2020-10-15
A damning Auditor-General report released today has revealed the Department of Transport will not meet its legislated targets for accessible tram infrastructure.
In 2018-19 alone, only 15 per cent of tram services delivered a low-floor tram at a level-access stop.
Victorian Greens spokesperson for transport, Sam Hibbins, said that while so many Melburnians loved our trams, many were still inaccessible for people with mobility issues and in desperate need of an upgrade.
The Greens want to see the state government invest in an overhaul of Melbourne’s tram network that would see our tram routes upgraded to include level-access stops across the entire network and hundreds of new low-floor trams.
Quotes attributable to Victorian Greens spokesperson for transport, Sam Hibbins MP:
"Public transport should be accessible for everyone.
"What’s so disappointing is not just the state government’s failure to meet its legislated timelines, it’s the fact that they haven’t even tried. They have no plan and no funding for a fully accessible tram network.
"It’s a slap in the face to so many Victorians with mobility issues that would benefit from a fully accessible tram network including parents with prams, the elderly and people with a disability.
"We are calling on the state government to ensure that every tram stop across the network is accessible and to manufacture hundreds of new low-floor trams."
You can find out more about the Greens’ policy on trams here.