Public forum held for Derwent Valley residents concerned about changes to bus timetables
UPDATE: Students, workers and families have gathered at a packed public meeting to discuss the “havoc” resulting from a recent shake-up in public transport.
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STUDENTS, workers and families in the Derwent Valley have gathered at a packed public meeting in New Norfolk to discuss the “havoc” resulting from a recent shake-up in public transport.
Infrastructure Minister Jeremy Rockliff said “teething problems” could be expected as passengers and drivers got used to the transition.
The Department of State Growth labelled the changes “significant improvements”, saying they would “make travel simpler” and pave the way for a single, integrated statewide transport network and a common ticketing system.
BUS SERVICES CUT IN PUBLIC TRANSPORT SHAKE-UP
But Selina Daley, of Magra, told the Mercury the department had ruined what was previously “a working system”.
“My daughter’s bus, that she has been catching for the past four years, used to leave New Norfolk at 7.15am and have her at school by approximately 8am,” Ms Daley said.
“The new bus now leaves at 7.05am, goes via Glenorchy and waits for another New Norfolk bus to meet up and have passengers get on, then goes along the main roads instead of the highway.
“She arrived at school at 8.52am on Wednesday, meaning she was late on her first day of Year 7.”
Ms Daley has resorted to starting work later and driving daughter Caylin to St Mary’s and son Kyle to Elizabeth College, saying she could not see how they would ever arrive on time with the new timetable.
“I don’t want my kids missing 25 minutes of school every day on an overflowing bus.”
She said the meeting at the New Norfolk football clubrooms was packed to capacity, with another meeting planned.
Karen Stevens, of New Norfolk, said her bus to work now arrived in Hobart up to 30 minutes later than before despite there being only a two-minute difference in the boarding time.
“I’m lucky enough to work relatively close to where the bus drops us off but I know there’s a lot of people that then have to walk,” Ms Stevens said.
“Many have turned to taking their cars so they can get to work on time. It’s just creating a bigger problem because you’ve got more cars on roads which are already congested.”
Labor leader Rebecca White said it only became clear last week the changes were causing “havoc” across the state.
More than 85 people commented on a Facebook post Ms White shared about the new network, with social media users describing it as a “joke”, “disaster” and “disgrace”.
Labor Member for Lyons Jen Butler said her office had been flooded with concerns from workers and parents.
“They are questioning why a service that was working needed to be tinkered with and why they are now being forced back into their vehicles,” Ms Butler said.
She said locals wanted to know why a service that used to travel directly into the city now had an interchange in Glenorchy, prolonging the trip.
Mr Rockliff said the changes equated to an increase in bus services across the state.
He commended bus operators for doing a great job transporting more than 50,000 children a day last week.
“This is the first major review in a decade of public and school bus services and it is to ensure bus routes and services evolve to better meet changes in population and transport habits,” he said.
“With such a major undertaking it is not unusual to see some teething problems as passengers and drivers get used to any changes, particularly in the first week of school returning.
“It’s important to note that the changes actually equate to an increase in bus services across the state and are about ensuring bus timetables better meet the needs of the broader community.”
Mr Rockliff said the Department of State Growth was working directly with local communities to address any concerns as soon as possible.
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