Thursday, 26 May 2022

Northern Metropolitan Region

Dr RATNAM (Northern Metropolitan) (12:35): (1803) My constituency question is for the Minister for Public Transport. Along Sydney Road in my electorate there are no accessible tram stops between Brunswick Road and Bakers Road. This 5.5-kilometre stretch from Coburg to Parkville is a major activity centre, with many shops, cafes, bars and restaurants along the route, but the lack of any accessible tram stops means many people with disabilities are effectively locked out of the area and unable to access this major shopping and public precinct. While all tram stops in Melbourne are required to be accessible by the end of this year, almost three-quarters are still not accessible to people with disabilities. In fact, at the current rate of construction, our transport network will not be fully accessible until the year 2066. Today at 1.30 pm residents will be rallying at Brunswick town hall to call on the government to prioritise building accessible tram stops on Sydney Road. While I cannot be there with them today, I echo their calls, and I ask the minister: when will accessibility works along Sydney Road begin?