Page 204 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 14 February 2018
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What does the minister say to the residents of old Narrabundah who are being kicked off the bus? Preaching to them that overall figures of patronage have gone up is of little comfort to them when they still do not have an effective bus service. The minister seems to have thrown to the wind her predecessor’s grand vision for the future of transport in Canberra: Minister Corbell’s claim that it would be a transport system that puts people first.
If the minister is not willing to listen to the members of the opposition who are voicing the concerns of their constituents, then perhaps she was moved by a member of her own party, Ms Cheyne, who earlier this morning talked about the one kilometre of carrying groceries from the Belconnen Fresh Food Markets to the Belconnen bus stop being quite a long way. Or does the minister think that perhaps one kilometre in Belconnen is too far but 1.4 or 1.6 in old Narrabundah is quite okay?
As she is so focused on the figures and not the people, I will enlighten her with what the people have to say, in their own words. One says:
The Government encourages people to use buses instead of their own cars (for those who have one) and then makes ridiculous decisions which make it more difficult for people to get from A to B, Canberra already has a terrible transport system, so why make it worse. There does not appear to have been any consultation between the Minister and the Narrabundah community and quite frankly I am furious about it. My land rates have gone up extensively over the past couple of years and I know this is partly to fund the light rail which only benefits the residents of Gungahlin in it’s first stage, then to have our bus discontinued is unbelievable.
Another says:
It’s like they’ve gone back to a 1956 route … which was fine for Canberra 60 years ago when there wasn’t much past Griffith shops. But Canberra isn’t what it was like back then and buses should keep up!
Another, actually a direct response to the minister when she was spruiking the new routes, says:
You are indeed correct in saying that these changes are disruptive, asserting that disruption is justified for “an overall improvement for passengers across the bus network”. However you didn’t explain how this will occur, which passengers and what parts of the network? Aren’t all passengers equal or are some more equal than others?
Another says:
I found the response from the minister to be disingenuous. It is clear she is cognisant of the lack of community consultation and quite ignorant of future need. More services? How do you expect a 103 year old to walk 1.5 kilometres from Karringal court to the Rapid Green stop at Griffith in order to get to Woden? My blind neighbour walks 50 meters to the bus stop for a trip to Woden. How is he supposed to get to the Green Rapid? The extra service is meaningless if not accessible.
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