In the wash-up from Ride to Work Day, a lobby group calling themselves The Punters is pushing for the weekday punt service under the West Gate bridge to be reinstated.
The punt operated on Ride to Work Day as a one-off special and according to the Star News local rag:
About 135 riders used the punt to cross the Yarra River on their way to work, with a further 80 using the service for the return journey.
However, when the subsidised operation was closed in June, the Bicycle Victoria web site reported that
After four months of operation, and despite considerable publicity, usage rates have remained below 25 per cent, with a monthly average high of 61 passengers per day in March, the highest usage recorded to date.
To get back to weekday operations, a subsidy would be required as Star News notes:
Funding the occasionally unprofitable service is the key issue: everyone agrees that the punt should be running, but nobody wants to pay.
Signs of hope?
A spokesman for Mr Bracks said reinstating the punt on weekdays was
back on the drawing boardbut stressed that anappropriate modelwould first need to be established to guarantee the long-term survival of the service.
Mr Bracks certainly supports the concept, but we understand that during the trial period the service didnít have the patronage that would be needed to keep it going.
But we think it is a good idea and we would like to see it work.
The Mayor of Hobsons Bay was also quoted speaking positively (if non-committally) about the prospect of the punt refloating.
Trial
I'm inclined to support The Punters. I agree that the trial of the weekday punt was poorly publicised, and I think the trial period was not long enough—a "secret" like this needs time to get out and build support.
In June The Age quoted Harry Barber saying that:
although the punt had proved popular as a quick trip for cyclists and a way to avoid road congestion and reduce environmental problems, it was an idea that was
premature.
BV mouthpiece flyingdutch is reported by Star News speculating that when the Federation Trail opens it may feed more riders to the punt. Who knows if that's right? But while there's no punt service, no-one will ride to the Spotswood landing to be counted.
Perhaps the time for another trial period is fast approaching?
One thing is for certain: if another trial of the weekday schedule gets up, commuters from that part of town are really going to have to vote with their…um, pedals? tyres? Ah, you know what I mean!