Wednesday, 17 August 2022

Wyndham active transport

Dr CUMMING (Western Metropolitan) (17:48): (2059) My adjournment matter is to the Minister for Roads and Road Safety in the other place, and the action that I seek is for the minister to commit to funding active transport projects in Wyndham. The pandemic has changed the way people travel to work, school and leisure. Neighbourhoods with housing near local jobs and services encourage a vibrant and healthy local economy that can meet the majority of people’s daily needs. Wyndham City Council has been advocating for $12 million in funding for active transport projects which provide better connections to local destinations in their area—one being delivering a shared-use path connection to the Federation Trail along the Old Geelong Road bridge at Hoppers Crossing and another constructing the K Road Cliffs trail in Werribee’s tourist precinct.

Strategic works are needed to connect and improve the trails through Melbourne’s west to make them easier to access and more sustainable. These include Greening the Pipeline at Hoppers Crossing and Laverton North, fixing the missing link at Lollypop Creek Trail in Wyndham Vale and connecting the Werribee River Trail to the Federation Trail and the Werribee Regional Park at Riverwalk estate. Crossing points are also needed at Derrimut Road and Heaths Road to link up the D1 drain path and provide active transport connections to local schools, sporting facilities, AquaPulse and the youth resource centre. These key cycling and pedestrian links support the social and physical health of Wyndham’s community, making it easier and safer for the community to choose walking and cycling over other methods of transport.

In this year’s budget there was nearly $22 million allocated for active transport. Projects announced in the 2022–23 budget papers included upgrades to the bike facilities along the Capital City and Merri Creek trails, new cycling infrastructure for the Bendigo city centre strategic cycling corridor and delivery and construction of the new path between Greensborough and Montmorency. Yet again the west has missed out—no funding for active cycling in the fastest growing region in the state. The west deserves better than this. They pay their taxes the same as every other Victorian and they deserve a fair share of the funding. Instead most of it is going to the east and north of Victoria, in marginal seats.