In the first real week of January, when most people are still on holidays, and those of us who aren’t are pretending we are, the state Minister for Roads has made a decision on clearways.
Bridge Road trader Herschel Landes’ great letter to The Age yesterday explained what it was about:
Conflict of interest
LAST week the Minister for Roads announced a determination of a ”dispute” between VicRoads and the cities of Yarra and Stonnington (”Clearway tussle”, The Age, 7/1).
For whatever reason, Mr Pallas himself determined the dispute, about the ”process” VicRoads followed in its policy on clearways. The trouble is that Mr Pallas is an involved party and therefore subject to a conflict of interest.
The minister was advised in 2008 that a consultation process with all stakeholders was essential before a final decision and implementation plan was adopted. But the minister jumped the gun by declaring, on April 29 of that year, that a standardised clearway decision was non-negotiable, claiming that the legislative provisions did not apply to his decision.
He was later advised by VicRoads the process had to be as close as practicable to the code of practice.
Mr Pallas approved what we believe was a non-compliant consultation process and asked for it to be accelerated.
It is interesting that new clearway signs were being arranged by VicRoads well before the completion of the consultation process.
In August 2008, Minister Pallas announced the commencement of morning clearways and that afternoon clearways would be rolled out at the start of 2009. However, VicRoads had only recommended implementation of morning clearways. Mr Pallas has yet to explain on what basis he made his decision.
For the minister to now make a determination about a process in which he was heavily involved is unacceptable on any level of governance.
Herschel Landes, Bridge Road Traders ”No Clearways” committee, Richmond
Clearways are supposed to speed up tram time. I say supposed to, because the government is yet to provide evidence that they do. The PTUA has had a look for them, and found that clearways save 14 seconds. Which hardly seems the justification for turning streets into traffic sewers and strangling business on local streets.
The Yarra Greens Councillors explain clearly what the problems are here
http://greensonyarracouncil.wordpress.com/2009/12/20/.
It comes on the back of the state government’s announcement that it will build what The Age describes as ‘massive underpasses’ under Hoddle St, at a cost of ‘at least $750’.
The roads lobby clearly has the state government firmly in its grip.
In contrast, Greens are getting real results for sustainable public transport, as the Yarra Green Councillors blog describes, with council adopting a bike strategy that will “deliveery five major separated on-road bicycle routes over the course of five years, five on-road (car park space) parking facilities for bikes each year and numerous infrastructure works that will build upon the current bicycle network”, all of which will lead to doubling the number of people riding to work by 2015. As well, as the councillors’ blog explains, “a major advantage of having a strategy is that Council will be able to respond quickly to external funding opportunities as our infrastructure priorities are documented within the strategy”.
The bike strategy was one of my initiatives when I chaired the council Bicycle Advisory Committtee, and it’s great to see it come to fruition.
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