Bellarine Times
Tuesday 13 July 2010
VOL 3. No 28
www.bellarinetimes.com.au
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City of Greater Geelong councillor, Rod Macdonald, and Member for Bellarine, Lisa Neville, look at plans for the new viewing platform at Lake Connewarre. See full story Page 5. Photo: ALISON MARTIN
FERRY CASE Calls for business case study following release of Bellarine ferry user survey
BY ALISON MARTIN RESULTS of the Bellarine Ferry user survey have been released and supporters of the initiative believe the next step should be a business case study. Environment and Climate Change Minister, Gavin Jennings, said the results of the survey of Bellarine Peninsula residents, funded by the State Government and City of Greater Geelong, were a good starting point for proponents considering the viability of a ferry service. “The survey found there is wide community support for a ferry service but the findings also indicate that regular commuter numbers could be relatively low,” he said. Around 400 residents across the Bellarine region were interviewed by telephone on the potential ferry service. Residents who regularly travel to Melbourne were also invited to meetings held at
Surf Forecast
Ocean Grove and Portarlington to discuss transport options and their likelihood of regularly using a ferry service and what ticket fare they would be willing to pay for a return trip. The survey found that about 400 commuters may choose to travel by a ferry to work in Melbourne on a weekday basis and up to 500 non-commuter passengers could make a daily trip for other activities on weekdays and weekends. “Passenger numbers are important to the viability of a ferry service. The open water and variable weather conditions of Port Phillip Bay would require a large passenger ferry in the range of 200to 300-seat capacity if it was to deliver a frequent and reliable commuter service,” Jennings said. Bellarine Ferry Group spokesperson, John Rae, who has worked with Geoff Henderson and Grant Hutchins since 2007 on the ferry campaign, said he was grateful of the money spent on the survey and
was now hoping funding would be made available for the crucial business study to assess viability. He said ferry group members were in the process of assessing the survey data, released last Friday, but based on the initial information, a business study was warranted. “We are looking at the results and will be having a meeting with Lisa Neville (Member for Bellarine) and Gayle Tierney (Member for Western Victoria) within the next two weeks,” Rae said. “We have always said fares would need to be subsidised, just like other public transport, and would need to compare with costs of driving to Geelong and then train fares to Melbourne, with consideration to the greatly reduced travel times. “A business study would need to be based on competitive, subsidised public transport fares, and we see that as the next step.” Member for Bellarine, Lisa Neville, said
the survey had been a direct response to the Portarlington community’s call for a commuter ferry service to Melbourne. “The study information is available to the public, interested parties and potential proponents for ferry services. The government will work with proponents of genuine proposals submitted to it so they can be assessed,” she said The ferry project has received widespread support since launched by Port’s Community Building Initiative, with more than 320 people attending last month’s community ferry forum, organised by Bellarine Liberal Party candidate, Kurt Reiter. Reiter said last week, prior to the release of the survey, that public support was evident, and called for a business plan to be developed. Ferry survey results are available on the Parks Victoria website www.parkweb.vic.gov.au City of Greater Geelong and Department of Transport sites.
WED 3-5ft windy, WNW 12° THU 2-4ft dropping, WSW 12° FRI 3-4ft easihg NW 12° SAT 2ft+ lumpy N 14°
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