Level crossing

Unfortunately, the Shadow Minister for Roads and Road Safety continues his efforts to mislead Victorians regarding Labor’s transport plan (On The Level, Gazette Letters 22 January).
Labor’s proposal to remove 50 level crossings over eight years is a cruel hoax.
A project of that size in only eight years would cause chaos and gridlock on our rail and road networks.
It is a pipedream, based on some back of the envelope estimates.
Labor gave us Myki and the disastrous desal plant.
They cannot be trusted with a project of such magnitude.
The state coalition government, in contrast, is delivering Victoria’s largest ever level-crossing removal program, allocating more than $418 million to remove 12 level crossings, with five to be removed this year in Springvale, Mitcham and Sunshine.
Labor is also not telling the truth about what the state coalition government is delivering to the Casey and Cardinia area.
These are real projects with real money, such as the $49 million Narre Warren-Cranbourne Road duplication, the $66 million Koo Wee Rup bypass and additional car-parking spaces at Berwick, Narre Warren, Beaconsfield and Pakenham railway stations.
Our trains are running more punctually – 91 per cent of the Pakenham line trains ran on time in December 2013 compared to 82 per cent in December 2009 under Labor.
Our railway stations are also safer, with protective services officers deployed at Berwick, Narre Warren and Pakenham.
The Victorian Coalition Government will continue to deliver improvements to our transport system for the residents of Casey and all Victorians.
Terry Mulder,
Minister for Public Transport,
Minister for Roads.