GetUp – Fix Transport
GetUp are running a campaign to highlight the need for the government to invest money in public transport rather than fiddling around with reduction of tax on petrol. They have a form for writing letters to your local MP and here’s what I’ve said to Wayne Swan:
Mr Swan,
Petrol prices continue to rise yet the government and opposition are engaged in the battle over how to make petrol cheaper rather than how to wean ourselves off petrol. The age of cheap oil is over; demand is rising and governments at all levels across the world are recognising that climate change represents a huge challenge in terms of transportation of goods and people as we must turn to cleaner modes of transport.
The federal government has the money to pay for transport projects, Auslink sees to that. The problem with Auslink is that it only provides money for major road projects, leaving public transport floundering.
The electorate of Lilley is fairly well served by heavy rail but more needs to be done to improve the service. The Doomben line, for example, is single gauge and doesn’t run all the way to Pinkenba due to a lack of electrification. The Queensland government have announced that some money will go into rollingstock but only $700million has been earmarked in the state budget for public transport whereas $870million will go to providing an 8c/L petrol subsidy.
Petrol subsidies, slashing excise, removing GST from petrol, etc. will do nothing to fix the problems we face. We are simply using too much oil and it is killing the planet in the process. Rather than engaging in the populist political pandering which characterised the Howard years, the ALP federal government should be showing its commitment to the environment and innovation by planning for a future in which petrol remains both expensive and environmentally damaging.
As my local member, government MP and Cabinet Minister, I look to you to stand up for me and give my views a voice in Canberra. We need to see climate change and transport as related challenges, not as two separate issues for two separate ministers. We can’t afford to throw money at unsustainable solutions like petrol subsidies, we need serious investment in public transport infrastructure if we’re to keep our cities and nation moving in an age of expensive fuel.
Sam Clifford
Public investment in public transport can be justified on economic terms alone. In the U.S.A. ito have a multiplier of 6.
http://frepubtra.blogspot.com/2008/04/best-economic-stimulus.html
Oh, yes, there’s nothing like rail to (re)invigorate an area economically. I’ve read so many tales of empty downtown areas which have been transformed into booming cafe and shopping strips by the introduction of an urban light rail line.
Couldn’t agree more about the folly of cheap fuel. Unfortunately, high petrol prices are not a panacea either. We can’t assume that high fuel prices will rescue cities from traffic. We will need to work at that. Oil at $200 per barrel will prompt a lot of effort to save on fuel but will not automatically bring about a livable streets renaissance. More thoughts on this at http://reinventingtransport.blogspot.com/2008/06/oil-shock-may-not-rescue-cities-from.html
Oh you’re definitely right. High petrol prices gives a temporary window of opportunity to invest in transit systems and transport and community related projects which don’t facilitate extra car use. Trying to build a public transport system when everyone’s driving around in a car running on cheap petrol just won’t be politically popular, particularly if congestion’s bad.
When the price of oil is up, more people will want to be able to use the bus and train to get around and if a good system is built, there will be enough people who stay with it even if driving becomes cheaper or more convenient.
I see it as this: petrol prices jump, demand for public transport jumps, governments invest in public transport, people stay with public transport, less reliance on cars leads to great opportunities for livable streets.