Bus services to wait

Jessica Benton
BELLARINE Peninsula bus users will wait years for service improvements after councillors endorsed plans to create an interchange for buses in central Geelong, according to the head of a community association.
Drysdale Clifton Springs Community Association president Roger Lavingdale said the decision meant council would shelve plans to improve the peninsula’s services.
“They need to get stuck into doing something down our way pretty quickly,” he said.
“By the time they alter everything in Geelong we’re not going to see anything on the peninsula for a long period of time.”
“I’m very disappointed with the vote to move the bus interchange back to Moorabool Street and also the time it’s going to take for the plans to come into effect and how much longer the peninsula will have to wait until it gets something.
“I don’t think we’ll see any upgrades to peninsula services in this council term, and by the time the next council term comes around it will probably be turfed.”
Geelong council this week endorsed a State Government plan for a bus interchange on either side of Moorabool Street.
The stops would be a drop-off and pick-up point linking services around the city with buses from the peninsula and Surf Coast.
The community association called for improvements to bus services on the peninsula last year in a submission on council’s draft structure plan for Drysdale. The association wanted a bus hub in Drysdale to service the entire peninsula and connect to bus services in central Geelong.
Ward councillor John Doull, who shares council’s transport and infrastructure portfolio with Andy Richards, rejected Mr Laving-dale’s concerns.
“I don’t share the concern about Bellarine Peninsula services being negatively affected by the bus interchange,” he said.
“If there’s a chance that this would happen then I would certainly lobby to make sure the peninsula was well and truly looked after.”
Cr Doull said City Hall was spending “a considerable amount of money” improving bus services on the peninsula.
“Finding a suitable location for the bus interchange was holding up the process but now that council has made this decision I think things will start to roll.” he said.