Mike Symon (Deakin, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last Friday, 12 March, I had the pleasure of attending the official opening of the new smart bicycle cages at Nunawading station in my electorate of Deakin. The bike cages are yet another component in the $140 million Springvale Road rail underpass project in Nunawading, with $80 million provided by the Rudd Labor government and $60 million provided by the Brumby Labor government of Victoria.

Unlike the empty promises of the previous Liberal government, who made promises but built nothing at Springvale Road, this is a real project that is right here and right now. The boom gates are gone and six lanes of traffic are flowing without the interruption of 218 trains per day going across the road. We have a brand new landmark underground station that is fully staffed from first train to last, and we have new pedestrian access under Springvale Road along with new car parking facilities and landscaping. The old cold and draughty, asbestos ridden station has gone. The centre of Nunawading is now into an exciting phase of renewal. It took Labor governments to build this project, working together to achieve a great outcome not just for the residents of Deakin but for the tens of thousands of people who use the rail line or Springvale Road every day—delivering in full on the promise made in 2007, on time and on budget.

Joining me at the opening were Martin Pakula, the Victorian Minister for Public Transport; Tony Robinson, the state member for Mitcham; and representatives from Bicycle Victoria, VicRoads and the Springvale Road Rail Alliance. These new bike cages are accessed by use of a swipe card and are secure, well lit and under video surveillance, with access at the push of a button to the remote control centre for users who have difficulty with the system. Only a deposit is needed to access the system. I am sure that many more people will use their bike to get to Nunawading station if they know that it will still be there when they return from their journey.

At the opening I also spoke to Michael Hassett and others from Whitehorse Cyclists about this project and about their proposal for the Box Hill to Ringwood rail trail. This proposal involves using new and existing pathways and roads in and alongside the rail reservation, providing for a safe and relatively level connection between these central activity districts in the eastern suburbs—Box Hill and Ringwood. Using 910 metres of existing shared use paths, 4.6 kilometres of new shared paths, 3.2 kilometres of road paths, 700 metres of upgraded and widened existing paths along with two new overpasses the initial proposal is costed at around $7 million. As the traffic volume in Melbourne steadily increases and traffic congestion builds every year, I believe that encouraging bicycle transport is vital. I look forward to receiving a detailed proposal from Whitehorse Cyclists in the next few weeks as to how this project could be undertaken with support from the City of Whitehorse and the state and federal governments.