Presented by Robert Clark MP		www.robertclark.net

Government tries to impose "consensus" tram stops

News Release - 4th March 2003

The Government's claim that there is a "consensus" of resident opinion in favour of narrowing Whitehorse Road to a single lane around tram stops between Union Road and Elgar Road shows how out of touch with community opinion the Government is.

The Government has announced it will spend around $50,000 tearing up and re-laying sections of the recently installed tram lines in order to divert the lines towards the Government's proposed "kerb access" tram stops.

The Government's announcement comes despite the Member for Box Hill, Robert Clark, telling Parliament last week of residents' continued concern about the proposed stops, and seeking the Minister's support for installing conventional tram stops between Union Road and Elgar Road until a full range of options has been considered.

Mr Clark told Parliament it was important that half-baked ideas for tram stops not be imposed on the community and instead that conventional tram stops be installed until the matter has been properly resolved.

Mr Clark also told Parliament that local residents had been kept in the dark for the last three or four months about what was happening with the stops, following the Government's announcement after strong resident protest that it would consider "kerb access" stops as alternative to the original "easy access" design.

Speaking outside of Parliament, Mr Clark said the Minister's claim that there was a consensus in favour of the new stops showed how far out of touch the Minister was with feeling in the local community.

"At almost every local function I attend, I am asked for the latest news about the tram stops," Mr Clark said.

"Residents continue to tell me how strongly they feel about the issue, and of their hope that I and the Tram 109 action group will be able to stop the Government pressing ahead with the new design.

"The Minister's attack on me for raising this issue in Parliament is an attack on all those residents concerned about the traffic congestion and the community disruption threatened by these stops all along Whitehorse Road.

"The Minister's attack is also an attack on the democratic process itself, on the right of a Member of Parliament to raise the concerns of his or her electorate in Parliament.

"Instead of trying to shoot the messenger and press on with imposing these stops on the community, the Minister should be listening to the message of concern from those residents whose quality of life will be dramatically affected by what the Minister is doing.

"The Minister is supposed to represent a Government committed to openness and accountability, and which pledged itself to courtesy and respect in public debate.

"Now that the Government has won a majority in both Houses of Parliament, its commitment to democracy is fast being forgotten.

"Given the Minister's announcement and his remarks in Parliament, it is increasingly clear that a strong resident push is going to be needed if there is to be any chance of getting the Government to re-consider its position on these new stops.

"I will be contacting members of the Tram 109 committee and other residents to discuss with them the urgent calling of a meeting of residents to report on the current situation and to discuss options for further action."