This is neither good news nor bad news. On the positive side, Dandenong's organically evolved Little India won't be overshadowed by a government-driven initiative located elsewhere. On the other hand, it seems highly unlikely that any particularly extensive or useful changes will come out of this for the precinct, unless the funding amount increases substantially at some point. As things stand, much more is being spent on the Afghan precinct, and that unfolded without any hype and fanfare from the state government.

So, in the end, this announcement is no real announcement at all for Little India. In reality, it all depends on what actions the government actually takes to improve Little India. And if a large stream of government funding heads Wyndham's way in future, with no corresponding funding for Dandenong's precinct, we'll know that this was all just smoke and mirrors to avoid angering the Little India traders. But let's not be too cynical! Read more...

Incidentally, it looks like the capacity of a freeway lane is about 2300 cars per hour. (So, being very generous, maybe 4000 passengers per hour.) Not only do those cars have to come from and go to somewhere (thereby adding traffic at the sources and destinations, which of course won't get any capacity upgrades), the contrast with rail capacity is stark: improvements to the Dandenong Rail Line would allow for an extra 11,000 passengers per hour.

I seem to be a bit unusual in that I like roads (though clean and quiet cars need to happen ASAP), but as I said, once you're contemplating 5 lanes each way, it's time for a complete rethink. Read more...