Commuters lose connections to Balmain east wharf
Two of three bus services to Balmain East Wharf have been axed after Opal data showed the “vast majority” of commuters weren’t travelling all the way to the ferry stop.
Inner West
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TWO of three bus services to Balmain East Wharf have been axed after Opal data showed the “vast majority” of commuters weren’t travelling all the way to the ferry stop.
From December 2, Route 444 was scrapped and 445 was shortened so it terminates at Gladstone Park, forcing Lilyfield, Leichhardt and Rozelle residents to change buses to reach the wharf.
Resident Cate Ryan said it wasn’t just ferry passengers who would have to switch buses as there is four well used stops between the wharf and the park including the one near Little
Nicholson Street Play Centre.
“It causes considerable inconvenience for many bus passengers, particularly the elderly and carers with small children in prams and strollers,” Ms Ryan said.
Peter Grainger said people were upset over the lack of consultation especially after there was a “big political push” about 10 or 15 years ago to extend services to Balmain east.
Mr Grainger and many others will now have to get on the “high frequency” 442 at East Balmain and switch to the 445 at the park to get to Leichhardt pool or the MarketPlace, where there is a much larger range of shops and lower prices.
“This will be repeated for the return journey with bags of groceries in hand; a difficult task for the elderly, those with limited mobility or who are feeling unwell,” Ms Ryan said.
Her petition calling for the services to be restored has attracted more than 250 signatures.
She said the State Government had stated “the only changes to services would be improvements” when it privatised the inner west bus network this year.
“Not only have services been discontinued, but many bus stops have been removed,” she said.
Independent Cr John Stamolis put forward a proposal at Inner West Council on Tuesday to question why the changes had been made.
“Major investments have been made to improve bus and ferry transport infrastructure and accessibility in the past few years,” Cr Stamolis said.
“The ferry wharf was made two-sided to allow for increased public transport activity at this wharf, making it the only two-sided wharf with a bus connection on the Balmain Peninsula.
“Downgrading public transport at this third most highly used wharf outside those in the CBD is in conflict with providing better and increased public transport within the inner-city.”
A Transport for NSW spokeswoman said it had introduced changes to strengthen on time running and improve network efficiency across the region “in the first major overhaul of the busy and complex Inner West bus network since 2010”.
“The improvements include additional off peak, shoulder peak and early evening services added on key routes such as 412, 433, 438, 445, 461 and 504, new On Demand public transport connections and the alteration of some routes to reflect customer demand and reduce doubling up on routes,” she said.
“These changes allow bus operators to meet the needs of the majority of customers in the area and help us recognise where demand is greater so more buses turn up where and when customers need them.”
During November 2018, only about three per cent of customers who hopped on the 445 travelled to the wharf.
Customers can continue accessing the wharf via route 442, which has been upgraded to a “turn-up-and-go” service with buses running every 10 minutes Monday to Saturday.
The office of Balmain state Greens MP Jamie Parker has been inundated by calls and emails from concerned residents.
“Connectivity is the centrepiece of any reliable, easy to use and effective public transport system,” Mr Parker said.
“These changes make it harder for residents to transfer between the bus and ferry which is a disincentive to use public transport all together.”