I found this job posting on the Australian Policy Online newsletter and thought it might interest the Sustainable Melbourne audience.

Research assistant/research fellow, public transport and social research
Monash University, Clayton
We are seeking a Research Assistant/Fellow to support public transport planning research in the fields of social disadvantage in transport, market futures in transport and transport and urban planning. The applicant will be experienced in quantitative research methods, survey results analysis, general research support and have high written and oral communication skills. At least an honours degree in a related field is required and research experience is desirable. Experience in public transport planning or social research and GIS software would be an advantage.

Salary range: $Aust47,472 - $64,427 / $67,818 - $80,535 pa Level A/Level B plus superannuation
Duration: Fifteen-month appointment. Continuation beyond this based on performance.
Enquiries: Professor Graham Currie, tel. 9905 5574 or email graham.currie@eng.monash.edu.au
Applications: By mail addressed to Ms Brenda O’Keefe, Institute of Transport Studies, Monash University, Building 60, Clayton, Vic 3800 or email brenda.okeefe @eng.monash.edu.au by 25/04/2008
Location: Clayton campus

The section below is republished with permission from the Going Solar Transport Newsletter #55, 15 April 2008, compiled by Stephen Ingrouille. Going Solar, www.goingsolar.com.au/transport. This newsletter provides an excellent commentary on local sustainable transport issues in Melbourne.

Hovercraft on Port Phillip Bay
“A fleet of 10 custom-built hovercraft could be transporting thousands of commuters between Geelong and Melbourne daily. The air-cushioned boats could be built and tested locally, with a Victorian manufacturer said to be considering moving to Geelong. The move would bring millions of dollars to the region and create hundreds of jobs, city leaders say. Sustainable transport consultant Stephen Ingrouille has almost finished a feasibility study to run the ferries between Geelong, Port Melbourne, Melbourne and the Mornington Peninsula. ‘Hovercraft are perfect for the bay because it’s shallow,’ Mr Ingrouille said. ‘I’d be keen to see hovercraft built in the city because it’s an excellent way of replacing some of the manufacturing industry jobs.’ He said the newgeneration hovercraft would be efficient, relatively cheap to build and have minimal impact on the environment. They would hold 80-100 passengers and cross Port Phillip Bay at peak times. ‘I’ve been looking at this for some years now,’ he said. ‘I have looked at ferry services up and down the west coast of the US and other states of Australia.’ An efficient ferry system would ease congestion on the West Gate Bridge, and reduce reliance on trains and trams. Mr Ingrouille said the manufacturer was building a hovercraft to be used as a rescue vessel at Changi International Airport, Singapore. Councillor Tom O’Connor is pushing the hovercraft bid. ‘It can’t happen soon enough,’ he said.”
Ref: Kerri-Ann Hobbs, Geelong Advertiser, 9/4/08

http://feedback.metlinkmelbourne.com.au/

METLINK is responsible for functions that cover the whole public transport network. They distribute complaints to the relevant transport operator, tracking the number and type of complaint received over time. The more complaints they receive the more likely it is that something will be done quickly to improve Melbourne’s public transport system.

So spread the word and let them know your transport troubles.

Regards,
Matthew Trigg
Sustainable Design Officer
City of Port Phillip

A message below from Frank Ryan, Vox Bandicoot.

Dear Special Friends and Colleagues of Vox Bandicoot,

We are living through the truly most critical and exciting time in history. There is still a seriously long way to go, but, being imbued with the optimism which must drive environmental education, we find current movements both inspiring … and rewarding.

Vox began in 1988 and now, 20 years later, the pinnacle of our work has just been published. The Sustainability Street Approach (SSA) is our Magnus opus. It reflects the values, techniques, focus and joys that have driven our little outfit since last century, namely … “… a human scale and judicious mix of humour, science, art, education, sociology and aesthetics … all glued together with a profound belief and sense of joy in and commitment to grassroots ideas and action …” Indeed, the SSA reflects a little bit of the hundreds upon hundreds of communities around Australia with whom we have had the great privilege and pleasure of working. This book is our offering back, based on all that we’ve learned.

“Sustainability Street – It’s A Village Out There; a manual for sustainability culture change” is now available for free or for the recommended retail, or for more; if you wish to further help contribute to our mission – for the next 20 years.

Please check out http://www.voxbandicoot.com.au/virtuemart.html.

The section below is republished with permission from the Going Solar Transport Newsletter #53, 1 April 2008, compiled by Stephen Ingrouille. Going Solar, www.goingsolar.com.au/transport. This newsletter provides an excellent commentary on local sustainable transport issues in Melbourne.

Sustainable Transport in Action
76% of attendees to the 2008 St Kilda Festival arrived by walking, cycling or public transport, up from 64% in 2007. The total attendance on Festival Day was 380,000.
Thanks to Deputy Mayor Janet Bolitho for this item

The section below is republished with permission from the Going Solar Transport Newsletter #53, 1 April 2008, compiled by Stephen Ingrouille. Going Solar, www.goingsolar.com.au/transport. This newsletter provides an excellent commentary on local sustainable transport issues in Melbourne.

Green Trams
While trams - and public transport in general – are cleaner than road vehicles, they are far from being carbon neutral because the energy used to power the tram network in Victoria is supplied by coal-fired power stations. Yarra Trams is trialling a green energy source, by powering one of Melbourne’s iconic trams with wind energy sourced from Victorian wind farms. Partners in the demonstration project are Pacific Hydro and Sustainability Victoria. The five-car Combino tram chosen for the trial can carry 180 people, taking approximately 150 cars off the road and saving almost a kilometre of traffic. It will travel on one of Melbourne’s busiest routes – route 96 - which carries approximately 11.5 million people per year.
Ref: Yarra Trams 25/3/08

The next Sustainable Living Challenge has had a change of venue. The program will be held at the Pines Learning and Activity Centre, 520 Blackburn Road East Doncaster (Melways 34 D5)

Sustainable Transport Solutions - Manningham Bus Review
RSVP through the Department of Infrastructure only 9221 1952!

The Department of Infrastructure is undertaking a Bus Service Review as part of a package of bus improvements planned for metropolitan Melbourne. This community consultation session will ensure that bus service improvements reflect the needs of the Manningham community.
The aim is to:
· review the bus timetables to assess if they meet minimum standards;
· determine the need for any new routes in areas of high growth;
· identify routes where significant overcrowding occurs;
· improve linkages with other transport services; and
· review route structures to make them more direct.

Time & Date: 6.30—9.30pm, Thursday 17 April, 2008. Where: The Pines Learning and Activity Centre, 520 Blackburn Road, East Doncaster. Melways 34 D5 Bookings: 9221 1952

The section below is republished with permission from the Going Solar Transport Newsletter #52, 25 March 2008, compiled by Stephen Ingrouille. Going Solar, www.goingsolar.com.au/transport. This newsletter provides an excellent commentary on local sustainable transport issues in Melbourne.

Reshaping Our Cities
“If the long term vision existed, we could rezone our ever-evolving cities and accrue some fantastic oil-saving benefits quickly. Let us look at the example of steering suburban home building in the right direction. Folke Günther — a Swedish author — writes that the natural attrition rate of old suburban homes is about 1.6% per year. (This is based on a 60 year home lifespan, so is a safe enough figure to work with. I don’t see Australian suburban homes lasting longer than that, do you?) That is, 1.6% of Swedish homes are demolished and rebuilt each year. Demolition means the potential for change, because when a home has reached the end of its lifespan, it does not have to be replaced with a similar building and a similar function on the same old real estate space. That space can be rezoned and used for other purposes, but I’ll describe the shape of this change below. Right now I am discussing the speed of the change that normal home demolition rates could allow. If we took charge of city change in the right direction, 1.6% per year means that we could reshape the city by 16% in a decade, or 32% in 20 years, or even 64% over 40 years. In other words, if we made the appropriate zoning law changes, we could reduce suburbia’s need for oil transport by 64% in just 4 decades at the rate of change cities are already experiencing anyway! All it requires is the vision and political will to grab the reigns of this beast and steer it in the right direction.”
Ref: ‘Eclipse’, ABC TV Difference of Opinion: Are We Running On Empty? 27/7/07
http://www2b.abc.net.au/tmb/Client/Message.aspx?b=70&m=10
561&ps=20&dm=1&pd=3

The section below is republished with permission from the Going Solar Transport Newsletter #52, 25 March 2008, compiled by Stephen Ingrouille. Going Solar, www.goingsolar.com.au/transport. This newsletter provides an excellent commentary on local sustainable transport issues in Melbourne.

The Cars That Ate Cities
“When you’re in traffic these days, four-wheel drives are everywhere. Most of them are registered in the cities and rarely leave the bitumen. They can be deadly urban assault vehicles. Many of them guzzle fuel at a rate that makes the big Falcons and Commodores look like petrol misers. And the toxic emissions that many four-wheel drives spew from their exhaust pipes can rate up there with small trucks. Four wheel drive sales have boomed over the past decade; they now make up about a quarter of all new passenger vehicles sales in this country. In contrast, regulation by the federal and state governments is going at a snail’s pace. It’s been a similar situation in the United States, where four-wheel drives now rule the roads. New Australian safety research you’ll hear about on today’s program adds to the concern. …Actually here they’re now officially called Sports Utility Vehicles, or SUVs, as they’re called in America.”
Ref: Stephen Skinner, Background Briefing, The Cars That Ate Cities, Radio National 15/6/03
Read the full transcript: http://www.abc.net.au/rn/talks/bbing/stories/s881845.htm

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