Cremorne Town Centre businesses upset with B-Line plan to move Military Rd bus stops
Military Rd Cremorne shopkeepers have backed a petition against the B-Line and believe business will suffer if plans to move local bus stops go ahead.
Mosman
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LOWER north shore residents who started a petition against the B-Line project have gathered more than 500 signatures in one week.
Cremorne resident John Lucas said 286 signatures were collected last weekend alone in the Cremorne Town Centre.
“The horrifying thing is that there’s still a lack of awareness, quite a strong one,” he said.
“About 90 per cent of the people we spoke to were unaware of the B-Line project’s implications for the local area.”
Residents plan to submit the petition to the NSW Legislative Assembly.
The centre’s businesses support the petition which is available to sign in several shops.
Vasilli Karellas, IGA supermarket owner and chairman of the centre’s body corporate, said the B-Line plan to relocate the nearby Military Rd bus stops would “seriously impact on trade”, among other concerns.
The bus stops would move one block south.
“I am disappointed that the Government has treated this area so poorly,” Mr Karellas said.
“The B-Line does not fix the traffic problem and only makes it harder for local residents to get onto public transport.
“The NSW Government needs to know people are concerned that Band-Aid solutions like the B-Line will not work and need to be stopped.”
Pharmacist Genevieve Kearney said the B-Line would not stop in Cremorne, but local bus stops would be moved to allow for tidal flow.
“To make this possible they are going to stop traffic turning left from Cabramatta Rd onto Military Rd, which will impact the traffic on an already congested Spofforth St with many delivery trucks being forced onto this road,” she said.
“The B-Line will mean less customers through the centre, impacting on our turnovers and viability, and chaos in the streets with proposed road closures.
“We would like all work to stop until fully investigated and other solutions discussed before we lose our local community identity.
“Cremorne is a destination; not just a transit lane through to the city.”
Ms Kearney said the centre housed many local businesses.
“Our centre has a newsagency, post office, IGA, pharmacy and local doctors just to list a few,” she said.
“We are the heart of Cremorne and feel a bus stop is critical to our survival, with many customers already indicating they use the centre because of public transport proximity and it would impact on their decision to shop here.
“Cremorne is a small community; we have been overlooked for too long.
“We are a local shopping precinct supporting our local customers with vital goods and services and want to maintain our community spirit.”
North Sydney Council will host a public meeting on the B-Line in Fred Hutley Hall at 200 Miller Street, North Sydney, next week on March 30 at 7pm.
Mosman Mayor Peter Abelson will speak in the meeting.
For more information visit northsydney.nsw.gov.au
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