2014 Sessions

In total, there were 24 fantastic TransportCamp sessions that were proposed during 'agenda setting'. You can take a look at the final agenda matrix.

Our amazing Guest Bloggers created a blog post for each unconference session.  Each post includes all the essential session details, links and a sumamary of all the key points of discussion.

Comments are enabled, so feel free to continue the conversation in the  post or contact the session leader directly.

Stay tuned on Twitter for all the latest updates!

Planning Geelong Independently from Melbourne

Session coverage by guest blogger Ian Lo

Session Details 

  • Presented by Tony Smith (Twitter)
  • Location: Room One
  • Time: Session #6 (3:00pm - 3:35pm)
  • Number of Attendees: 6
  • Format: Presentation and discussion
  • Presentation link: Slideshare

Key session points:

Too much focus on Melbourne, but not enough in Geelong, the La Trobe Valley and the Mornington Peninsula.

There is a highway from Geelong to Melbourne, but it’s congested at the Westgate bridge. However, actually, it’s already congested before that, because of the new growth areas at Werribee.

Population forecasts in Melbourne are “absurdly” short

Population of Melbourne has been doubling every 40 years, so it might reach 8 to 10 million in 30+ years.

We can learn from London or New York, which have populations of 8 and 10+ million.

There is a tunnel below Geelong city centre, which trains pass through, but it’s not utilised. If the train is to be extended into the peninsula on the map below, it has to pass through there.

The Adelaide-Melbourne train stops at North Shore station, not Geelong or North Geelong

Another possibility: a railway line from Souther Cross or Flinders St, going through Fishermen’s Bend, across the Yarra River towards Newport station, then towards Geelong. 

** Tony Smith was somewhat talking about his own plans based on his experiences of growing up in Melbourne, without considering real life practicalities such as cost, feasibility and disruption to existing infrastructure. He seems to be advocating that his ideal railway lines should be built.

“Tony Abbott only wants to build the East-West link to allow the ‘slave drivers’ in the eastern suburbs to drive to the western suburbs where they can ‘control their slaves’ working on factories” - opinion by Russell Smith - “Liberal bias”

“Neo-colonial mentality” - Tony Smith - “CEOs must live in the eastern suburbs, while western suburbs are mainly migrant-dominated”

Jeff and Russell Smith are part of a group which advocates better public transport.

“Plan Melbourne claimed that there were over 10,000 participants contributing to their proposal, but most of them actually only provided a few comments.