Merri-bek BUG

News from Anna Strempel (the Moreland BUG convenor):

Hi all,

At last night’s Council meeting Councillor Andrea Sharam proposed an amendment to the draft budget to increase cycling expenditure by almost $300,000 to bring it in line with the $5 per resident benchmark that Bicycle Victoria recommends.
Four councillors voted in support of the amendment (Crs Alice Pryor, Mark Higginbotham, Andrea Sharam and Jo Connellan) and four voted against (Crs Daniel De Lorenzis, Milad El Halabi, John Kavanagh and Mark O’Brien). Councillors Kathleen Matthews-Ward and Anthony Helou were absent. This left Mayor Joe Caputo with the casting vote; he abstained from voting which meant the amendment didn’t go through.

There is still a good chance to get the amendment up and get some significant $$ spent on cycling in our municipality; the budget is up for consultation over the next two weeks and during this time we need to make it really clear to those councillors who didn’t support the amendment that this is something the community wants them to do. So I’m urging you all to write letters, email or call Crs De Lorenzis, Helou,
El Halabi, Kavanagh, O’Brien and Caputo to express your opinion.

Councillor contact details are available online, including phone numbers and email addresses.

It’d be great if you could cc me to emails or let me know about any phonecalls you make or letters you send so I can keep track of the campaign.

Cheers, Anna

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Moreland City Council have released their draft budget for next year and you can see it here.

Here is an update from Paul McKay:

I have had a fair read of this and tried to save some time for others by preparing a summary of the cycling highlights below (basically council is proposing to spend 320k instead of what we and BV reckon is fair $711k – ie $5 per person of council funds). It is a long document and this was hastily prepared so it would be great if others checked my bits.

Anna has sent emails to councilors and Toby (anna and I cant make it) is hoping to be at tonight’s council meeting at

Wednesday 11 June 2008 at 7 pm
Council Chamber, Brunswick Town Hall
Corner Sydney Road & Dawson Street, Brunswick

I reckon Toby would love to see some friendly faces and bike helmets at the meeting if any others can make it.

Also the next week might be a good time to make sure your views are heard. At this point we understand that Councillor Andrea Sharman will be putting an appropriate amendment tonight and we are unclear of the position of other councilors. This is the site that has their contact details.

Here is Paul’s email with his full analysis of the budget:
paul_mckay_email_11Jun08.pdf

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There is a planning meeting tonight (Wednesday, 4 June) to work on the campaigns around:

a) the cycling component of the upcoming Moreland council budget (remember to ask your local councillor why the spend rate on cycling infrastructure in this council is so low compared to other councils; also worth asking them what their stance on cycling will be if they plan to stand for re-election at this year’s council elections), and

b) the state government’s intentions to extend clearway times on Sydney Rd (presumably as part of their visionary plans for celebrating peak oil!)

The meeting will be at 7pm at Paul McKay’s house. Contact Paul or Toby Archer for more information.

News from Nicholas Elliot at council regarding the Capital City Trail path realignment at the old VideoEzy site on Nicholson St (near the corner of Park St):

Path alignment proposed (in PDF format) – note galvanised fence on west approach to Nicholson so cyclists can use as a handrail while they wait for lights and to promote separation of path and other uses.
Also note that the existing concrete pad will have to be excavated where the bike path crosses it to account for level differences.

Cyclists exiting road crossing on west side can cycle off the path, using triangular shaped corner of existing pad, which will be re-constructed in concrete and not landscaped as symbol indicates. This and the extended handrail/fence should help with crowding in peak hours.

This alignment will be on the agenda for next BUG meeting (21 May 08). Council has decided to move ahead with construction rather than wait for the new leasee to move in and do it.
Any comments back to me via email or at Thursday’s meeting.

Join cyclists worldwide in a silent slow-paced ride (max. 12 mph/20 kph) in honor of those who have been injured or killed while cycling on public roadways.

The Australian Ride of Silence will be held on Saturday 24th May 2008, 10am, starting at Federation Square.

There is a second round of meetings for the Moreland Integrated Transport Strategy review happening in early May.

Public Meeting 2 – Update on Study, Proposed Initiatives and Preliminary Strategy
Date: Thursday 1 May 2008
Time: 6:30 – 8:30pm
Venue: Coburg Town Hall (please RSVP)

Working Group Workshop 2 – Proposed Initiatives and Preliminary Strategy
Date: Monday 5 May 2008
Time: 3 – 5pm
Venue: To be advised upon RSVP

If you would like to attend, please contact Terri or Sandra on 9240 1210.
For more information, please contact Lee Dowler via
email or by phone on 9240 1265.

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The March Moreland BUG meeting is on Thursday, March 27.

The venue will be the Edinburgh Castle Hotel, cnr of Albion St and Sydney Rd, Brunswick, from 7:30pm (not Caffe Mingo, as previously advertised).

We’ll be discussing:

• the sell-off of the public land at Anstey Station by VicTrack and the subsequent impact on the Upfield bike path (and hear why some councillors think that cyclists should just be using Sydney Road)
• the council’s call for tenders at 815 Nicholson St and the impact on their promise to fix the safety issues on the neighbouring bike path
• our involvement in the upcoming Glenroy Festival
• other advocacy issues and a council update from Nicholas

Hope to see you there!

No comments

Moreland City Council is conducting a review of the Moreland Integrated Transport Strategy that was developed ten years ago.

The review of the strategy is likely to:

• develop initiatives to address transport challenges such as congestion and sustainability
• align local policies with state and regional initiatives
• prioritise Council’s advocacy efforts in relation to transport and land use issues
• provide direction for future funding of transport infrastructure.

Booz Allen Hamilton has been appointed to conduct the review of MITS. In addition to the two workshops being run during business hours a further session is now being organised as detailed below. Council would like to invite you to participate in this workshop and provide input into the development of the strategy.

Working Group Workshop 1 – Issues and Options

Date: Monday 31 March 2008
Time: 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Venue: Civic Centre, 90 Bell Street, Coburg

To confirm your attendance or for further information please contact Mr Grant Thorne by email or by phone on 9240 1153 by Friday 28 March 2008.

No comments

The Victorian Government is currently assessing the need for and developing options into a east-west transport link across inner northern Melbourne. The findings of the Eddington Inquiry (as it is known) are due shortly.

The Moreland City Council is opposed to the proposal for a tunnel under the Melbourne cemetery and Carlton/Fitzroy/Collingwood joining the Tullamarine and Eastern Fwys.

A public meeting will be held on Sunday 13th April at 2pm (immediately following the Cyclovia) at the Brunswick Town Hall (corner Sydney Rd and Dawson St, Brunswick).

Guest Speakers are Cr Janet Rice from the Metro Transport Forum, local State MP Carlo Carli and the Mayor Joe Caputo.

Moreland City Council has made a submission to the inquiry.

As a follow-up to the inaugural and highly successful Cyclovia in 2006, Moreland Council is hosting a second Cyclovia.

It will be held on Sunday 13 April 2008, from 8am to 2 pm, on Sydney Road from Bell Street, Coburg to Brunswick Road, Brunswick.

Life to the street! Come and stroll, pedal, shop or relax over coffee and cake on Sydney Road, free from motorised traffic!Enjoy this community space in a new way.

Consider volunteering as a marshal for pedestrian and bicycle traffic to help this event work smoothly.
Contact nelliot@moreland.vic.gov.au for more information.

For more information about the Cyclovia:

• Moreland Council Cyclovia info
• 2006 Cyclovia Pix
• You Tube video of the Moreland Cyclovia