By JOHN VAN KLAVEREN
OPPONENTS to the scrapping of bus services to Newtown’s hilliest area have won a reprieve because of a delay to the launch of Victoria’s Regional Rail Link (RRL).
A lack of trains for the link has forced the eight-week delay, which also means changes to bus timetables have been postponed.
But Geelong Labor MP Christine Couzens claimed the postponement of bus changes was due to the intervention of the Andrews Government.
Public Transport Minister Jacinta Allan blamed the RRL delay on the former state government, claiming it failed to order enough trains “to guarantee reliable services” on the new link.
Ms Allan said any delay in rolling stock delivery or train faults after the $4 billion project was introduced in April, as initially planned, would have meant service cancellations and “chaos“ for commuters.
She said deferring the start of RRL would also delay train, tram and bus timetable changes.
Ms Couzens then announced a second round of consultation on the changes.
But affected residents have not been told of the new consultations.
The Independent reported last month that elderly and unwell Newtown residents could be forced to sell up and move without access to bus services.
More than 200 residents around the Barwon River end of West Fyans St signed a petition protesting the cuts and presented it to Ms Couzens.
She said the community response to last year’s consultation was “so significant” that a second round was needed.
Ms Couzens understood residents’ concerns about the first round of consultation, “which is why the Andrews Government intervened to see consultation re-opened”.
“A new, better bus network for Geelong will be in place by 21 June, in line with the start of Regional Rail Link services, which will deliver major benefits to Geelong,” she said.
“The community response to the bus network review shows how passionate people in Geelong are about buses and public transport.
“I want to see that passion reflected in the bus services we use every day, which is why I’ve intervened to see community consultation re-opened.
“Our bus network will be better for the input, views and opinions of those who use it every day.”
One of the petition organisers, Lionel Tunnell-Jones, said many elderly and unwell residents would be left without transport.
“We would be very disappointed if some of the concerns we’ve raised about our bus route aren’t included in any changes made by Public Transport Victoria (PTV),” Mr Tunnell-Jones said.
“We’re not interested in community consultation that maybe already has a forgone conclusion, especially as we have received no assurances regarding our original petition.
“We’re concerned this is a sort of smoke screen and we’re a little suspicious they might do that.”
Ms Couzens said consultation times, locations and further information was available from ptv.vic.gov.au or by phoning 1800 800 00.
