Anger over bus change which makes life ‘difficult and dangerous’ for wealthy residents

THERE’S a problem facing some of Australia’s wealthiest residents who are furious about this change. And it spells trouble for the PM.

BRONTE isn’t quite like anywhere else in Australia.

If you talk to its proud, cashed-up residents, you wouldn’t think they live in a city of five million people. Many of them even like to refer to their tranquil home in the illustrious eastern suburbs of Sydney as a “village”.

And, if you’ve spent any time watching the waves roll in at Bronte Beach or sipped on a flat white at one of its water view cafes, you might back them up on this bold claim.

However, if you scratch a little deeper, something is deeply unsettling the serene community beside the sea and some believe it could even have huge ramifications for new Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

It might seem like a classic case of first world problems to outsiders looking in at the ridiculously wealthy suburb where the average house sells for more than $4 million, but the axing of one bus service has the whole area up in arms.

How’s the serenity? Picture: Ben Graham

At least, that’s the claim of protest group leader and Waverley Labor councillor Paula Masselos, who told news.com.au the slashing of a direct bus service to the CBD — the beloved 378 — has left the suburb cut off. She claims to have even seen residents in tears over the lost service.

“Everybody is upset about it irrespective of who you vote for,” she said.

She claims the 378’s former users now have to clamour across a “very dangerous” intersection at Bondi Junction to catch a bus to the city.

“It’s very difficult and dangerous,” Ms Masselos said. “And if you’ve got children it’s really dreadful. And, people are also saying it’s adding an hour onto their journeys to and from the city every day.”

That’s because the new 440 service was changed to travel between Bronte and Bondi Junction in November 2017.

“Very few people want to go to North Bondi. They want to go into town,” Ms Masselos said.

WHY THE 378 ISSUE MATTERS

Malcolm Turnbull’s resignation following yet another ignominious leadership spill means his prized seat of Wentworth is up for grabs in a by-election on October 6.

The election is vital for the Coalition because, if the unthinkable happens and they lose a seat they’ve held since the inaugural 1901 election, it would mean they would be plunged further into a minority government.

So while grassroots movements in this wealthy collection of suburbs — such as the those fighting against “unbelievable” plans to develop Bronte’s former RSL site and the Bring Back the 378 Bus campaign — may seem trivial compared with some of the issues facing other areas of Australia, they hold a lot of political weight.

And, while the issues they are fighting against are overwhelmingly controlled at a state and local level, anger towards Liberals, at a federal level, is manifesting among residents in its traditional heartlands.

Ms Masselos says crossing Bondi Junction’s interchange is ‘very dangerous’. Picture: News Corp Australia

“They (the Liberals) are taking us for granted,” said 52-year-old Tamarama resident Alex Wiggins, who said his family is being forced to consider investing in another car because of the “ridiculous” changes to bus services.

“We were never even asked (about changing the buses) and they just went ahead and changed them. I’ve voted Liberal my whole life, but there’s no way I can vote for them if they keep ignoring what we are saying.”

He said that not only have the changes made him late to work on “countless occasions” but stripped an “important link” between suburbs such as Waverley and Paddington.

The local anger comes as Andrew Bragg, widely considered the frontrunner in the Liberal preselection for the Wentworth seat, has bowed out of the race — saying only a woman can win the precious battle for the Liberals.

Mr Turnbull polled 62 per cent in Wentworth at the 2016 election. However, private polling seen by The Australian shows the Government’s primary vote has crashed to 39 per cent.

Local Labor supporters are optimistic the chaos of the leadership spill combined with local dissatisfaction will give their man Tim Murray a fighting chance come October.

‘APPALLING’ SITUATION

Bronte’s bus dramas began back in October 2015 when the 378 from Bronte Beach to Railway Square was replaced by an extended route 440 from Rozelle to Bronte Beach via Railway Square and Bondi Junction.

According to members of the Bring Back the 378 Bus campaign, this annoyed surrounding residents no end.

Ms Masselos said the service was “appalling” as it had to navigate through Parramatta Rd, WestConnex and the light rail construction.

“It was always late and people were not happy,” she said. “But then it settled down and people were grateful they still had a service into town.”

But then things took a turn for the worse in November when the 440 was changed so it now terminates at Bondi Junction and no longer travels as far as Bronte.

Waverley Council’s Paula Masselos is fighting for the 378 to be reinstated. Picture: AAP Image/Joel Carrett

Transport for NSW told news.com.au the change was made to “reflect customer travel patterns and support more reliable bus services across the corridor”.

However, angry residents say they weren’t consulted and they weren’t event told when the routes were changed.

“People aren’t even being told,” Ms Masselos said. “They are just walking up to the bus stops and seeing a little notice saying their service has been cancelled. So it’s like what on earth is going on?

“People are getting very suspicious about why it’s being cancelled, why we are being funnelled into the interchange when it’s dangerous and difficult?”

However, a Transport for NSW spokeswoman told news.com.au the changes in November actually made it easier for residents in Bronte to travel to the city.

“The NSW Government introduced more than 280 additional weekly bus services to timetables in the Coogee area as part of the biggest ever change to our transport network,” she said.

“As part of these changes, some routes were altered to better reflect customer demand and help improve the reliability of local services.”