Those in politics tell me that online petitions are rarely effective. And that 30 independently written letters are more effective than 1000 bulk-submitted organised form letters from an organised lobby.
Plus there is the possibility of official petitions to the state Legislative Assembly or Legislative Council. But these requires sponsorship from an MP. That might not be forthcoming, especially if they are on the government side.
Old-fashioned paper petitions, unsponsored by an MP, is another. These are commonly used for hyper-local issues. They require a lot of work to get signatures but then any campaign needs work. Possibly their greatest value is the conversations that their sponsors have with people to raise community awareness and interest.
Another option is online petitions, such as hosted on change.org . There have been some successes, though a petition alone is unlikely to be enough. However they can draw new people to your message, attract volunteers and raise community and media interest. The comments section is also useful in drawing out experiences and stories. These can be helpful to win decision-makers over, interest the media and even motivate those behind a campaign.
Last week I checked some of the more serious petitions related to transport in Melbourne to check if they got results.
Successful petitions
St Albans level crossing removal (4595 supporters)
Established about 10 years ago by a mother who lost her son at the crossing. This and the nearby Ginifer level crossing was removed in 2016.
Partly successful or too early to tell petitions
Advocacy for 6 car trains every 10 minutes to Wyndham Vale and Tarneit. These are busy stations in Melbourne's growing outer west. Current services are only every 20 to 40 min outside peak.
There were small timetable changes a few years ago including upgrading Geelong line weekend trains from every 60 to every 40 minutes. Before the 2022 state election Labor promised a further upgrade to every 20 minute from 2024.
The Sunshine - Melbourne Airport line was initially announced without an intermediate station, though it was an option. However before the 2022 state election the state government announced that the airport line would have station at Keilor East near Terror St. The Labor government was returned at that election.
However just recently, with pressure from rising deficits and interest rates, the government announced a deferral of projects including Airport Rail. This we don't know when Keilor East people will get a station.
A petition to get funding from the then Turnbull government. Money got offered but the project appears deferred as described above.
Public Transport accessibility (15018 supporters)
Part of a larger campaign by the Disability Resource Centre to highlight the difficulty many have boarding trams (especially) due to the slow roll-out of accessible vehicles and stops. The government has included funding for some accessibility improvements in the 2022 state budget but progress remains slow.
Better public transport in Melbourne's north west (673 supporters)
A request for better public transport on the Craigieburn line. The petitioner considers that punctuality should be better and crowding less. And they have a point - the Craigieburn line is well used but outside of peak hours it is only half as frequent as the similar length Frankston line at most times.
The petition mentions an issue with connectivity to the last 529 bus at Craigieburn however there have since been some Route 529 service improvements including later finishes. There is also a possibility of Craigieburn line train services being improved when the Metro Tunnel commences operation (as Northern group City Loop capacity is freed and the Metro Tunnel's business case service plan includes a Craigieburn line service boost).
Other petitions
Distance based public transport fares (2712 supporters)
These petitioners wanted free or low cost public transport for short distances. Instead the government has gone the other way with the $9.20 fare cap, making long distance trips far cheaper and leaving short distance fares the same.
Public transport for Poowong (102 supporters)
The petitioners supports a coach service for the town of Poowong, 110km south-east of Melbourne. It has the backing of local MP Danny O'Brien.
A new petition #Fix800Bus
7 day service on Route 800 bus (107 supporters so far)
This started only a few days ago. It requests 7 day service on Route 800 on Princes Hwy along with boosted Saturday frequency and longer operating hours. Route 800 serves major destinations including Chadstone, Oakleigh and Dandenong while also passing close to Monash University Clayton. It is the only public transport for a significant number of people on low incomes in the Noble Park North area.
Route 800 is Melbourne's busiest bus route without 7 day service despite its direct highway route and strong residential and employment catchment. Its last substantial timetable change was in 1991 when 7 day service was actually cut and Saturday frequency reduced. Over 100 other bus routes with much lesser usage have gained 7 day service since 2002 but the 800 remains without it. Thus a strong case exists for its improvement even if services on a nearby very quiet route like the 704 need to be trimmed to pay for it.
The Route 800 petition is supported by the #Fix800Bus Facebook page. More background in my blog item here.
Have you been involved in petitions that were successful (any topic)? What are some things that worked (and those that didn't)? Please share your experiences below.
1 comment:
I tried to petition for the Altona Loop to be duplicated where possible. Never got anywhere with it though...
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