheering on as workers forgo pay for the 2-3 hour daily commute so the coffeemongers and  barkeeps of the City, usually rich commercial developers and international chains, can get back to ripping them off.
* Simple really = Catch public transport!
* Only if we allow it
* Again, not a thing in these articles about how regenerated the suburban shopping strips and cafes have been during this time. These will now suffer with the push to revitalise the CBD. We’ve been sold the decentralisation blurb for 
years, but now it is a real possibility, but business has baulked and changed its tune.
* I have a terrific coffee machine at home thanks. Saves me many $ and much time not having to take myself into the office. Not to mention the $10+ sandwiches. Time to move on from the rows of hot desks model.
* Make your own lunch and you will save the $10 a day. Ultimately the location of work will be decided by the employer, hopefully in consultation with the workforce. But working from home long term is not a sustainable option for those  in once type environments which require some collaboration.
And if it is, be prepared for your job to be available to employees outside the country.

‘Beacon of hope’: Celebrations unveiled for Sydney Harbour Bridge’s 90th birthday. Matt O'Sullivan February 27, 2022
She’s an unmistakable and much-loved part of Sydney – and next month the Sydney Harbour Bridge turns 90.
To mark the anniversary, celebrations will kick off on March 17 with a light show beamed on both the eastern and western sides of the bridge over four nights.
Sydney MP Alex Greenwich, left, North Shore MP Felicity Wilson, Metropolitan Roads Minister Natalie Ward, Heritage Minister James Griffin and Transport NSW chief operating officer Howard Collins detail the 90th anniversary 
celebrations.CREDIT:JAMES ALCOCK
And in a throwback to March 19, 1932, when the bridge was opened, a train carriage – known as C-3426 – that crossed the famed Coathanger that day will repeat the journey 90 years later.
A hundred members of the public will get the chance to cross the bridge on a famous steam locomotive – known as 3801 – on the day of the 90th anniversary next month.
A 1930 picture of the Harbour Bridge under construction.CREDIT:HAROLD CAZNJEAUX
It will pause in the middle of the bridge to meet a vintage electric train featuring carriage 3426.
Unveiling on Sunday plans for the celebrations, Metropolitan Roads Minister Natalie Ward said the eight-lane bridge built during the Great Depression was a triumph of its time, creating thousands of jobs “when they were needed most”.
Importantly, she said it was “forward-thinking” when it was constructed, and had become iconic around the world. “When you think of Sydney you think of the Sydney Harbour Bridge,” she said.
As part of the celebrations, vintage buses will run between North Sydney and Wynyard in the CBD on March 19, while historic ferries will sail between Milsons Point and Campbell Cove.
Independent Sydney MP Alex Greenwich said the bridge was a beacon of hope which kicked off every New Year’s with fireworks watched by the “entire world”.
“Sydneysiders absolutely love the harbour bridge – it is a beacon of hope for us,” he said.
Transport for NSW chief operations officer Howard Collins, left, Metropolitan Roads Minister Natalie Ward and Sydney MP Alex Greenwich in front of a vintage bus, which will cross the bridge as part of the celebrations.CREDIT:JAMES  ALCOCK
Mr Greenwich said the bridge would soon fly the Aboriginal flag permanently as an important symbol of the state’s commitment to reconciliation with First Nations people. Thousands of people will also walk across the bridge in March 
next year during Sydney World Pride.
Nine decades after its opening, the bridge remains a crucial part in the jigsaw of Sydney’s transport network, and is one of the country’s busiest motorways and rail links.
Transport for NSW chief operations officer Howard Collins said every day 160,000 motorists crossed the Harbour Bridge, while from Monday 480 trains would travel over it in either direction when Sydney Trains’ full weekday rail 
timetable was reinstated.
The bridge features 6 million hand-driven rivets, and is listed on the state’s heritage register.
Mr Collins said an important aspect of the bridge was that although it looked curved, every single piece of steel was straight. “It’s an optical illusion,” he said of the bridge’s curved appearance. “On really hot days, my engineers 
tell me, it grows by 17 or 18 centimetres.”
The celebrations on March 19 will also comprise street performances between Town Hall and Campbells Cove by swing dancers, caricature artists, and buskers.
RELATED ARTICLE Aboriginal flag flies atop the Sydney Harbour Bridge. ‘Find a way’: Aboriginal flag to fly permanently on Harbour Bridge
<www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/beacon-of-hope-celebrations-unveiled-for-sydney-harbour-bridge-s-90th-birthday-20220227-p5a021.html>
* It would be better if they poured the money into maintenance. The increasing amount of rust on the bridge is a national disagrace
* What is it with anniversaries that end with a zero, or a five? Is 90 really a big deal? Happy to celebrate the 100th, but why 90? It's the same with all things military - every year we mark the anniversaries of battles and dates in countless conflicts we've been involved in. And given our propensity to get involved in wars that can last for decades. there are 
plenty. By all means let's mark Anzac Day each year and happy to celebrate 50, 75 and 100 years of whatever, but all the other numbers in between really don't need all the bells and whistles (and dare I say it, fireworks).
* "The famed coat-hanger"? In 20 years living in Sydney I have not once heard the harbour bridge referred to as the coat-hanger by anyone other than the media. Stop it please.
* Built in an era when foresight and quality workmanship were obvious. What has happened since??

Push for cheaper public transport to get people back in the city.  MITCH CLARKE February 27, 2022
There are renewed calls for the state government to provide discounted public transport in the latest bid to encourage people back into the city.
Public transport remains quiet as less people commute to the office. Picture: Jake Nowakowski
Leading business groups have renewed calls for the state government to discount public transport tickets in a bid to revitalise the city and get more people off the road.
It comes as new data from the Department of Transport shows public transport patronage continues to remain well below the pre-Covid baseline, despite slight increases each week.
Patronage on metropolitan trains was at 49 per cent of pre-pandemic levels last week – a nine per cent week-on-week increase – while tram usage was just 44 per cent of normal levels. Bus use also increased by seven per cent to 64 per cent of the pre-Covid baseline.
Commuter activity near the Finders Street Station underpass sensor also increased by 10 per cent from the previous week, according to the City of Melbourne, however activity still remains 61 per cent below the 2019 benchmark.
Peak hour at Flinders Street station. 7:30am. Picture: Jake Nowakowski
In a bid to address Melbourne’s worsening traffic, the state government has come under pressure to implement incentives to get Victorians confident about using public transport again.
Prior to the pandemic, the largest drawcard for entering the CBD was for work – which made up 75 per cent of all public transport trips. Sixty per cent of the 360,000 daily trips were made by public transport.
A recent Deloitte transport review also found that encouraging the return to the public transport network is the most important initiative to support economic recovery.
Lord Mayor Sally Capp has called on the government to deliver cheaper off-peak travel on weekdays and to subsidise public transport fares for major events and special occasions.
“Victorians snapped up all 250,000 free travel vouchers over the festive period – and with bumper events like Moomba coming up, we’d love to see another round rolled out,” Cr Capp said.
Monash Freeway had some traffic during peak hour. Picture: Jake Nowakowski
Victorian Tourism Industry Council chief Felicia Mariani also backed a push to offer off peak travel discounts and free transport for people heading to upcoming major events like the Comedy Festival and the Food and Wine Festival.
“You’ve got to get people used to the idea of taking public transport again, and the way to do that is getting them on that first trip and that is through incentivising it,” she said.
“Major events are one of the easiest ways to introduce the notion of using public transport. Melburnians are absolutely used to using public transport to major events. It’s what we’ve always done.”
Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive Paul Guerra said discounted travel should remain until the Easter long weakened.
“The quicker we can regain our confidence in using public transport, returning to the office and returning to business events, the quicker we can see our key areas like the CBD return.”
Peak hour at Southern Cross station, 7:30am. Picture: Jake Nowakowski
Property Council of Australia Victorian executive director Danni Hunter added: “Incentives like free public transport, giveaways and exciting in-office activities have been shown to work wonders in other cities.”
Metropolitan train passengers can currently travel free if they touch on and off before 7.15am on a weekday.
Public Transport Minister Ben Carroll said several measures were now in place to keep the network safe and clean for passengers.
“As we continue our path out of the pandemic, real time information, extra services, additional cleaning and the mask mandate are continuing to provide Melburnians with the public transport choices they deserve,” he said.
<www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/push-for-cheaper-public-transport-to-get-people-back-in-the-city/news-story/c55b0167d369cb99a4940bba48c360be>

Traffic lanes, parking cut in new city bike path plan. Mitch Clarke February 27, 2022 Herald Sun
Motorists will be banned from turning right at a key intersection and traffic lanes will be cut in Melbourne’s CBD under a plan for more bike paths.
Motorists on Spring St will be banned from turning right on to Bourke St under the plan. Picture: David Crosling
Motorists will be banned from turning right into Bourke St from Spring St under a controversial new plan to create more bike lanes in the city.
City of Melbourne is proposing to start building a new bike lane project that will affect Nicholson, Spring and Bourke streets.
It will connect existing lanes on Albert St with those on Exhibition St, but the move will force vehicles wanting to turn right on to Bourke St from Spring St to find an alternative route.
Eleven parking spaces are to be removed, and traffic lanes will also be reduced at some key intersections, according to project notes seen by the Sunday Herald Sun.
A “kerbside protected bike lane” will be installed on Spring St, removing one of the road’s vehicle lanes, but drivers going towards Carlton will still be able to turn left at Bourke St.
Traffic lanes on Bourke St will also be reduced from two to one on the approach to the Exhibition St intersection.
The bike lanes form part of the council’s Transport Strategy 2030 plan, which was first launched in 2019.
Lord Mayor Sally Capp said last July that changes such as protected bike lanes were needed since the city’s “rhythm” had changed during the pandemic and “it is critical for our transport systems to work efficiently”.
The project has since resulted in a huge backlash from motorists and traders because of the lost road and parking space.
Small Business Australia executive director Bill Lang said it was “stunning” that the focus of government and the City of Melbourne was on “disruptive policies” rather than “effective policies to bring our city back to life”.
An independent transport review carried out for the council backed the introduction of protected bike lanes to improve safety.
More than 40 per cent of car trips through the CBD do not add any economic benefit.
More Coverage Feds blast Andrews govt over roads ‘disgrace’
<www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/traffic-lanes-parking-cut-in-new-city-bike-path-plan/news-story/f4841c96a8e8495418d0232b357705b9>

Sun.27.2.22 Melbourne 'Herald Sun'.  Letters.
* I'd like to ask the Transport Minister how much the public transport system has lost in patronage in the past two years and will it conduct a new business case for the train loop from Cheltenham to Box Hill. We are about to spend upward of $34bn on what could be a white elephant.